New Year = New Beginning

As educators we are so fortunate to get a reset each year. At the beginning of each school year we get to start fresh with a new group of students, a new supply of materials, and a new attitude.  For some of my fellow teachers, they get to begin the new year with a new group of students since their course is a half-year offering.  Actually the start of a new calendar year is an opportunity for each one of us to start fresh, so why not try it in your classroom?

I have often said that teaching middle school is different every day because I never know who is walking into class that day.  My kids fluctuate constantly between cute little kids, uncertain tweens, mouthy teens, and mature young adults.  We need to give them the space, encouragement, and unconditional love that allows them to grow into the person they are meant to be.  But, we forget to give ourselves the same grace to grow and mature as educators.  If you are unhappy with the way your school year is going, make adjustments.  Are some things going better than you thought?  Do more of it!  As you take a much needed break to recharge the teacher batteries, spend some time reflecting on how things are going personally and professionally.  Then make adjustments to get 2017 off to an incredible start!

Here are a few changes I am looking to implement in January:

1.     Add a teacher mailbox.  My kids this year love notes.  The tootling board I set up in August is going strong and everyone loves to see a positive comment about themselves and enjoy writing them about others.  They also love to leave little notes on my desk about various things, so I thought adding a small mailbox for “notes to the teacher” would encourage them to keep the communication coming.

2.    Try an interactive bulletin board.  I have seen so many that look great, but haven’t taken the plunge yet.  By the time I was ready to think about getting one up we had finished that unit.  Time is always the enemy and I plan to get this off the ground by going with a more generic theme – Math With Friends.  Still tons to work out on the logistics, but I’m thinking of having my classes compete against each other using positive behavior reinforcement as the carrot.  Classes would need to have 100% homework completion for that day or a class average that exceeds a previously agreed upon amount on a test or other assessment or some other type of behavior that is being reinforced.  I’m hoping this will go well and I’ll be able to do a blog post on it in the near future.

Remember, you are the captain of your classroom.  Make it everything you want it to be for you and your students.  I’d love to hear your ideas for mid-year resets or ideas for keeping the momentum going in 2017.

Happy teaching and happy 2017!

Laura
                                                  

Winners of the Giveaway

Thank you to everyone who entered! 

TPT Cybersale Giveaway!!

Time to stock up on your holiday savings and get a head start on new ideas for your classroom in 2017!

I'm a big believer in keeping it simple - just comment below with your email address for your chance to win one of five prizes. 

Everything in my store will be 28% off, so shop for everything you need for your classroom.

 

 

Happy teaching and happy holidays!!

Parent Communication

I may be one of the middle school teachers you hate (and I’m sorry for that).  Yes, I communicate with parents on a regular basis – weekly to be exact.  Why do I do this you ask??

 

Honestly?  I started doing it because it was something I really wanted and longed for when my child was in middle school.  Let’s face it, middle school is scary for kids, for parents, and many days for teachers too.  Parents no longer trust one adult with their precious child.  They’re expected to put them on a bus or drop them off and let these little people navigate their way through a school day with six or seven teachers telling them six or seven different ways to do something.  It’s tough for parents to be out of the loop, but frustrating for all parties when things don’t go right.  These kids are too old to be babied, but too young to be in charge of it all.  So a weekly email to my parents letting them know what's going on in math class seemed like a great idea. 

The big surprise was that the great idea to help parents and kids have a better week actually ended up being the best thing I ever did to ensure I had a better week too.  It saves me time, energy, angst, and sometimes I get a little good will in the process.  It wasn’t the goal, but we teachers need all the help we can get, so I’m spreading the news.  I rarely start my days anymore with angry emails about assignments not done, failed tests, deadlines missed, supplies missing, or the excuse of the day for why homework was not done.  I have found that parents truly want to help their kids step up to the new responsibilities and accept the consequences as long as they know the expectations were clearly given and they had an opportunity to help remind them.   

