Wendy Says

Spring is often the time of year when “teacher fatigue” can strike. After struggling through the winter months with obstacles of all sorts, energy levels can run low. The end of the school year is in sight, but that last leg can be rough! Your creative juices have dried up, and you’ve run out of ideas to help teach certain concepts to those students who need more help.

By nature, teachers are a creative bunch, but it has only been recently in which there has been a forum where others could share ideas. In 2006, Paul Edelman, a former NYC public school teacher, decided to create an open online marketplace where teachers could buy, sell, and share original educational materials in downloadable formats. He was the first person to launch this idea, and it has exploded around the world. We know it as Teachers Pay Teachers (TpT) , and if you haven’t heard of this site yet, I will be glad to enlighten you. 

In the late 1990’s and early 2000’s, computer equipment was becoming commonplace in the classroom, but the use of the internet as a teaching resource was still in its early stages for the general populace. Online teaching was rudimentary at best, but once begun, it was like an online conflagration for the next best thing to improve the experience for both the student and the teacher. No longer was an online classroom static, as tools were created to make it possible to simulate an actual interactive classroom. Connecting with the online world has become an integral part of learning and teaching.

Mr. Edelman saw a need for there to be a place where teachers could connect and share ideas, but he took it a step further by making it available for teachers to sell some of their ideas at a nominal cost and earn some extra money in the process. How many times have you worked hard to come up with an idea to help teach a particular concept or idea and created a great teaching method that proved successful? By taking this one step further, you could share this idea on the TpT website and earn something for your effort. 

There is no cost involved in registering to be part of the TpT community, and you are even allowed ten free downloads from an extensive list of products just for signing up. There are many free features to take advantage of, but if you want to become actively involved in the selling aspect, you will need to become a paid member. Everything is explained on how to do this, but you are free to participate however best suits you.  There are 1,600,000 registered members with over 90,000,000 page views made each month! 

The website covers all aspects and levels of teaching, so there is something for everyone, ranging from teaching ideas to making money by selling your ideas through the marketplace. Pinterest has several pages that show you the wide variety of topics that are available. Take the time to browse through some of the offerings, and be sure to check out their blog--you will be amazed!

Theodor Seuss Geisel, better known as Dr. Seuss, would have been 110 years old this month and to this day he is remembered as one of the most well-known authors of children’s literature. His fun, whimsical books were some of the first that many of us read. And in our March celebrations of Dr. Seuss’s life and legacy, we often look for ways to bring that fun back into reading for our students.

Nothing excites my students more than free reading time. It’s like a sigh of relief in the classroom—they can read what they want and not have to prep for standardized post-reading questions. They know I’m not going to sit them down with paper and pencil and make them summarize what they read. But as a teacher, I also know that I must hold my students accountable for the time they spend reading, and in doing so I try to make it fun. Here are some fun reading-response activities to try in your classroom.

• Have students tweet about their books. Social media is everywhere and no matter what grade you teach, it’s likely your students are at least aware of Twitter. Rather than have students summarize what they’re reading, have them tweet it to a bulletin board. Provide sentence strips or small cuts of colorful paper where students write a 40-character (or other designated length) tweet about what they read. Even better, show them how to use hashtags to highlight the book’s theme or title.
• If you’re trying to encourage students to branch out to different genres, have them play 20 questions with another student once a week. Two students pair up and one students asks the other up to 20 questions about the book they are reading. Strict “yes” and “no” answers are optional; you might want to give them the opportunity to give short answers. Not only will students have to reflect on and remember what they’re reading, but you are also requiring them to practice language skills while they find out more about another book. If your students have a difficult time forming quality questions, start by providing some for them to use. But encourage creativity to avoid the feel of traditional reading response questions. You’ll be surprised at the conversations that ensue!
• Kids love to be silly and move around. Give them time to act out a short scene from their book—either in a small group setting or for the whole class. Use this as a reward for a struggling reader or as motivation for your class to work on a specific task. If you’re one of the lucky teachers who gets to do recess duty, you can have students perform for you during recess too so you can avoid using class time!

