A huge part of my relationship building is offering student choice. Kids often feel like their voices aren’t heard, and there are many parts of their day where they can’t make choices. By empowering my students in smaller ways, they’re able to have a voice, and they don’t fight me
It’s Wednesday night. I’m sitting at my kitchen counter, not-so-patiently waiting for my white chocolate cranberry oatmeal cookies to bake. The timer says 6 minutes left. You know the tricky thing about baking? You put all these ingredients together, step by step mixing carefully measured ingredients. Then you toss it
As a type B teacher (and also as a part of my classroom philosophy), I like to think less is more. Most of the year, I’ve done a simple class incentive, FUN FRIDAY. We earn letters for working hard, persevering through a challenge, and being complimented by other adults in
If you’ve been here for a minute, you know I take classroom management seriously. Maybe you took my free course to kickstart your classroom management at the beginning of the year. But it’s January and we’re wayyyy past the honeymoon phase. There are times throughout the school year when your
Back to school is upon us, which means you have to wrack your brain to remember what you even did at the beginning of last year. Don’t stress! I’m ready to share my first week plans for upper elementary with you. Key elements to my plans: Establish classroom culture. Build
One of the first things I establish in my classroom each year is how the heck I’m going to get their attention. I’m well-known for having a noisy classroom, which is sometimes because I have a chatty class, but mostly because I believe in productive chatter and partner work. My
What is about transitions that can make even the best class go a little bananas? 🤪🤪🤪 I fully admit that sometimes I’m reluctant to switch my class from one activity or subject when they’re all working so well. When I was departmentalized, I knew I needed to be ready to
Eeeekkk! It’s finally ready! I’ve been racking my brains for the best way to help out teachers prep for the new school year, and this is what slowly came together. Check it out! 👇🏻👇🏻 Have you ever stressed about classroom management? 🙋🏼♀️ I have! Each new class comes with so
The day we start a new novel is one of my favorites. I’m always ecstatic to share a book that I love with my class and to get them all as interested in reading as I am. Choosing the right way to start off a novel unit can be tricky
Most people (including teachers!) hear the word “grammar” and start to cringe. It can be fairly dull and boring, and it seems like you’re teaching these kids the same stuff over and over. Plus, you teach all these “rules” and then you teach about all of these exceptions to the
The first FIVE days of lesson plans for the beginning of the year.Visual, clickable resource grid.Free & delivered to your inbox. 
