We know it when we feel it: School spirit warms a school, makes everyone smile, and brings people together. It makes everyone feel that they are part of something greater than themselves. But how do you actually build that elusive thing called school spirit? Here are 50 creative ideas to try at your school. 1. Throw […]
Team-building games and activities are a great tool for helping students learn to work together, listen carefully, communicate clearly, and think creatively. They also give your students the chance to get to know each other, build trust as a community and, best of all, have some fun! Here are 26 team-building activities that will teach […]
Ask around and you’ll quickly learn that most teens think the first few days of school are a complete waste of time. “All we do are the same dumb games we did in elementary school!” Or, “It’s just seven periods of my teachers reading me the syllabus!” Both are common complaints I’ve heard from middle […]
With teaching lessons, prepping for standardized tests, and making sure students hit certain benchmarks, equally important things like building a strong classroom community can take a back seat. Still, a strong classroom community is integral to students’ success. So how can teachers build one with so little time in the day? Below, we listed our […]
When we ask teachers for their lesson plans, we are asking what they plan on doing during a class period rather than what students will be asked to do. Our questions emphasize the teacher’s actions instead of the students’. We’re asking, “What will the teacher say? What will the teacher do? What standards will the teacher cover?” However, if the goal of an […]
Three years ago, to more effectively serve our English Learners, the three of us—Allyson (ESL), John (2nd grade), and Ashley (1st grade)—began co-teaching. And, if we’re being completely honest, we really had no idea what we were getting ourselves into. We quickly learned that co-teaching takes time, dedication, and adaptability as well as constant effort, […]
Sometimes we have to fake it until we make it. If we want to be happier, maybe we could start by doing what happier teachers do. We polled some of the happiest teachers we know and this is what they told us. The common denominator? Positive daily habits. And the habits are not just actions, but thoughts, too. […]
If a particularly rough day, class, or year has you wondering if you can keep going, you are not alone. Most teachers experience burnout at some point. Nearly 8 percent of the teaching workforce is leaving every year, according to a report by the nonprofit Learning Policy Institute, and this isn’t due to retirement. This statistic […]
Whether you are looking for your very first teaching job or looking to use your teaching experience in a new setting, one thing rings true: all the best credentials, experience, and passion will go unnoticed without a strong cover letter. The main rule? Sell yourself the way a publicist would. Sing your praises! Cover letters aren’t a […]
When is the best time of year to find a teaching job? While it’s possible to get a teaching position any time of year, as a general rule most schools do the bulk of their hiring at the end of one school year to prepare for the next. The good news is most districts have […]
Rohini Saini
