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Setting Goals as a Teacher
I am always trying to grow as a teacher and as a person. Because of this, I am always setting goals for myself to help guide myself to betterment. Also, in the state I teach in, the teacher evaluator tool requires us to set goals to meet over the evaluation cycle. (The cycle is either one year or two years) Here are some tips for setting goals for yourself whether you are required to by your district or you just want to be your best. Setting Professional Goals A professional goal is something that you want to change about yourself as a teacher. Whether it has to do with the…
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Be the Teacher Your Students Need!
Teaching can take a lot out of you. This Friday I came home from school and I was so drained that I think I was beginning to make myself sick. Every day at school, you have to give so much of yourself to others that it can be depleting. This is why we all need to be careful that we are taking care of ourselves. I find when I am not taking care of myself, I have less energy, I have a shorter temper, and I am not living up to my full potential. To be the best teacher you can be, you need to make sure that you’re putting…
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How to Prevent Teacher Burnout
For me, I am less than a month into the school year, but it has been a long month! I am already looking for tips and tricks to prevent burnout. Work Out Taking a little time for yourself everyday is a great step toward keeping yourself calm and collected. I like the Rachel Hollis theory of making your body move for 30 minutes every day. Whether you do a half-hour intense workout, or you go for a 30 minute walk after dinner, just let your body move! Working out sends your body a rush of endorphins. This allows your body to feel good and also gives you something to be…
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4 Classroom Management Tips for Middle School
Teaching middle school is tough, heck being in middle school is tough! Everything about middle school makes people groan when I tell them what I do for a living. But, even though I never pictured myself as a middle school teacher (I was convinced I would be Ms. Honey from Matilda), I LOVE my job. I love the age and the kids and even the girl drama makes me chuckle from time to time. But it is a tough age for classroom management. The students are no longer at the age where they want to please you, and all they care about is what their peers think. Here are 4…
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6 Effective Co-Teaching Models, and When to Use Them
Co-Teaching seems to be the trend for public schools. My school, like many others, is leaning towards a model that includes as many students as possible into the general education classroom. To make this work, many special education teachers are expected to co-teach. General education inclusion classes with the content area teachers to provide the necessary modifications and accommodations to the students on my caseload. In the meantime, there are great peer models coming from the general education population. Also, there is less of a stigma placed on students with disabilities because they are not being removed from the classroom. This concept makes it more difficult to determine which students…