It can be a challenge to get students reading, especially with the ever-stressful reading response questions to prepare them for standardized tests. I don’t know anyone who likes to be quizzed about what they read, and when you’re reading for pleasure—as we should be encouraging our students to do—answering questions takes all the enjoyment out of it. But to hold students accountable to some degree, make it fun and keep the writing and questioning to a minimum.

What are some ways you encourage students to read? Do you have any fun tips to share?

Teachers face many challenges in the classroom, and motivating students in our high-stakes environment is often at the top of the list. It’s difficult to watch a very capable child take on an “I don’t care attitude” or a child who struggles give up the fight to move forward. Understanding what is causing the lack of motivation is the first step to moving the child forward to academic success.

Begin by connecting with the child on a personal level to help improve his self-esteem. Inquire about interests, both in and outside of school. Ask the child what he likes to do or is good at. This not only shows that you care about them as a person, but that they are capable of success on some level.

What if the child doesn’t see his or her worth in anything specific? If he struggles in math, find some aspect of your current concept that he’s good at. If he is having trouble memorizing his multiplication facts, applaud him for having a good sense of numbers or for the facts he does have memorized.

Make sure your students see the connection between the classroom and the real world. The “why” is important in Common Core and in many new teacher evaluations. As adults, we balance our checkbook because we need to be accountable for our purchases so we can pay bills, plan for retirement, and take our family on summer vacation. Students need to know why material is important in the grand scheme of things so they see value in learning and retaining the information.

Some children require some extrinsic motivation. What’s important to the student? Lunch with the teacher? A brand-new pencil? A note home? Set a goal for the student and offer a reward to achieving the goal. About.com and Teaching Ideas have some great (free!) ideas for positive rewards, submitted by teachers like you. Use these to motivate your students to push themselves academically or to turn around troublesome behavior.

Creating a plan of action that includes the student, parent, teacher, and even the school principal can be a very powerful motivation tool. And letting the student know that all these adults care for and are concerned about him can be a motivation in itself. The plan can track the behavior that needs to change or the steps to achieve the desired goal.

Motivating students to succeed in today’s stressful educational system can be a challenge. Heck, as teachers we even have trouble getting ourselves motivated to put the best foot forward from time to time! But finding what works for your students and giving them the “why” will help both you and your students build on their strengths to be successful.

Those lazy days of summer are finally here and while spending some extra time with friends and family is a must, this is also an ideal time to gear up for next year. I know we all put in many hours during the school year, but putting in a few summer hours will pay off exponentially in the coming school year.

Organization is a big piece of the equation. Consider putting together your back-to-school packets as early as possible. Include your supply lists, information about your behavior management system, as well as all of your school’s required forms. Have five or six extra packets ready so you don’t have to hunt down forms later. This will save time throughout the school year as new students join your classroom.

Have your class list already? Start setting up your library check-out system, making your students’ name tags, and putting together homework folders now. If new students join your class later, you’ll only have to make a few more of these supplies as you begin the school year.

Professional Learning Communities are vitally important as you plan your instruction to meet Common Core standards. If you don’t already know your grade level teammates, find a time this summer to grab lunch to discuss your goals for the school year, your teaching style, and how you can work together for the benefit of your students.

We know that great teaching ideas pop up throughout the school year when you least expect it. I keep an “ideas” folder handy and add to it throughout the school year. I take a few hours each summer to review the folder and decide which new ideas I will implement in the coming school year. If you have a similar system, review your ideas and research what you need to put the new ideas into your regular teaching repertoire.

Summers are for rejuvenation, and as teachers we definitely need that time to recharge. But with a little extra planning during the summer, you will have a little less to stress about during the nonstop meetings during back-to-school season. What are some things you do to make sure you’re ready for the school year? Please share!