My emails are not long or fancy.  Nobody has time for that.  I may share something that went well or was fun the prior week before outlining the plan for the upcoming week, list out homework assignments, tutoring schedule, and important upcoming assessment dates.  If special supplies are needed in class, I try to give them a week or two notice of it.  Personally I spent too many evenings running to Walmart after a full day of work to get supplies that my kid forgot to tell me they needed (before I learned that having a supply of poster boards, markers, glue, etc. was a necessity for all homes with secondary students).  I don’t expect parents to reply to my emails, but am happy if they do.   

I hear the most positive feedback from parents about the emails at conferences.  Our school does team conferences, so if the parent is meeting with one teacher we all attend.  We have found that problems are rarely limited to one classroom and it’s best to meet together with the parent and come up with a plan together.   Maybe it is the nature of the conferences, but parents typically are extremely thankful for the communications and feel it makes their lives easier too.  

That’s a win-win we can all be happy with.  The hardest part is typing in all the email addresses, but the benefits are well worth it.  Last year our guidance counselors asked to be added to my email list.  They told me it makes their job easier too.  Communication.  It may be the magic key to surviving middle school for all of us!

 

Happy teaching!!

 

 

Get Your Students Moving, Motivated & Learning!

Kids fidget, wiggle, daydream, and lose focus.  It’s a fact of life and it doesn’t seem to matter if they are elementary or secondary students, they all do it.  Let’s be honest for a second.  When we, as adults, are asked to sit and focus for an extended period of time we too fidget, wiggle, daydream, and lose focus.  Let’s look at some ideas for increasing student focus and helping everyone learn more.

 

1.  Put them in groups.  I know, but our students are social beings.  They learn as much, if not more, from their peers as they do us.  Let them talk math.  Let them express different ways to solve problems.  Let each group come up with multiple representations, and most important, let them present their work to the class.  Before you do this remember to establish clear rules, boundaries, and expectations – then stick to them!     

2.  Get them out of their seats.  Very few have mastered the skill of sleeping while standing.  Have activities that get them out of those seats and moving around the classroom or around campus.  Nice day?  Go outside.  My kids still talk about the picnic table lesson.  We moved outside because of very loud, very high pitched noises coming from the intercom, but they don’t remember that part.  Scavenger hunts, walk-abouts, and rotation stations are great additions to any classroom. 

3.  Brain breaks.  It might seem like the 2016 buzz word, but brain breaks have been around for a long time.  If students have been working at one task for a sustained period of time, they need to stop, take a break, and refocus.  There are a million and one ideas out there for brain breaks, but you don’t need to go fancy.  Tell those kids to get up and shake it, put on a funny video clip, play Simon says, switch seats, or anything that appeals to your students.  In the past my students have done the chicken dance and sang the polygon song.  Yep, they are middle schoolers but lucky for me they can be silly too.

4.  Have students set goals.  I discovered the power of this activity when “writing in math” became mandatory a few years ago in my district.  Every quarter students had to write about something math related.  For the first assignment I had them write about their goals in math for the year and was surprised at how much thought went into the assignment.  They kept a copy of their goals and we checked back every quarter (it wasn’t part of the other writing assignments).  Those goals became very real for them and I found they worked hard to achieve them before the year ended.  It also provided encouragement along the way that they were growing in their math knowledge.

These are just a few ideas, but I hope you can use them in your classroom.  I’d love to hear what ideas you use for moving and motivating your students to increase learning.

https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Student-Engagement-Activities-Mega-Bundle-for-Middle-School-Math-2679833
 

Happy teaching!!

 

 
 

 

 



Cut-and-Paste In the Middle School? Oh, Yes!!!

Middle school is the awkward stage for students.  They are tweens and early teens caught between childhood and young adulthood.  One of the truly exciting parts of middle school is seeing which version of each child shows up that day, both for them and us!  Teachers need to make sure they offer lessons and activities that reach all students and cut-and-paste resources are an excellent bridge between the two worlds.

