How was your year?

At the time of this posting I only have 3 more days of school left and I am so happy my summer break is right around the corner.  

At the end of of each school year I take a quick pause to reflect on the good, the bad, and the ugly.  

Do you do the same thing?

It is weird ho...

Why is it that you can walk into two different classrooms that are teaching the same exact lesson but the behavior and learning in the classroom is so different?

I have created 100's of videos on Youtube discussing classroom management, routines, and procedures.  I have thought extensively about wh...

When I lesson plan there are some types of lessons that I do for every unit.  

There is almost a day of two of "Ed Puzzles" in which student individually watch videos and answer questions.  I usually do this a day before our notes so that when my students are taking notes we can have some good di...

Almost any educator you talk to today will how tell you how hard it is to be a teacher these days.  

The behavior of students seems to be at an all time worse and little or nothing is being done about it.  It is so bad that often great behavior is the exception to the rule and not the norm. 

Lac...

Is it possible to transform your classroom in 20 days?

I believe it is.  

The reality of teaching is this that most of us spend more time dealing with behavior issues rather then doing what we really want to do, teach.  

It is a very frustrating place to be and honestly it is exhausting.  

You...

I remember how excited I was when I got my first job as a teacher.  But almost immediately that excitement wore off and was replaced with questions and anxiety.  

Will the kids like me?

What do I do if there is an emergency?

How do I make copies?

Where do I get the keys to my classroom?

What ...

It is test day and you have a classroom full of disengaged students.  There are 30 pairs of eyeballs starring at you and it is up to you to make sure that this class period goes as smoothly as possible.  

Early on in my teaching career I was giving a test to my students and I took it for granted ...

I have been teaching for 20 years and to be honest it has gone by fast.  I look around and I quickly realize that there is only about 2 other teachers in my entire school that I know from when I first started.  

There are so many new faces and so many of them are struggling like I did when I firs...

It is 10 minutes before class is over and you are just counting down the minutes.  

I have had this thought so many times in my career, "I make 1 dollar a minute.  Just hang in there for another minute.  If I hang in there for 10 more minutes I can treat myself to a Starbucks".  

Then I look at ...

When I think about what I learned in college while getting my teaching credential I think maybe I took only 1 or 2 classes classroom management.  I thought I was ready for the classroom and my students.  

I WAS SO WRONG

I remember the day that I finally came to grips that teaching was going to b...

In real estate the term that makes or breaks a house is "Location, location, location".

In the classroom the phrase that can make or break a class is, "Routines, routines, routines".

I heard a quote that I have adopted as one of my foundational beliefs and it is this, "We don't rise to the level...

One of the worst things as a teacher is standing in front of a classroom, trying to teach a lesson, and nobody is paying attention. 

Sally is in the back doing her make-up. 

Johnny is trying to take a peak at his phone. 

Cindy and Jennifer are talking about the cute new guy. 

Rick, Jason, and ...