classroom environment Archives - Page 23 of 24

Share with Parents: 6 Easy Ways to Help Your Child’s Teacher

February 2, 2016 by Inspired Together Teachers 5 Comments

Most parents are thankful for the teachers who spend their days educating children. Parents are especially thankful after long breaks in which they realize how difficult it can be to spend the day with their own children, let alone twenty-five other students in one classroom all day every day. However, parents are often unsure how to show their appreciation or best offer help to make the teachers’ lives a bit less stressful.

Here are some ideas you can share with parents who want to help you but don’t know the best way to get started:

Help with materials. This type of help can be done at school or sent home if parents are unable to get to school during the day. Many teachers need instructional materials sorted, bulletin board items cut out, packets stapled together, etc. If parents can do this once, or on a regular basis, their volunteering can free up time that teachers can then spend planning.
Help with “crowd control” during classroom work time. As teachers, we love to do projects and host special events in our classrooms. However, these can be the most hectic times. Having another adult in the room to supervise a small group, help with transitions between activities, or to assist with student movement and materials throughout the room can help to maintain a safe learning environment.
Pick up supplies the next time parents are out shopping. This does not have to involve large sums of money. Parents can volunteer to pick up items needed for experiments or buy class snacks the next time they are at the grocery store. You may want to ask parents if they would consider picking up a pack of glue sticks or other instructional materials the next time they run to Target. These small items often come out of a teacher’s personal budget and require the teachers to run to a store to purchase the supplies. A willing parent’s time and contribution of an item that would likely cost five dollars or less would be much appreciated by most teachers. This does not mean you should make parents feel obligated to shop for the classroom. However, it is a nice suggestion you could make if a parent is asking for ways to assist you.
Embrace the parents’ individual talents. Teachers do not know the hidden talents of their parents. Are they an artist? If so, they could help the children learn how to draw self-portraits for the covers of their “About Me” papers. Do you know a parent in marketing? He or she could help the students make a brochure for the science fair. Teachers are “experts” in the curriculum and pedagogy of teaching. Parents may have hidden talents and, when shared, their expertise may help the students achieve new learning.
Ask parents to consider offering items to the classroom before donating or selling. We have all heard the saying, “One person’s trash is another person’s treasure.” That chair that no longer works in your student’s living room could be the perfect reading chair in your classroom. Those plastic tubs that no longer store your student’s holiday decorations could perfectly store your classroom supplies for the year. Before donating or selling, ask your classroom parents to consider if the item(s) could be useful in your classroom and then donate them to you if so.
Offer a classroom gift card. As you know, a gift card to a grocery store to purchase snacks for a classroom celebration can make a teacher’s day. However, a gift card for a discount store where teachers can buy classroom supplies will make their week. If a parent wants to contribute to the classroom but doesn’t know how, consider asking them to purchase a gift card to a local store for classroom supplies.

These are just a few simple ways that parents can help you and show appreciation for the work that happens in your classroom. These are suggestions for parents that want to help but don’t know where to start.

What means of parent gratitude have you found most helpful in your classroom? What are some additional ways parents could help you? We would love to hear your thoughts in the comments below.

Happy helping,

Teachers: You are More Powerful than You Think!

January 4, 2016 by Inspired Together Teachers 1 Comment

Teachers are Powerful! — Graphic by John Hain via Flickr Creative Commons

You’ve made it through your first day back to school after a nice break. No doubt it was a little difficult this morning- to get up, to get going, to get back in the groove.

It is a good thing you did though. The world needs your energy and your gifts.

Think about it, as a teacher, you are more powerful than you realize. Because of you:

A struggling student’s face will light up when they realize they have finally mastered a challenging skill.

A child who gets little attention at home will be noticed and feel valued.

Students will laugh and realize that learning can be fun.

Students will learn that errors and mistakes are learning opportunities rather than failures.

Someone will not suffer the torment and humiliation of being bullied.

Students will understand themselves better: their strengths, their challenges, their special gifts.

Students will feel physically and emotionally safe.

