Student organization is TOUGH. This topic comes up as a request in every single workshop we give. So, I was very, very happy when I found this video from Harriet Tubman Charter School in New Orleans. It’s so awesome, you’ll want to watch it again…and again…and again....
Meet Keith: The Rubberband Man!
While it may not feel like it sometimes, each of us only has two hands, an occasional pocket, and maybe a lanyard to hang on to our keys, our lesson plans, our writing implements, our plans for prep periods, our attendance sheets, our demerit trackers, and all those...
Get a Free Sneak Peek of Kickboard’s Starter Account!
Have you ever wanted one system to track academic and behavior data? Have you ever wondered how you can capture a student’s progress outside of academics? After a year in beta, Kickboard is launching FREE Starter Accounts for individuals and small teams of teachers....
Field Trips—More than just a Day on the Farm!
It was not until I attempted to organize my own field trips that I realized just how much darn work field trips are to plan, execute and follow up on for teachers. After one particularly harrowing evening trip to an art exhibit with my students, I called my high...
Family Communications, Part 2
As promised, we wanted to share additional Google and paper-based ideas and for making and tracking family contact. Claire S., an early childhood teacher in Washington, DC, and two loyal blog commenters (thanks Carol and Xuan!) contributed the great solutions below....
Notebook Line Up
We all have grand ambitions at the beginning of the school year to keep our students organized. We diligently mark notebooks, binders, and folders. . . we use our best markers and our biggest labels. . . we buy a fancy 3-hole punch for the writing center. This year,...
Everyday Objects: Blue Tape For $3.87!
We teachers are always trying to make our classrooms more efficient—and less expensive! I recently visited several great schools in Brooklyn where I spotted multiple uses for blue painter’s masking tape. Check out the mileage you can get for just $3.87! You can… Mark...
Contest! Win access to Dash4Teachers App! (Enter by November 9)
Not only do you have students to keep track of, colleagues to meet with, and administrators to manage, but there’s another HUGELY important group of people who require your attention—the families of your students! Some of you are fortunate enough to have a...
Mailbag: Thumbdrives, Google Docs, and Longhand, Oh, My!
Dear Maia, I’m a middle school language arts teacher, and it has gotten increasingly complicated to keep track of my students’ writing over my decade of teaching. Some students want to write by hand. Others want to draft on laptops or desktop computers. Google Docs...
E-mail–Hate or Love it—It is Here to Stay!
E-mail. . . You may have noticed its absence as a topic on our blog. This is not because e-mail isn’t a big deal — in fact, we have an entire book chapter devoted to it. But I know that once we open the e-mail can of worms, well, there is no going back. And for...