 

 

Cut-and paste activities are a great motivator, especially for kids who do not like to write.  The activities can be as simple or complex as you want and differentiation is easy.  Students can work in pairs, small groups, or individually.  The possibilities are endless.  Cut-and-paste activities allow you to meet the needs of all students in diverse classrooms.  Think outside the box – you can use them as pre and post assessments, an extension of student notes, small group or partner activity, enrichment, in math centers, or as part of a choice menu, etc. 

Still not convinced?  Download my FREE sampler pack to try it out.  I know your kids will be engaged in the math.  Hopefully you and your classes will love them!

Grab this freebie!

 

Happy teaching!
Laura @

 

Creating an Engaging Secondary Math Classroom

We’ve all heard the saying “You’ll never get a second chance to make a great first impression”.  That’s one of the reasons teachers put so much time and effort into organizing, arranging, and decorating their classrooms.  We have a lot of people to impress – students, parents, coworkers, administrators, and we want to get it right.  Doing it over when you have not done it right in the first place?  Nobody’s got time for that, plus an opportunity wasted.  But even a really great first impression can’t save you in the day to day battle to teach math to teens and tweens.  To put that into perspective, use the movie Fifty First Dates as your variable with a coefficient of 3.6.   

 

In some ways, the daily challenge to engage students is much better than the first impression challenge.  If we mess up engaging students one day there is always the next.  The downside is that we always have to be on, we always have to be fresh, and we always have to be trying different things.  For engagement, it is the first five minutes of class that will make or break you.  If we fail to engage students at the beginning of class, we may never get them back.  Preparing classes and activities that actively engage students requires a lot of planning.  However, it is essential that we move students from passive learning (listening to the teacher, reading from a textbook, looking at slides) in order to increase their retention and understanding of the material. 

Here are some tips for designing engaging lessons that have worked for me:

1.   The 10-15 Rule.  Students have a short attention span.  By switching things up every ten to fifteen minutes, you have a better chance to keep and maintain their attention.  Break your lessons into small chunks that allow you to switch back and forth between you teaching and their doing.  Make sure each class contains opportunities for students to actively participate in their learning.

2.   Remember, the person doing the talking is the person doing the learning.  Yes, direct instruction is very much needed in mathematics, but give the kids a chance to talk too.  Let them paraphrase to a partner, create and solve a problem to exchange, have small group discussion and presentations, etc.  For review days consider having small groups give 5-7 minute “mini lessons” to the class.  Listening to my kids talk math is the highlight of each and every day. 

3.   Movement.  It’s hard to sit all day.  Think about how you feel during those endless faculty meetings and training sessions.  Use activities and resources that get kids out of their seats and moving.  It’s much harder for them to fall asleep or zone out when they are moving around.  Scavenger hunts, walk-abouts, relay games, and learning stations are all great options.

4.   Choice Menus.  Experiment with them for classwork, homework, and assessments.  Student Choice = Student Buy-in.  It’s a beautiful thing!

5.   Provide students with meaningful, relevant feedback.  We’re not talking grades here.  Students want to hear what we think about their work, ideas, and effort.  Try to provide specific, targeted feedback to students rather than the generic “good job”.

6.   Make it meaningful.  Math is all around us in the real world.  Show your students where it is and what it means.  Use technology like virtual field trips and webquests to help students see the connections to what they are learning and the world around them. 

As you transition to a more engaging classroom, remember you can’t do it overnight.  Set reasonable goals for yourself.  Maybe plan to include one activity per week or use choice menus once a month.  Try new things to find what works best for you and your students.  Get feedback from students to get an idea of what they like and don’t like.  Give yourself permission to fail.  There will be truly excellent experiences and truly horrible experiences when we move outside our comfort zones.  If you start each class in a way that sets a positive tone for learning, give students meaningful choices, set high expectations and teach our kids how to meet them, your classroom will become an engaging math community for you and your students.

