Imagine the Impact:Productive, Positive, Post-Observation Meetings

My first year teaching in a NYC public school I sat down with what would now be considered a “student advisor” for my post-observation session. He asked me how I felt the lesson went. I told him I thought it went pretty well.

Imagine the Impact!

He replied, snarkily, “You must think very highly of yourself.”

Well actually, yeah, I did. I was 24 and confident as hell, I still am.I knew I had room for improvement, but I also knew my lesson went pretty well.

Was his comment helpful? Not at all.

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What if all Educators Quit?

I have watched videos, read letters, and listened to testimonies from educators who have quit. Media outlets relentlessly lament the fact that teachers are quitting in droves.

I understand the “why” of quitting, except for the “no chance for advancement” part, as if being a classroom teacher is the bottom of the barrel and you have to work your way up from there. But let’s leave that to another post, shall we?

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Should We Let Go of EXPECTATIONS?

There was a post on Twitter about a mother who sent her kid to school knowing they had tested positive for COVID.

As I am wont to do, I dived into the comments.

 A constant stream ran through the thread, noone should be upset with the adult. Instead we should blame society, the school, etc…., anyone but this adult who made the choice to send a kid to school with COVID.

Have we gone too far with expecting very little, or nothing at all, from our students and parents?

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“If It Was Raining Meatballs…”

I know DESMOS was made  for Math , but I have been using it for my Morning Meeting activities. I try to switch up the things that I post for them to do.

I found this list of “50 Icebreaker Questions for Kids” during my frantic search for ways to break the ice in September. 

The question that  most recently caught my eye was, “If it was raining meatballs, would you eat them?” 

Their responses made me laugh!

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The “Waiting Room”

I open my Zoom “door” at 8:40 a.m. every morning. Alexa helps me stay on track. My planning period is at 8 a.m., and sometimes, as you know, we get wrapped up in what we are doing and lose track of time.

Any way, one day as I was immersed  in the Bitmoji  FB group, and I came across a digital “Waiting Room.”(“Sharing is caring!”). 

 I was like, this is so cool, I want this for my students. I did what I so often do, I copied it and modified it a little. It had the rules, like “Mute Yourself” , a cool electronic timer, a Bitmoji character, and these really cool colors. READ MORE…

Digital “Getting to Know You” Icebreakers

It’s time to go back to school.

And whether you are face-to face or virtual, making connections with your students is vital.
Here are a few digital  ideas for getting to know your students and/or letting your students get to know you. 

1. BINGO.The great thing about BINGOBaker is that there are thousands of ready-made cards or you can create your own BINGO. You can post images, text, and numbers on the BINGO card. 

There is a $14.99 LIFETIME fee if you want all the extras. I chose to go with the extras, which are very cool! There are also very simple directions on how to set it up and play on the site. (Looking at my old posts I realized I had written about Bingobaker in 2013)
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Originally posted on “Diary of a Public School Teacher”…(Blogger)

Shut Up and Teach!Silence is Golden?

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This tweet. (See below)When I read it, someone else had retweeted it, the first thing that stood out to me was her use of the simile, “like wild animals.” Hmmmm…..
So she, and I am sure she is not the only one, has a problem, because educators aren’t being silent about the issues America has with systemic racism. Educators had the audacity to bring what is happening in the world into #Edutwitter! Gasp!
She doesn’t believe that educators should post their anger, sadness, their emotions, that they should continue to “share resources and build each other up, and model digital citizenship.” READ MORE…

Originally posted on “Diary of a Public School Teacher” (Blogger)

“The Power of a Caring Educator” : My TEDxWilmingtonED Talk (Video):An Idea Worth Spreading!

Ever since I saw Rita Pierson’s TED talk, I have wanted to do a TED talk.

So, when I received an email saying that TEDxWilmington was looking for speakers, I jumped at it.
I have to be honest, I started filling out the app, and got discouraged. It was due the next day, and I had to submit a video, arrrgh! READ MORE…

I Am a Teacher And You Want to Arm Me?

I will NEVER carry a weapon, concealed or otherwise, in my classroom.

I will NEVER keep it locked in a safe.
I say this with the utmost certainty.

There is a huge debate going on about whether teachers should be armed in order to protect their students.
As usual, teachers’ voices are muted by the roar of non-educators who believe they know better. READ MORE…

My Students, Dr.King, and the Civil Rights Movement.

They don’t understand.

When they discuss Rosa and the bus boycott, see the photographs, and videos, their voices echo, “But that’s not fair!”

As we study Dr.King, they question, “Why?”

I explain to them that it was the law. Segregation and Jim Crow laws. I explain to them that not everyone was like that. That people of different races came together to defeat this awful thing that made one group think they were better than another. READ MORE…