Behavior Management Ultimate Guide

 After many years of teaching, one thing brings me the most joy: observing teachers who are masters of behavior management and guidance in the classroom. 

The saddest thing is seeing a teacher who yells, screams, berates, nags, threatens, squints, mocks, pleads, frightens, embarrasses, mutters, grumbles, drones, shrugs, rants, curses...and later on, cries.

The fact is, very few teachers are natural-born masters of classroom management.  And there are no instant fixes.

Behavior management is like a language that you can learn to speak fluently.

Poetry Writing for Kids

Poetry writing for kids is not rocket science.

In fact, kids are natural poets.  
Just turn on the tap and voila!  Poetry pours out.

Kids think like beat poets, in small observations and spurts of thought.  

That’s why I love teaching them freestyle poetry.  It mirrors the way they naturally see the world.

10 Tips for Behavior Management with Humor

Behavior management is a constant challenge for teachers. It's so much easier when you infuse it with a little fun! Here are ten tips for behavior management with humor.

1)   Laugh ASAP!
Laugh ASAP! The same discipline won’t work for all kids, all the time. So the more tricks you’ve got up your sleeve, the better—and humor is one of the best. A sense of play grows organically out of the moment, and kids buy into it. A good way to start is to add a small basket of props to your teaching area. You can pull out a stuffed animal to “deliver” some lesson lines in a funny voice. Or, wave a “magic wand” over your unfocused students and hypnotically say, “Welcome back to Earth.”

2)   Safety first, then fun
Safety first, then fun. You can’t have humor in an out-of-control class. That’s not funny; it’s an accident waiting to happen. So, the rule is: teach rules first—what’s expected and why.

How to Rock Your Observation Lesson

Observation lessons are coming around again.

The honeymoon's over.  The grace period's up—you know, those first few weeks of school when a teacher teaches rules and routines.

Well, now you're expected to have those rules in place, and so much more.  The newest teaching methods, the educational shifts, all absorbed and neatly under your belt.   

What does every teacher want?  

Whether you're a new teacher or a long-term teacher... 

...Of all the hundreds of teachers I've known over the years, one thing is universal. 

Every day that you teach—and especially when your supervisor walks through the door with a clipboard or laptop in hand—you want to feel calm and confident in your classroom.  

Substitute Teacher Survival Guide

Substitute Teacher Survival Guide?  Of course, you want to THRIVE, not just survive!

Subbing is one of the hardest jobs on Earth.  Just ask the guy in the Kindergarten Cop movie.  Yeah, the Terminator gets chewed up by 5-year-olds. 

That won't happen to you!  Right?

You'll be prepared.  You'll go in knowing...

...exactly what to bring, do, and say when you walk into the classroom.  

If you present a calm and confident front, even if you don't always feel it inside, it's a major win.  A simple shift in your voice — ever-so-slightly slower and lower-pitched — can work wonders.  

You'll learn to be firm and to give specific, clear instructions for every action.   And, maybe just as important, to be kind.   

Holiday Crafts & Activities for the Whole Year

Do your school holidays need a positive jolt? 

 

Something fun, creative, and memorable?

 

Something to keep your kids enthralled all year—with crafts, writing, art, music, dance, and conversation?

 

Here’s a bundle of rich holiday treats you can use every day of the school year.

 

In Holiday Crafts, Activities, & Writing All Year Bundle, you’ll find…

♥     The most adorable leopard- or zebra-paper Father’s Day Cards

♥     A stand-up Lincoln’s Log Cabin—with or without a Lincoln penny in the window

♥     The kinesthetic delight of dancing with your Chinese New Year Dancing Dragons…

How to Tie a Shoe for Kids

I'll never, ever tie another shoe again!

Why should I?  I figured out the holy grail of kids' sneakers.

This year, not a single kid could tie a shoe.  Not one.

I knew I'd be squatting all day, knotting a spaghetti tangle of shoe laces.

Did I panic?  Yes, briefly.  Then I recovered—and realized what I had to do.