Professional Development

monkey covering his mouth

Lost My Voice Lesson Plans

October 13, 2021

Several years ago, seasonal allergies gave me acute laryngitis. I had a day full of games and activities planned that involved rotating stations and no voice with which to handle crowd control, so I had to get creative. I greeted my students with a smile as they entered. I rang the bell I use daily…

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Tips For Teaching From A Cart

October 11, 2021

First time teaching on a cart this year? Lost your room and don’t know how you will manage? We’ve rounded up some tips to help you organize and prioritize what you need to be an effective teacher on the go:   Organize Your Space   Time is of the essence when you are a teacher…

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rows of question marks on pastel paper

Educational Inquiry: How Questions Enhance Learning

October 7, 2021

When you were studying to be a teacher, no doubt you imagined day-to-day classroom life. And if you’re like me, this included the “nightmare” scenarios. When I envisioned my personal lions, tigers, and bears, one thing I worried about was student questions. What if they ask me something I don’t know? What if they find…

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3 Myths About Grad School—and Why You Should Apply

September 20, 2021

When I enrolled to earn my Ed.D in Leadership, (I chose American College of Education,) I was really surprised at the number of people who had something to say. “A doctorate? What will you ever do with that?” For me, this is an avenue to keep my career options open and that’s the best part. There are…

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paper airplane

Should Teachers Take Their Work Home?

September 13, 2021

In an ideal world, work and home would be two separate domains, and you could slalom between them with the ease of an Olympic skier. But in our highly digital world and among a growing remote workforce, that line between work and home is becoming increasingly blurry with work spilling over into our homes physically,…

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Fast Grading: Time-Saving Tips for Grading Efficiently

September 7, 2021

How many hours do you spend grading per week? Five, ten? More? It’s daunting to add it up, but grading is an important part of the job. You need grades to assess students and to keep a “healthy” grade book so that a single assignment doesn’t become the be-all-end-all of a student’s measure of success…

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Teacher Organization With Evernote

August 19, 2021

Teachers juggle so many bits and pieces of information. When I was teaching, my desk was a flurry of post-it notes reminding me of a student’s absence, make-up quiz grades, or to write a letter of recommendation for one of my seniors. Just as often as not, the notes stuck to the bottom of my…

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Classroom Organization Tips From A Professional Organizer

August 17, 2021

Hi, my name is Tara and I love to organize. I have learned so much about organization and children from the teachers in my life, which means teachers have an extra special place in my heart.  This summer here in Birmingham, Alabama, a group of organizers and volunteers wanted to help a school and some…

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Time Management for Teachers

August 5, 2021

Chasing The Golden Snitch As a teacher, time is something you will often chase like the elusive golden snitch. In addition to, well, teaching, your profession includes a long list of administrative tasks; they aren’t kidding when they say it’s like spinning plates. Many days will fly by so quickly that your head may be…

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Nine Time-Tested Lesson Writing Tips

August 2, 2021

If there’s one thing you can count on as a classroom teacher, it’s your recurring lesson plan deadline. (Cue the groans and eye rolls.) And while I’ve worked for administrators all over the spectrum–from one who barely glanced at my lesson plans to one who poured over each word with microscopic scrutiny–I eventually learned that…

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