Recently, an article published in The Wichita Eagle told of several middle schools in the area trying out single-sex lunches. Basically, the boys eat lunch while the girls go outside for recess, and then the groups switch. The schools claim they have seen a decrease in behavior problems as well as an increase in the amount of lunch the students are actually eating. There are mixed feelings on the idea. While we can't ignore the positive results we are seeing, we also need to take into consideration the social skills the students aren't having a chance to develop and practice. I am all for less fights and healthier eating, but I know that I really needed as many chances as I could get to practice my social skills in middle school. What are your thoughts?

For me, summer is all about relaxation. As teachers, we work hard all year long so we deserve a bit of rest and relaxation! Summer usually starts with some pool and family time, cleaning and organizing the house, and a few short road trips. But after a week or two I can’t help but start thinking about August.

It’s not that I mean to work during the summer. I really wish I could put it all on hold. But I like to reflect on last year and begin thinking about what I’m going do differently next year.

The World Wide Web is the perfect place to begin. I can work on my class Web site from the comfort of my own home, so I can pretend like I’m not working. No one will know, right?

This summer I’ve decided to give my class Web site a complete facelift. The first thing I’m going to do is change the background on my site. If you’d like to do the same, just complete these easy steps:

• Log on to your MyTeacherSite.
• Click on the My Profile section under the Site Management header at the left side of the page. Here you can change the page design, the title on the header of your page, and your security information.
• To change the page design, simply roll your mouse over the thumbnail images so you can view a larger version. Find the design you like and click on the bubble next to the design title.
• Once your changes are complete, click the “Save Info” button at the bottom of the page.
• To view your design changes, click on the link under “My Website” at the top of the page.

This is the time of year when the buzz in the teacher’s lounge usually revolves around next year. Who’s coming back? Who’s not? If your district is like many this year, there are numerous teachers, counselors, and administrators in the “not” category, and not necessarily by choice. Lack of state funding has forced many districts to cut positions from the classroom all the way up to the district office.

So what can you do if you’re a “not”? After you give yourself a day or two to wallow, it’s time to take action! Start your job search early to get a leg up on others in the same boat.

The first thing you need to do is update that resume and secure some references. Most districts require letters of recommendation; some as many as three. Your current administrators will likely be inundated with requests, so ask early and don’t be afraid to remind her. And updating your resume is easy with tips from How to Write a Resume and other sites that offer tips on everything from your cover letter to a post-interview thank you note. Just do an online search about what you need.

There likely won’t be many jobs posted just yet, but a great place to start your search is Teacher Jobs, Teachers-Teachers.com, or a generic job search engine like CareerBuilder.com, Yahoo! Careers, or Monster.com.  Post your resume to as many sites as possible to get the most exposure, and visit the sites regularly to search available positions. Oftentimes positions won’t be posted until the end of the summer, but if you put yourself out there early, you might snag one of those positions.

If you’re lucky enough to score an interview, be sure to do your homework, dress professionally, and send a thank you note afterwards. The key is to set yourself apart from all those other teachers that were let go this year—stand out from the crowd.

Above all, keep your chin up. You may not find that perfect teaching job next school year. But if you’re looking to get your foot in the door with a new district next year, apply to substitute in the district and keep your fingers crossed. We’re all hoping the economy makes a turn for the better and those funding shortages turn into teacher shortages!

I’m interested in hearing about what’s going on around the country. What’s happened in your district? Paycuts? Positions lost? Large class sizes?

We’ve all been there; trying to enjoy a peaceful dinner at a restaurant or watch a movie in the theatre, when a person speaking loudly into a cell phone breaks our auditory solitude. We cast annoyed glances, maybe even a reprimanding look towards the offender, who very often doesn’t even register our frustration. This frustrates us more.

Many times these cell-phone abusers are adults who ought to know better; after all, most seem to be professionals who are carrying on some type of business so urgent they can’t wait until after they’ve eaten their beef and broccoli to discuss it. But many times the cellular-gabbers are teenagers who probably haven’t been instructed in basic cell phone etiquette. They live what they see, so to speak, and mimic the behaviors of those around them.