Students will learn social skills: how to play nice, be fair, and get along with others.

Students will learn how to organize their time, be responsible and work hard.

Because of you, there will be better people in the world. That is powerful!

We wish you a year full of health, happiness, wonderful teaching!

Let’s Be Grateful for Our Profession

November 23, 2015 by Inspired Together Teachers 4 Comments

It’s Thanksgiving week, which reminds us to take a moment to be grateful for things we have and things we cherish. Along with our families, friends and comfortable homes full of holiday food, we are grateful for our profession and all of the good things we find there. We feel blessed that we have found meaningful work that fills us with passion and energy.

We are grateful that we get to witness the growth in our students from the time we begin working with them until they are ready to leave us. Though we often don’t notice it from day to day, from beginning to end the differences are often dramatic. We are rewarded by growth and honored to have played a part in it.

We are grateful to work in a profession where we get to determine the environment in which we work. We can make our classrooms joyful places of learning or dread filled places of despair. We can make our classrooms safe for all who visit and all who learn there. Though we may not be able to influence the larger political climate we work in, we can choose the weather in our classrooms.

We are grateful for the many diverse people we have had the opportunity to meet. We have worked with many highly dedicated parents, students, teachers and other school professionals. We have been in classrooms across the country and around the world, and the people we have met have given us perspective and filled us with possibility.

We are grateful that we can call our colleagues at night or on the weekends, to brainstorm solutions or to celebrate successes. When you love your work, you will gladly have those discussions with each other. Our colleagues often understand the situation in a way that our families can’t. Our colleagues know and they are there for us.

We are grateful that we have met some of our best friends through our teaching careers. Sharing a love of what you do with someone who is as inspiring and dedicated as you strive to be creates a bond that is everlasting.

We are grateful that we have been able to serve as advocates for students, giving a voice to those who don’t always have one. Empowering others is a responsibility we take seriously. You can count on us to be your champion.

We are grateful for our former students, who smile and embrace us and sometimes tell us that though it didn’t seem like it at the time, we have made a difference in their lives. Our former students have a way of coming back into our lives at unexpected times and in unexpected places. These joyous encounters are among the greatest gifts we have ever received.

And lastly, we are grateful for our readers. We have readers from all around the country as well as Australia, Singapore, Moldova, Japan and Peru. As we move forward, we hope you will continue to read our posts, comment and share. If you haven’t joined us on Facebook (TYTtribe), or Twitter please do. We would be delighted to have you join us.

We look forward to future conversations with you. Get started now by leaving a comment telling us about something educational that you’re grateful for this holiday season.

Happiest of Thanksgivings to you and your families,

8 Simple Ways to Create a Joyful Classroom

November 5, 2015 by Inspired Together Teachers 10 Comments

Is your classroom a joyful place? Recent challenges have left some teachers anxious and stressed, losing their zest for teaching. One Florida teacher, Wendy Bradshaw, recently gave up her teaching career and caused a media fire storm when her resignation letter went viral.

We understand that frustrations are real. Teachers have never been expected to do more with less. Curriculum demands much of children and leaves little time for spontaneity, fun and exploration. Mandates about what and how to teach have replaced teacher created curriculum based on student needs and interests.

Despite the many misguided reforms, high stakes tests and district priorities, we have to make time for joy in education. There are many good reasons to create a more joyful classroom.

Joy helps students love learning. If students love learning, they will be engaged, reducing the need for complex behavior management systems. Joy encourages creativity, which opens the door for creative problem solving. Joy encourages curiosity and self-motivated learning. It is only when students experience love of learning that they will become life-long learners.

Though much of your day may be filled with required curriculum and prescribed methods, there are many things you can do to make sure that students experience joy.

Here are 8 simple, actionable things you can do to make a more joyful classroom.

Smile

We learn better from those we like. Smiling makes you approachable and likable. Smiling is contagious, and the act of smiling can actually help you to feel happier.

