Classroom and school culture are massive components of our jobs as educators. It's integral that we cultivate an environment where our students and staff feel comfortable and supported. Because then they are able to learn and work most effectively. We've each spent a lot of time this school year building these wonderful classroom and school… Continue reading "Classroom" Culture During COVID-19
Tag: student support
Turn Off the Scoreboard
I was on the phone with my dad today, which is our Wednesday tradition, and we were having a conversation about education. It’s pretty typical for me to share what I’m up to with teaching and learning, and he usually has some input. He’s an incredibly fiery and vocal guy, clocking in at 5’5”, so… Continue reading Turn Off the Scoreboard
Learning from Student-Led Conferences
Last week, I had an interesting conference. For the past few years, our parent-teacher conferences have been student led. Our students spend time creating a presentation for their parents, complete with evidence of their learning, examples of work they’ve done, and rules they get to set for the 20 minutes they are in charge of… Continue reading Learning from Student-Led Conferences
The Impact of Teachers Who Care
You hear a lot these days about the importance of building relationships with your students. It seems like a typical education ‘buzzword’, popping up in all the current blogs, Twitter chats, Instagram stories, and even research. While this concept is gaining popularity (or so it seems), I can tell you with 100% certainty that it… Continue reading The Impact of Teachers Who Care
What I Do in the First Week of School
The first week of school is a hectic one. No one is quite used to the new routine, everyone is still half in summer mode, and you’re busy trying to welcome and connect with a whole new group of students. There’s a lot of advice out there on those first few days, and people hold… Continue reading What I Do in the First Week of School
The best piece of advice I’ve ever gotten
In my lifetime, I’ve gotten a lot of advice. From family members, friends, veteran teachers, administrators, professors, parents… Some of it is good, some of it is helpful, and some I completely disregard—either to my benefit or peril. But the single best piece of advice I’ve ever received was in Dr. Johnson’s classroom management course,… Continue reading The best piece of advice I’ve ever gotten
Risky Business
My experience in education hasn’t been long, being that I’ll enter my 6th year in August, but it has been full of change and growth. The evolution I’ve gone through has been extensive, including philosophical changes, shifts in my mindset, and entirely new instructional practices. When I reflect on my growth, it’s exciting to see… Continue reading Risky Business
Love, Mrs. G
Dear kiddos, It’s here. We’ve made it to the end of sixth grade. Some days have flown by, while others have seemed never ending. But we did it. Congratulations on successfully navigating your first year of middle school. You have come so far from the kiddos who were nervously trying to open their locker and… Continue reading Love, Mrs. G
The Missing Half of RTI/MTSS
Response to Intervention (RTI) and Multi-Tiered Systems of Support (MTSS) are two acronyms (of many) that are well known and widely accepted in education circles. The pyramidal structure of these models is one that most practicing educators are familiar with, and have used in their careers and classrooms. MTSS is the newer, updated version of… Continue reading The Missing Half of RTI/MTSS