Finally, I’d like to share some of my favorite words of wisdom for educators:

 

 

Happy teaching!

 

Hurricane Damaged

Sorry my friends, but no posts due to hurricane Matthew damage.  I'm very fortunate for no injuries and fixable damage, but no power for the forseeable future.  Thanks to the kind businesses that allow us to stop by for a cell phone recharge.

My thoughts and prayers are with those who were not as lucky and are dealing with so much sorrow and heartbreak.  I'm thinking of you.

Laura

Fabulous Fall Freebies!

A new school is always exciting.  Setting up your classroom, meeting the kids, and getting into your school year groove.  After a few months without a paycheck, those little gems are also a welcome addition to the routine.  Unfortunately as budgets continue to be cut and class sizes continue to increase, our money doesn’t go as far as it used to.  As a very small way to say “THANK YOU” to all the teacher out there, I’m highlighting some freebies in my TPT store, plus including a “flash freebie” just for my blog readers. 

 

            

                         

 

 

 

 

 

  

           



 

Enjoy my friends and happy teaching!

https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Positively-Pre-algebra-Plus

 

Math Homework - Love it or Hate it?

It’s one of the hot topics today.  Homework or no homework?  How much homework?  Everyday?  Some days?  On weekends?  Grade it? Check it?  The list goes on and on.

 

 

I fall into the pro-homework for math category.  After thirteen years of teaching I’ve heard all the excuses, moans, groans, blame game, temper tantrums, and reasoning.  And that’s just from other educators.  Bring the kids and parents into the discussion and it gets even more interesting.  I am not a homework for the sake of homework teacher.  But, I feel strongly that students need to practice math skills in order to become fluent in them and there is not enough time during the school day for this.  I honestly wish there was practice time each day and no homework was necessary.  In our present secondary system, not only do I not see that happening, I see the problem getting worse. 

At the beginning of my teaching career I had an opportunity to attend a class taught by a “soon to be retired” high school administrator.  They are the best instructors of teachers because they have seen it all, done it all, and at this point in their careers, are willing to spill it all.  Early in the class he handed out a chart (which I really wish I had kept) showing that public education between the late 1800’s and late1940’s were essentially responsible for teaching children about 20 things.  There were the normal academics, but also lessons on friendship, manners, civic responsibilities, etc.  Between the 1950’s and 1990, that list grew to include over 130 teaching responsibilities (think drugs, alcohol, drivers ed, nutrition, stranger danger, etc.).  He predicted (in 1994) that we would easily top 200 in the next 20 years.  If all of these “new” teaching responsibilities are completed within the same school day/school year, it stands to reason that the amount of time spent on the 3 R’s has dramatically decreased.  As a parent, I totally get it when they tell me “you have them in school for “x” hours each day, why can’t this be done during that time”, but the reality is I don’t have enough math minutes each day to give students a solid understanding of the concept and then allow them enough time to practice the concept to create fluency.   

I do try to give my classes about 10 minutes at the end of each class to start on the assignment.  My thinking in doing that is I can pick up any questions or misconceptions the kids have before they go home.  I am not expecting any parent to teach the math – I have already done that during class and all students should be heading home with solid notes and a portion of the assignment done.  A more recent problem I have been encountering is students opting to not use this class time for the intended purpose.  Many seem to feel it is “their choice” whether to start the assignment or not.  Renaming it classwork/homework did not make a difference.  Lately I’ve taken a page from Sheldon’s mom on Big Bang Theory and say “I’m sorry, did I start those directions with the phrase if it pleases your royal highness?”  The majority of my kids are Big Bang fans and since I say it with a smile they laugh, sometimes toss in an eye roll (just to assure me they haven’t been switched out with a clone), and pick up the book and start on the assignment.   

