Think back to the last time you had to write a cover letter for a new job or the last time a colleague asked you to write a reference letter. What was the first thing you did? The first thing I usually do is Google “cover letter samples” or “how to write a reference...
While you’re probably feeling a lot of excitement around the kids returning to the school building, there may also be some nervousness. You might be worried about how to help your students be successful as they transition into the classroom after a year or more of...
I hope you’re reading this and feeling relaxed, rested, and ready to start the new school year. The beginning of the school year is when we can truly start fresh with a new group of kids. When I was a classroom teacher, this was always a time I cherished. I loved...
Summer break is almost here! Whether your long-awaited summer vacation has already started or you’re getting ready to put your feet up, we feel your excitement. With all the lessons and challenges from the last school are fading away, we’re sure it must be a huge...
I hate paper. While I’m generally a pretty organized person, paper is the beast I’m forever trying to tame: I can never find the piece that I want, I run out of it at the most inopportune times, and the piles of it that need filing never seem to get any smaller. It’s...
We’re about to wrap up the 2020-21 school year. If this was ever a year to celebrate crossing the finish line — this is it! Congratulations, educator — it’s just about time for you to enjoy a very well-deserved vacation. Whether you do your yearlong planning before...
Heading into summer is an essential time to support kids’ reading and writing projects. Continuing with literacy outside the school year helps kids develop further independence, opens up new possibilities for them as readers and writers, and continues to build joy...
You’ve got no choice, babe But to move on, and you know There ain’t no time to waste You’re just too blind, to see But in the end, ya know it’s gonna be May! (You know, as the meme suggests.) Okay, okay, it’s already the second week of May....
It’s teacher appreciation week! I can’t think of anyone in the world (well, other than health care workers) that truly deserves more praise and acknowledgment in 2021. During a “regular teaching year,” you’re already asked to do more work and put in more hours. You...
When I was an elementary classroom teacher, it was common practice to do Mother’s and Father’s Day projects. I can’t say that I gave it a whole lot of thought. It was what my entire team did year after year, and we usually came up with some cute craft or poem that the...
When I taught first and second grades, shared reading was a regular part of our day. Each day for about 10 to 15 minutes, I’d take out the big book or the chart of the poem we were reading that week and lead kids in a choral reading of the text, stopping along the way...
Aaah, April — a month when we see signs of spring renewal — spring break offers time for rest and relaxation — and then testing season begins. This year like everything else, state testing will be different. At the very least, it will be shorter than other years, and...