Laugh

Laughing reduces stress. Look for opportunities to inject humor into the day’s activities. Offer to tell a joke if students line up quickly and quietly. Get a joke book if you need one. Telling a joke takes less than 30 seconds and adds fun. We all remember a teacher who told corny jokes. Notice that we remember that teacher.

Add Music

Music helps with retention. There are songs that fit into all areas of your curriculum. Check out You Tube for songs about multiplication or grammar from School House Rock. Better yet, let students work in groups to write and perform their own songs based on their topic of study. One sixth grade class wrote songs about world explorers set to the Sponge Bob theme song. A high school biology class wrote and sang a fact filled song about mitosis set to Queen’s We are The Champions.

Read Funny Literature

If you read aloud each day (and you should!) choose funny stories. When children have positive experiences with books they learn that reading is fun. If reading is fun, they will be more likely to do more of it. The more you read, the better you read.

Use Fun Reinforcers

You can quickly teach students to give themselves a “round of applause” by clapping while they rotate their hands in a circle. Another way is to stretch your hand up high and then reach back and “pat yourself on the back.” These are quick and simple movements that can add joy and a sense of satisfaction.

Use Fun Call/Response Attention Getters

Teacher: “One, two three” Students: “Eyes on me!”

Teacher ” Hey, ho” Students: “To work we go”

Teacher: “Ready set?” Students: “You bet!”

These simple commands are more fun and more effective than repeatedly asking students to pay attention.

Have a Goofy Class Mascot

One teacher has a skeleton who holds a sign with the objectives of the day’s lesson. He is also known to wear a holiday appropriate hat, a Valentine’s Day tie or a cape on Halloween. We have seen a stuffed orangutan who wrote notes and left them around the room- reminding children to pick up or take home permissions slips. Some mascots go home with a different child each night and encourage children to write a story about their adventures to add to a class book.

Give Students Choices

Students can’t always choose what they will do, but look for opportunities to give students a choice. When students choose, their engagement and satisfaction are higher. Can they choose their partners? Their seats? Can they choose a topic for their research report or the book they will read? Think of the content, the learning process, and products to show learning. Can you give students a choice in one of those three areas?

Joyful classrooms are less stressful, less anxious places. Neurological studies have shown that students’ comfort levels can influence long-term information storage and transmission. Teachers and students face many challenges in today’s educational climate. Living without joy does not have to be one of them.

Wishing you joy today,

How many of these ideas do you use? Do you have more ways to add joy to your day? We would love to hear your ideas in the comments below.

You Don’t HAVE to… You GET to…!

September 11, 2015 by Paula 6 Comments

Language is important. The words we choose convey a message to our listener that can negatively or positively impact his/her perception of the task. By replacing “have to…” with “get to…” in your daily language, you can send a subtle but very different tone and message to your listener. With this word substitution, you can easily change a negative connotation into a positive statement.

Here are some examples of how parents and teachers can dramatically alter the tone of their conversations with students by substituting the word have for the word get:

“You have to read this book” sends the message that it is an unpleasant obligation to read the book. “You get to read this book” implies that reading this book is a privilege or honor.

“You have to work together” sets the tone that there will be downfalls to working in the group and sounds much less appealing than “You get to work together.”

“We have to work through this content” implies a tone of begrudgingly hard labor. “You get to work through this content” sounds much less brutal.

“You have to show your work (thinking)” sounds like forced metacognition but telling students they “get to show their work (thinking)” gives the impression that the student is able to let the adult into their secret thoughts.

You can also use this word substitution to correct students when they speak. When a student states that they “have to” do a task, you can reply that “Yes, you get to do the task.”

If this still seems like only a silly word change, try this one out for yourself: “I have to go to work tomorrow” versus “I get to go to work tomorrow.” Which would you rather say?

Once you are aware of this language substitution you will catch yourself and others when they say they “have to” do something versus when they “get to” do something. You will be amazed by how quickly this transforms the conversations you have with learners and with other adults.

You don’t “have to” try it out, but we certainly hope you “get to.”

We would love to hear examples of how this word substitution has impacted your conversations with learners.

Happy tone setting,

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