Texting is another issue that seems to be cropping up in the news with relative frequency. Adolescents are able to text without even looking at the keypad, rendering it an effective tool for cheating on tests and sending answers to their friends. Students are also sending text messages to threaten and intimidate students, and the harassment is having detrimental consequences for many teens.

It’s estimated that children as young at 8 years old own and use cell phones. But are parents giving them any instruction on phone etiquette? Not to talk on their cell phones in a library, while checking out at a store, and not answering a ringing cell when they are speaking to someone in person? Not to text while at a family party, or especially while driving?

Michelle Cimino tackles this very issue in her book, Cell Phone Etiquette, Observations from a Mom. She unabashedly admits to her love and obsession with cell phones and their many benefits, such as “…the allure of being available to your customers…and the beauty of being able to find my daughter…” She’s not just a fan of cellular technology, she also feels it’s important to teach kids how to use their devices—which includes texting—at appropriate times and in respectful ways.

Cimino uses her life experience as a mom of two teenage daughters, along with her own observations, to provide parents, teachers, and students a go-to guide for appropriate cell phone use. The best part of Cimino’s book however, is the comprehensive list of texting acronyms located at the end. Parents and educators would be well advised to copy this list and post it near the bed or keep a copy in your briefcase or purse and commit it to memory. One of the most effective tools for making sure your children are using technology appropriately (and your attempts at keeping them safe as well) is a parent’s ability to know what children are saying in their conversations with each other. If parents and teachers aren’t familiar with the likes of “404,” “10,” or “LTTIC,” which are acronyms for “I haven’t a clue,”  “parent is watching,” and “look the teacher is coming,” respectively, they will be left out in the cold when it comes to deciphering messages and may miss an important opportunity to intervene. It will also help you text your own children, who may respond better to “OMDB” (“over my dead body”) than hearing you utter the word “no” when they ask to attend a late-night party in a secluded location.

Not all teens and tweens misuse their cell phones, but educating them about respectful ways to use technology in public will go along way towards a happy, smiling community; where people can enjoy their movie and dinner in peace. For more information about cell phone etiquette and texting tips, check out Michelle’s website at: http://www.getmanners.com. BB4N!

The new school year is upon us—for some sooner than others. I received my annual “Welcome Back” letter from my district superintendent, reminding me that my summer is coming quickly to a close. Alas, no more lazing around in my slippers all day, taking the kids to the pool, or impromptu lunch dates with friends. While I long for more lazy summer days, I am anxious to get back into my regular routine.

I always feel like I’ve lost touch with reality a bit during the summer. I spend a lot of time reading for pleasure and not a lot of time keeping up with my profession. A great luxury of teaching, especially as I watch my husband (begrudgingly) get ready for work each day.

So if you’re like me you likely don’t feel quite ready to meet your class of smiling faces in a few short weeks. But that doesn’t mean that this summer—you know, the one when you’ll finally get organized or learn that new classroom management trick—is lost. Take these last few weeks to jump back in before it’s too late!

• Touch base. Nothing makes me feel more out-of-the loop than missing all those e-mails during the summer. If you have access, check your district inbox. Delete all the spam and respond to any critical messages.
• Visit. School and district administrators typically work all summer. If you are in town, stop by and say hi. If possible, spend a little time in your classroom rearranging desks and unpacking boxes. You’ll have a leg up on the other teachers sharing your hallway.
• Do some reading. A lot has happened in education over the summer—starting and ending with budgets. Read up on what’s going on in your state so when parents bring up the topic you’ll be knowledgeable.
• Start planning. You may not have the resources available on-hand, but you can still begin planning your year. Education World offers some great advice for first- and second-year teachers or check out some great reads, including Teaching Outside the Box by LouAnne Johnson and The First Six Weeks of School by Roxann Kriete and Lynn Bechtel.
• Meet. Those few days back before your students arrive are hectic and packed with school- and district-level meetings. Try to get in touch with your grade level team ahead of time to talk about lesson planning, classroom management, and other issues.

Of course, most of us still have a few weeks left. Enjoy them. Once they’re over you have about 10 months before your next long, lazy summer.

