I’m a sucker for clear, bold and simple signage. And I spend an extraordinary amount of time on planes and in hotels. I like to know where I’m going without having to squint at any small print, and I hate waiting without knowing why (surprise, surprise!). Here are...
How My Errands Can Apply to Your Classroom
Though right now I’m wrapping up my Seven-Week-17-City-Tour, when I’ve been back on the home front in the DC area, I’ve been trying to squeeze in both fun and errands. And of course, like that whole “hair adjustment” situation, I’m always on the lookout for ways to...
Fanny Packs: Just Do It
It’s the start of school. So let’s talk FANNY PACKS! I cannot teach without a fanny pack. Can you? I mean, how else on earth can you keep your smartphone, pens, stickers, and flashcards all in one place and on your person??? Over the past year, I’ve encountered many...
A Shout-out to My Teachers Who Are Also Parents. . .
I’m back from a week-long family vacation on the Eastern Shore of Maryland (gorgeous, by the way, for those of you in the Mid-Atlantic United States!). Anyway, as the mom of two little people, who’s married to a teacher-husband, I spent some time on vacation thinking...
Wondering Where to Start? Or When to Recommit?
It’s a new year — 2014 — and maybe you’ve made some resolutions for Togetherness you’re working hard to stick to as January unfolds into February. We’re here to help. I particularly loved TBD Teacher’s blog post on her resolutions here. We love her love of Evernote,...
Making Grading Faster: Homework Oopsies
I’m not trying to get you to race through giving your students high-quality feedback, but I hear over and over that you are drowning in grading. I’ve written about Jeff V.’s homework set-up to allow for easier grading and given some other tips on grading efficiency...
App Review: ClassDojo
I’ve been meaning to write forever about ClassDojo, a solid and user-friendly app for tracking and communicating student behavior. Sorry to be so behind the times on this teacher time saver! I recently visited with Shenel H., a middle school math teacher in the...
Make a Checklist (Again): Field Trips
After our recent post on checklists and our way-back-when post on Field Trips, we finally got our hands on their ultimate love child: Stacie’s Field Trip Checklist. Field trips have a tendency to sneak up on us, but they are (for the most part) entirely predictable....
Prioritization and Affirmation – Keith’s Weekly Worksheet
Remember Keith? Of rubberband fame and fortune? I saw him a few weeks ago in Boston. While he gives full credit for rubberband genius to his entire school team, it’s worth noting that he’s also made remarkable personal growth in his transition from Assistant to Full...
Make It Pretty and Personal: Erin Condren Planners
I got to see one of my favorite Together Teachers (and now Together Leaders!), Jocelyn G., in Boston last week. I’ve known Jocelyn for almost five years now, so I’ve gotten to see multiple iterations of her systems over time. One of her most recent adaptations is...