Just like the first few minutes of class will determine the tone of the class period, the first week of school will set the tone for the remaining school year. 

I use the first week of school to communicate my expectations and set the ground work for a supportive classroom culture. 

I do not cov...

My summer break is almost at and end and I start school in about another 2 weeks.  Only 2 more weeks.  Hopefully you have a little longer. 

At my school we are trying to put some support systems in to help our new teachers as well as any teachers that may struggle with the beginning of the year. 

As far as teachers go I am one of the old ones.  

I am 51 years old and I have been teaching for 20 years.   

The question that needs to be answered is, "Can you teach an old dog new tricks?"

The answer is yes but it may take a little more convincing since we can sometimes be set in our ways.  ...

Over my 20 year teaching career I have had over 10 principals and these past 5 years I have had 5 principals.  

That means on average I have had about 1 new principal ever 2 years.  

That is crazy.  

As I think about all of the principals that I have worked with a couple of them stand out.  

S...

20 YEARS

I have been teaching for 20 years and to be honest I know how blessed I am to be doing a job that I love.  It was not always that way but at this point in my career I am so thankful for the way my life has unfolded. 

When I first starting teaching my oldest daughter was just born and no...

There is a lot to classroom management but one of the greatest gifts you can give to yourself is creating effective and manageable routines. 

We had a speaker come to my campus a few weeks ago to talk about Multiple Tiers of Student Support (MTSS).  

The main idea behind MTSS is that you can get...

No seriously, what is the point of grades?

I have been teaching 20 years and at first I lived and died by the grades I issued, but the older I have gotten I have started to question our grading system.  

Think about it.  Why do we issue grades?

The reasons I still have grades in my class is bec...

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...