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Special Education – Providing Services Discreetly
I am an eighth-grade special education teacher. One of the more difficult parts of my job is finding ways to provide my students with their accommodations, without making them self-conscious. Working in a middle school, often the students’ main priority is being cool and fitting in. The last thing that they want is to be identified as someone with a disability, or to have their friends think that they’re “stupid” (their word, not mine!) Constantly getting extra attention from teachers, or being pulled out of the classroom is a definite way to put a target on students’ backs. I work hard to give my students all the help that they…
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Fidget Toys for Middle School
Fidget Toys? When kids are little, their lessons tend to be highly interactive. We build time into our lessons to let them get up, move around, and burn off some energy. In elementary school, students are given recess where they get to go outside and play for a while after lunch. But, once students get into middle school, they are often expected to sit down and focus for longer periods of time. A fidget toy can help! As middle school teachers, we work hard to keep our lessons interesting and interactive, but there is so much content that we have to get through that it can be difficult. These long…
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My February 2018 Book Reviews
This month I threw a little non-fiction into the mix, so I read two non-fiction books as well as the book I had to read for my book club. It’s Not Okay by Andi Dorfman I read this book because I am a huge fan of The Bachelor. Andi Dorfman was a former contestant on The Bachelor who became the Bachelorette after her season ended. She is a strong independent woman (in my opinion). And hearing her stories about her tumultuous relationship with the seemingly big-hearted dreamboat that she chose was surprising and soap-worthy. If you enjoy the series and are looking for an enjoyable, easy read, I recommend this…
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How I use Tailwind to Boost my Blog Traffic
What is Tailwind? Tailwind is an inexpensive service, where you can schedule your pins ahead of time, it also allows you to track your pins, repins, and followers. I use Tailwind so that I can schedule all of my pins for my blog and my TeacherspayTeachers.com store. This allows me to know that my content is getting out there without being attached to my computer at all times. How it Works Tailwind does most of the work for you; you just have to spend a little time setting it up. You connect Tailwind directly to your Pinterest account. This gives Tailwind the ability to access your boards and do your…
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Ways to Use Social Media for Parent Communication
Communication As teachers, we are continually trying to find ways to use all this new technology to benefit our classrooms. One strong way to implement technology is to use it to strengthen parent communication. Most parents enjoy knowing what is going on in their child’s class, seeing the projects, and fun activities, while also knowing ahead of time about upcoming tests, quizzes, and projects. Twitter Twitter is the social media tool that I see used most often for parent communication. Twitter is a website that allows you to share pictures and information in small amounts. Your “tweets” are limited to 140 or 280 characters. Twitter is excellent for just sending…
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A Guide to Starting Your Blog
Starting a blog is an exciting thing! But it can also be stressful if you’re not prepared. Make sure when you decide to start your blog, that you are ready. Personally, I started my blog twice before I got it right. To hear more about my mistakes check out My Blogging Journey. But when I finally got it right, everything just started clicking. Hosting First, make sure that you host your website. Hosting your site is important because it gives you the freedom to do with it what you’d like and monetize it how you like. I use Bluehost for my site hosting. Through Bluehost, you can download WordPress so easily. …
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Using Editing Stations in Your Middle School ELA Classroom
Will they ever learn!? Every year, I am always surprised at the eighth-grade students who pass in papers with their names written without capitals. They just aren’t doing the editing! If you ask an eighth-grade student whether they know to capitalize names, they always say they do. And yet I repeatedly receive assignments passed in with the same error. In the past, I have used checklists to remind students of the different things they need to be looking for when they are editing their writing assignments. But, the students who really need to lean on the checklist are often the ones that leave them on the floor. Check out the…
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Keeping Your Middle Schoolers Organized
Picture This: We all know that kid who does their homework every night. But then, they can never find it the next day in class. You feel bad not being able to give them credit because you know that they are being truthful, but you can’t start accepting homework based on merit because that could open a can of worms so you tell them that they can bring it in the next day. Organization can be so tough for students! We all know the student who has papers falling out of their backpack at every angle. They usually keep everything in the same folder and can never find anything that…
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Using Affiliate Sales to Make Money Blogging
Being a new blogger is tough. You spend all of your time trying to continuously come up with great content while you’re simultaneously trying to drive traffic to your blog. But with all of this work, how do you actually make money!? The best way to start is through affiliate marketing. When I started my blog, I had two failed attempts before I finally got things off the ground. The game-changer for me was when I found Alex and Lauren at Create and Go They are two bloggers who have created excellent courses that get your blog up, running, and profitable. I learned from their classes, Launch Your Blog Biz. That…
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Tips to Protect Yourself this Cold & Flu Season
As a teacher, I am constantly worried about getting sick. You would think that with eighth-grade students who range from thirteen to fifteen, that they would be conscious of their germs. But, they’re not! The flu is going around HARD this year and so far, I’ve been lucky not to catch. I’m just hoping that I won’t catch it at all. If you are in the same boat as me, here are some tips I’ve found for keeping yourself healthy this cold and flu season. Clean, a lot! Over the summer there is always a time when Lysol wipes go on sale on Amazon. I buy a few boxes and…
