As a teacher, I’ve always struggled to find suitable consequences for classroom misbehavior and have usually resorted to time off recess. However, overuse of missed recesses brings its own set of problems. Last summer one of my...

The first day of second grade arrives. The eager students appear at your door with confidence. They know what school is about. They know the routines and procedures. They know where the rest rooms are and where to put their lunch...

Photo by Cas Holmes on Unsplash Crimea – Battle of Balaclava Lord Raglan, British cavalry commander, sat high on a hill and watched the Russian soldiers withdrawing naval guns from the captured redoubts. His plan was that the...

Photo by Patrick Fore on Unsplash I’m tired, Lord. As our year winds down, we are all tired and weary. I’m weary of drilling math facts. I’m weary of listening to halting readers. I’m weary of checking books. And I am weary of...

“Is today journaling?” eagerly asks my little student, a non-native English speaker. “Yes!” Their cheers greet the announcement of journal class. I’m greeted by students in the morning. “I know what I’m going to journal about....

The cold wind persistently blowing makes being outdoors miserable. The gray skies cover up the sun for days at a time. Absences and coughs are as common as the dandelions in a springtime lawn. The enthusiasm of the first half of...

A list of fun games and drills for students learning to read.

Photo by Tanya Gorelova from Pexels RAD, ODD, FAS are letters that may be attached to students in some of our classrooms…letters that mean extra stress for the teachers and administration in those classrooms and schools…letters...

Over the years I’ve read various classroom management books. Many of them had excellent tips. I’ve also noticed that some ideas seem to contradict each other. Many of the ideas and methods outlined by various proponents are not...

Photo by Giorgio Trovato on Unsplash Before the students enter on the first day you will want to know what routines and procedures you want to see in your classroom. Routines are the things you do everyday and how you do them....

Photo by Cheng Qi Huang on Unsplash In this mid-summer moment, my classroom looks like a disorganized storage room. Opening the door is a chore, not an invitation of welcome. The walls are either bare or have bits of last year...

Photo by Kuanish Reymbaev on Unsplash “I can’t wait for the first day of school,” commented my ready-for-second-grade niece one day at the end of June. There are others anticipating the first day too. Some of you are looking...

“I can’t wait ‘til journaling time. We get to start our books!” The class they’ve been anticipating for the past few weeks has now arrived. First grade students will embark on their big writing project of the year as we explore...

“Good morning…uh…uh…uh,” I said to the girl coming down the hall. Her mask was over her nose. Her hood covered her head so only her eyes peeked out. Who is the girl behind the mask? “Uh…uh…oh! Carla, it’s you,” I said as she got...

Photo by Debby Hudson on Unsplash “Make a joyful noise unto the Lord, all ye lands.” Psalm 100:1 Psalms 100 is our current Bible memory selection. It has left me pondering about making a joyful noise. How do we make a joyful...