Summer is here! Many teachers have been counting down the days until the end of the school year for weeks. Summer is a great time to hang out with family, visit theme parks, go to the museum, read a great book (or three), and just veg out. That’s how I usually spend my summer! But it’s also a great time to come up with new ideas for teaching, learn some new skills, and catch up on what’s going on in the world of education. I mean, who really has time to read all the trade publications that appear in our mailboxes every week? I certainly don’t. Here are some great ways to spend a few hours this summer:

• Review your “Ideas” folder. I keep a file folder near my desk and add to it regularly. Every time I hear a great new teaching idea I scribble it down and put it in the folder. During the summer, I review everything in the folder, toss what isn’t realistic for me, and try to start things that are.
• Search the Web. Visit your state teacher association’s Web site for information about grants, legislation, and great ideas. Start with National Education Association (nea.org) and go from there! There are so many great (and not so great) sites out there. Let me know what you find.
• Take a class. Many community colleges offer online courses where you can learn to use a computer program or brush up on your teaching. Other organizations, such as OnlineLearning.net offer online courses for teaching professionals. The best part is that you can complete the class right from your own home!
• Visit your classroom. Yes, it’s your summer vacation. But if your school allows it, spending a quiet afternoon or two sorting through your classroom will benefit you when school starts back up. How many times this year have you been able to sit and just work for an afternoon? Never? Now’s your chance!

In today’s uncertain economic times, many of us face a new or withdrawing student on a regular basis. Homes are being foreclosed upon, renters are moving in and out, and it seems like everyone is struggling financially.

I can remember moving across the country as a third-grader and starting at a new school mid-year. What a scary time for me, especially as a very quiet, shy 8-year-old (nothing like my boisterous personality now).

But some of the things my new teacher, Mr. Morgan, did as well as some of my own ides will help your new student feel more at ease:

• Be prepared. Have at least one set of new materials ready and on-hand, including textbooks, workbooks, a sharpened pencil, and desk if possible. Also have a complete set of beginning-of-the-year paperwork put together, ready to send home with your new student on his first day. I keep my materials ready in a two-pocket folder that transitions into a homework folder for my students.
• Have a helper. Select a student or two to serve as a guide during a new student’s first days. Be sure to train your helper ahead of time so she knows what to do.
• Make introductions. Instructional time is priceless, but you will do a disservice to your new student if you don’t take five to ten minutes to introduce him to the class. Allow each child to introduce herself to the new student as well and tell something about herself.
• Notify other staff. Have a system in place to notify other staff members, such as special area teachers and the counselor, about your new student. Whether it’s a note in their mailbox or an e-mail, don’t surprise other teachers with your new arrival.

While we don’t particularly care to acquire new students mid-year, it’s a fact of life. Be ready to face this challenge head-on and make sure you make your new students feel welcome. What are some strategies you use in your classroom to make this challenge easier to face? Please share!

Welcome to Wendy Says! This is your online forum and one-stop-shop for the latest in education trends and new ideas.

This blog was created just for you--the busy educator. As a veteran educator myself, I know what it's like to juggle parents, students, administrators, papers that need grading, special education requirements, continuing education, standardized tests, and  more. The list seems never-ending! And I also remember what it was like to greet my first group of students-with butterflies having a field day in my stomach!

I believe that the key to any educator's success is communication. Ideally we find the resources and information we need within our own school. But when you want to teach outside the box, you may find yourself looking for answers elsewhere. You have come to the right place!

Please browse through our blog often as I will update it regularly. I will write about a myriad of topics here. Feel free to join in the conversation. That's why I created this site-to stimulate dialogue among educators to share teaching ideas that benefit children, the reason we all got into the field. If you have questions or would like information about a topic you don't see here, please let me know and I will do everything in my power to help you find what you need.

If you are a MyTeacherSite.org subscriber and have questions about your site, don't hesitate to post them here as well. I will forward anything I can't answer to Greg, our tech guru.

In the end, have fun. And remember that learning is not a spectator sport, so please join in!