More and more, I’m seeing schools and districts shift from using Outlook to Google for their productivity and communication software. Many teachers appreciate this shift because of Google’s easy synchronization to smart phones and universal access. Out in the...
Face the Project Monster: Take the First Bite
Outside of the daily hard work of planning, teaching, grading, and data analyzing, we teachers are often responsible for school-wide projects outside of our immediate classrooms. The following rule often applies: The better teacher you are, the more projects your...
Drum Roll Please! The Winners Are . . .
So excited to announce the winners of our very first Together Teacher contest! I loved reading about all the wonderful ways you invest your students in your awesome and high-functioning classrooms. As promised, I randomly selected five winners using a very...
Mailbag: What Can I Do This Summer to Get Ready for Next Year?
Dear Maia, I’m wondering if you have any suggestions on how to best plan out your summer time? I’m trying to adjust my organization system now that I’m not teaching (no lessons to prep, copies to make, etc). I would LOVE to see a post about how to best use the summer...
It’s 8 PM. . . Do you know how you’ll survive seven hours tomorrow with 30 eleven-year-olds?
We have all experienced that dreaded night-before feeling. . . Back when I taught all subjects of fifth grade (this was before the days of “just Google it”), this question dominated my entire existence. I’d get through one day, and then it was on to stressing about...
Carrier Pigeons, Texts, Emails, Calls, Notes, and Shouting Down the Hallway…How Does Your School Communicate?
When I was teaching in Baton Rouge, my classroom was a “t-building.” This is code for a trailer located outside the regular school building due to overcrowding. Email was just emerging as a daily communication tool, and cell phones were only for the rich and fabulous....
The Brain Fry: How to Make Better Use of Your After School Time
Meet Drew. He’s a great guy. Drew is in his fifth year of teaching second grade in Washington, DC. I met Drew when he attended a Together Teacher workshop in Philadelphia in the summer of 2011. He captured perfectly why being an organized educator matters: “Being...
Lessons From The Culinary Institute. . . Who Knew?!
Lest you start to think I’m some kind of robot who only produces worksheets to help keep teachers organized, occasionally, I’m going to keep you on your toes by letting you in on my personal life. Because, yes, I do have one! And it is one of the biggest drivers of...
Kill the Notebook, Or Take Better Notes
Now I don’t mean to start a blog post with such a violent title, but notebooks are not as effective as we think they are. Why, you may ask, as you cling to your beautiful Moleskine black-bound notebook or your beloved spiral? Why I Hate Notebooks for Organization:...
Clearing the Electronic Clutter: Find Your Lesson Materials in Under 30 Seconds!
It’s May. You KNOW you had an incredible lesson about Memorial Day you taught your 7th grade history students last year. Quick Quiz: Where is your lesson? How do you find the supporting materials? Do you: Desperately scan all the files on your computer desktop until...