We’ve all wondered how to handle bullying in the classroom. Usually, there’s a specific behavior that’s happening, and it’s so much more complicated at the human level than the media makes it seem. It would be great if you could just slap a consequence or two on the “mean kid,” call home, and nip the…

Teaching kids to spell is actually really fun, when you’re not using rote memorization, tons of sight words, and other stuff that just doesn’t work. I used to hate teaching kids to spell; in fact, I’m not sure I ever DID teach kids to spell. I used to mutter all the time, “Oh you’ll just…

Kindergarten graduation is so cute, isn’t it? All those little friends are so proud of themselves for making it through their first full school year. Don’t forget the mamas who spent a whole year worrying about their growing babies. But for teachers? It can be stressful. That’s why I’m attempting to take one little thing…

When I taught middle school in Houston ISD, everyone had bathroom passes that traveled with them to the bathroom. That way, if an administrator or teacher stopped you in the hall, they’d know you had permission to be out and about.  I’ll be honest – it grosses me out. I mean, think about where those…

At the start of the 2019-2020 school year, our administrative team gave a quick introduction to restorative practices during our back to school PD sessions, and then invited us to sign up for a full-day PD on restorative circles and other practices. It was optional, but I was intrigued. I work in a school where…

My biggest complaint about most of the $3 meet the teacher letters that you find on Teachers Pay Teachers is that most of them read like a Christmas wish list! They are beautiful, of course. But many of them don’t leave much room for talking about what matters most. The letters are usually easy-to-read templates,…