I’ve seen recent media stories about teachers declaring the end of homework in their class.  Typically these are elementary teachers and I have no problem with that.  They typically have more flexibility in schedules and can have a kid that needs more time continue working on the assignment because they know they will need less time in another area.  Homework is also less beneficial to elementary students than secondary students according to the most recent studies on the subject.  I do have a problem with secondary teachers making the declaration by stating that students only need to finish their classwork at home if they didn’t get it done in class.  I’ve seen first-hand the length of some of those classwork assignments and doubt many children could complete them in the allotted time.  If you know you consistently give more classwork than can be done in class, so students technically do have homework, it is just semantics at best, pandering at its worst to declare your class “homework free”.   

Like many of you, I grew up with homework.  I didn’t love it, but also there were times that I didn’t hate it and felt I was learning from it.  If the studies on the amount of time today’s teens spend on social media is even remotely true, they obviously do have time to do homework.   The most recent American Time Use Survey that I have seen (April, 2016) showed that high school boys spend almost 3 hours each weekday on social media (non-educational) and girls spent almost 2 hours a day compared with both groups spending about 6.5 hours each weekday on attending school and homework.  The social media numbers do not include watching television and movies, which accounted for approximately another 1.5 hours each day.     

That’s a whole lot of opportunity time.  Another 15-20 minutes of practice each school day might be more beneficial and valuable to our students in the long term.  Not a random number of problems, but practice that reinforces necessary skills taught in the classroom.  I agree with keeping holidays and breaks family time, and do not assign homework or projects during these times.  How about you?  Do you assign homework?  How much and how often?  Does it benefit or hurt the students? 

Happy teaching!

 

 

Open House

Just when you are starting to relax after the hectic back to school weeks of preplanning, setting up your classroom, and greeting all those beautiful faces on the first day of school, it’s time … for open house.

 

Even after 13 years of teaching, I still stress over open house.  The formats have changed over the years as our school administration has changed.  There are a lot of parents, grandparents, and siblings to meet for secondary teachers and typically this night comes so fast I don’t have all of my student’s names down yet.  My school is currently doing an “open, open house”.  That means there is a two hour time frame for parents to come through to meet the teachers. They can begin and end anywhere on campus they would like.  There are parts to this type of open house I like better than our old “follow your kid’s schedule” format, but there are also challenges.  I teach multiple grade levels and multiple courses.  I have different policies and rules for different classes (think 8^th graders taking high school credit vs. 6^th grade at-risk intervention students).  When they are all piled into the class at once, misunderstandings can take place.  Long lines sometimes occur using the open, open format that were not a problem for the scheduled format.  I do one night for the open, open format while I had to do multiple nights for the scheduled format, and often sat waiting for my next presentation because the grade level classes were not all in a row.  Obviously one night vs. multiple nights gets a thumbs up from me.

My students need to use their electronics wisely, because I am watching!

They just think math is going to kill them.

 

This year I tried organizing my class just for our open house to give my visitors options.  Parents signed in and then could wander the classroom looking at different displays or try out some of our activities.  I had a scavenger hunt using QR codes, task cards, triangle puzzles, examples of student work and projects, and technology based activities using TI-Nspire units.  Information on how to set up conferences, use online programs, etc. were also available at different stations around the room.  The class rules were on display using my meme area and the electronic device policies were posted in multiple areas.  If parents just wanted to see the classroom and check me out, they could do so as quickly or slowly as they wanted to.  Parents who wanted to say hello had something to occupy themselves with if there was a line.  My favorite part was watching my students explain to their family how and what we did in class.  It was really nice to see that connection being made and I hope it made open house a little nicer for my families too.

Students designed parachute systems for the Orion capsule and we tested them.

Geometry in motion.

