Bell ringers are a staple in my high school English classroom. Even my yearbook students must complete a task at the start of the period. Without fail, each day my students have an assignment to do right after the bell rings -- every day! About my 2nd or 3rd year teaching, I implemented a system of top-of-the-period daily work, and I haven't looked back since. Along the way, I learned what didn't work and what did. Here I'm sharing everything you need to about bell ringers for class.What is a Bell Ringer?Also known as warm ups, … [Read more...]
Best Secondary Resources for Back-to-School
Planning for back-to-school just got easier with this carefully curated list of ideas, tips, suggestions, and resources for your secondary classroom - in any subject! 1) Teacher Planning and Organization: Calendars, planners, notes, Oh My! The list goes on and on for what the teacher needs to get organized and feel ready-to-go for the first days of school. For me, that's my planner and my high-level curriculum map. In the past it has been hard to find a planner perfectly suitable to the unique schedules of the secondary world, so I … [Read more...]
Benefits of Google Classroom
A second title to this blog post could have been: Benefits of Blending Google Classroom with a Traditional Classroom. To elaborate, I teach high school English in a rural school district in the south. Every student doesn't have his/her own iPad or Chromebook, but most have smart devices, and we have department sets of Chromebooks we can check out. We also have several labs throughout the school. So, when I use Google Classroom, it's as an extension of my own traditional, four-walls classroom. That means my students still have textbooks, but … [Read more...]
Interview with a First-Year High School English Teacher
This past semester I had the honor of meeting Megan Ryan, who began her teaching journey in the school where I teach. My first year was a long time ago ;) -- another place and another time. So, when the year came to a close, I really wanted to pick her brain. Learning from each other's experiences -- successes and struggles -- is what makes us grow as teachers. For this blog post, I'm breaking my traditional "fast five" format to bring you Ms. Ryan's responses in her own words; I loved her candor and detail. Meet Ms. Ryan: 1) Describe your … [Read more...]
What My Trip to the Magnolia Silos Taught Me About Teaching
My husband and I visited Waco to tour all things Magnolia back in June. It was an amazing trip -- I love going on trips to new places because I can let my brain relax, and I feel so inspired. Magnolia was no exception - inspiration is everywhere. So, I said I can let my brain relax, but what really happens is that it just gets filled up with all kinds of new ideas at every turn because of all the awesomeness around me. Chip and Jo have truly built an empire that personifies their greeting "Welcome Home." If you read my previous blog post … [Read more...]
What I Learned about Teaching from My Summer Vacation at Disney World
My family and I traveled to Disney World several years ago, and I hadn’t been there even half a day before I started feeling inspired. For me, school is pretty much always on my brain, so it’s not surprising that it came to mind even when I was on vacation! But, truthfully, there is so much going on at Disney that I couldn’t help but learn from the best while enjoying my time at the happiest place on earth. Many of these things that I noticed at Disney reaffirmed what I’ve done in my classroom for years, but it’s nice to review, revisit, and … [Read more...]
Formula for Classroom Success Series Post #2: Modeling
Today we are continuing on in the Classroom Success Formula Series. I am excited to be sharing today one of my favorite teaching strategies - Modeling. It isn't new, but perhaps I can share a few new ideas that you might can use. How many of us would rather watch a youtube video of how to make chicken dumplings rather than reading the written directions? I know I certainly would. There are at least seven major learning styles, and while not everyone would prefer to see a video, the point is, working through a process to learn something … [Read more...]
Practical Tips for Surviving Back-to-School
Are you a new teacher? Or a seasoned teacher who has started to dread heading back-to-school? We've all been there! However, the start of the school year doesn't have to feel like a survival of the fittest game show! Here some tips that I've learned (from making plenty of mistakes) and tools that I've used that can make going to back-to-school much less stressful. Hopefully, these tips for surviving the back-to-school season will help you get your year off to a successful start.#1) Plan to … [Read more...]
