When I think about writing in a first grade classroom, I brace myself for ALL the struggles. We all know them. Students often struggle with low stamina, following the writing process correctly, claiming they are “done” when they aren’t, or saying, “I don’t have anything to write about!” And then after we jump all of those hurdles, we come to… Read More
Reading is a powerful, yet complicated skill to master. All the components, phonics, phonemic awareness, vocabulary, fluency and comprehension all work together to help students become a master reader. We as educators know that all of these components are important, but I have noticed in my years of teaching, that once students master blending and segmenting, the growth is immense…. Read More
Teacher Hacks #fromteachersforteachers When asked about the best teacher hacks, tips and tricks, I was amazed and awed by the overwhelming amount of responses I got from educators. Undoubtedly, it takes a village to really have a great pool of ideas so I’ve added links to other teachers’ social media or blog posts. So what are we waiting for?! Sit… Read More
It’s time for some amazing books for social emotional learning! Here I’ll talk about some of my FAVORITE read alouds for fostering SEL skills. Students easily connect through literature, especially with human characters where they can relate deeply to the story. There are SO many amazing books to choose from that cater to social and emotional development. If you’ve read… Read More
Social emotional education is a topic that I am deeply passionate about. As educators, it’s our privilege and duty to dedicate ourselves to nurturing the social and emotional growth of every child in our classroom. These skills are essential not just for the classroom, but for life. We have the unique opportunity to support our students as they learn to… Read More
Rules, routines, and procedures are the backbone of your classroom. In my opinion, first you have to LOVE your students. Then you get to teach them about what you EXPECT from them. Only then can you teach them everything else. We practice, practice and practice these expectations so much that we don’t even focus on curriculum these first few weeks…. Read More