 

One of the big draws turned out to be my tootling board.  I saw this idea on Pinterest over the summer and fell in love with the idea.  For those of you who have not heard of the concept, a tootling board replaces “tattling” in a classroom.  Students are encouraged to write kind notes about classmates who do something nice or unexpected.  We don’t sign the notes in my class and the kids love to get the notes up without the “recipient” being aware.  They are loving being able to “toot someone else’s horn” and read about themselves making someone else's day. 

 

Love the positive team-building!

 

So, have you had your open house yet?  How did it go?  I’d love to hear some ideas on what is working well for you.
 

Have a great week and happy teaching!

 

Laura

                                            

 

The Storm

If you’re on the east coast of the United States or Hawaii, “the storm” seems literal to you right now.  I was not and am not in the path of any of the hurricanes (thankfully), but please know that those of you who are or may be are in my thoughts and prayers.  Today I am referring to the classroom storm that always seems to brood early in the school year.  You know, the shine is off and their best behavior has reverted to their typical behavior.  Throw in all the “we’re going on vacation” notes and notifications I received last week, the excuses why homework is not done and cannot be done (they have a life after all), parents protecting their kids from responsibility and consequences, sickness, unscheduled days off, the whines, staff meetings and training sessions, plus the inevitable piles of paperwork, constant classroom interruptions, schedule changes, meetings, assemblies, and administrative dictates.  The not so perfect storm.

 

 

 

So mighty educators, what do we do?  We soldier on.  We do our jobs and continue with the academic pace that will get our students where they need to go not necessarily where they want to be.  We hold the line and refuse to lower academic expectations not because it is easy or fun (quite the opposite).  We do it because that is what our students truly need to ensure their future success and happiness in life.  We go in and teach math every day because it is important.  It matters.

 

The beginning and end of each year seems to be when I second guess my career choice.  Not necessarily teaching, but teaching math at the secondary level.  I look fondly at other subjects who get a lighter curriculum load and “fun” days.  I truly believe that math is fun, but it is hard to get there some days when everything and everyone seems to be screaming the opposite message.  No weekly movie days in my class.  No field trips to go bowling, shopping, or just hanging out.  I’ve had students who were laughing and enjoying themselves throughout the entire class tell me with a snarl as they were leaving “I know you snuck math into my brain when I thought I was having fun in here today.  My brain hurts with all the math you stuffed in”.  Really?  That makes me the bad guy??

My solution the past few years has been to ramp up student engagement and movement in my classroom.  Sorry reading teachers, but I’ve banned your books this year in my class and added an early finishers corner where students can pick a fun math activity to do instead.  I’m rotating and adding activities to keep if fresh.  The grumbles ended quickly and students look happy selecting an activity to fill any extra time in math class.  Plus, they are learning that math is FUN too!  Maybe they will also pick up that math is not just for the classroom. 

Early Finishers set up - it's already been expanded!

I also have my student moving – a lot.  Middle schoolers have many talents, but I have found they can’t fall asleep if you keep them moving both intellectually and physically.  This year all my classes are advanced meaning that we cover two to three years of math in one.  Unscheduled vacations, mental health days, field trips, and movie days don’t stand a chance with this curriculum.  While my darlings think they are being covert, I am aware that they are tracking the longest period that our seats stay the same (three days so far) with delight.  The moaning and groaning are for show and they are enjoying the journey for now.  I hear them shouting to each other in the hall “hey, it’s a walk-about today”, “looks like a partner activity”, or “Great! A new scavenger hunt”, or my personal favorite “I don’t know, but it looks interesting in there today”.  Keep them guessing and keep them working.  That’s my motto for now.

 

I posted this and let them guess what tootling was for a few days...

 
So my friends, this storm will pass.  The sun will shine again.  There will be days when everyone is in class and hopefully want to be in class.  New and exciting adventures are ahead for us and our students when we continue to teach.  No matter how you style your lessons, set-up your rooms, or run your classroom, remember that learning cannot occur without teaching.  The better the teaching the better the learning.  

 

Teach on and find your happy place!