And we all know that providing incentives for 5th grade can add up quickly, so when brainstorming this list, I only chose ideas that can be implemented without spending any money and without challenging systems to navigate.

Tips for Providing Incentives

I want to remind you that you do not need to give out an incentive every time you want to see a desired behavior. Verbal and physical recognition (thumbs up, high five) is a necessary part of managing a classroom and developing strong relationships. I recommend coming up with a system for how students earn these incentives after displaying the desired behavior numerous times over the course of a day, week, or month. 

Choose a day for all of the incentives to happen. Wearing a hat? Chewing gum? Bringing a stuffed animal to school? This only happens on Friday or whatever day you choose. This is one less thing to track or manage. In addition, you can use this same idea for when passes or incentives are distributed.

Have students contribute to your incentives! Put out the call to caregivers for items for your “treasure box.” The number of tiny trinket plastic stuff that I am itching to remove from my household at any given time is in the millions. 

Batch process creating your incentives and passes. Make your hat pass, print on colored paper and have a stack in your desk. Passes are only validated by your signature or special stamp. 

Ask your students what they like or want! While my ideas were loved and used by my students, your students may enjoy other things. Culture is ever evolving! One year my students could earn time flipping a water bottle (this was 2016 I believe). Capitalize on current trends and use them to your classroom’s benefit. 

Here are some ideas for free incentives to use in your 5th grade classroom:

 Incentives for the 5th Grade Class

• Extra Recess/Outdoor Time – This was far and above always picked by my class. I liked it too! Choose a positive behavior you would like to see, and everytime your entire class displays it, they get a letter. (Think: F R E E T I M E or O U T S I D E)
• Extra Tech Time – With a list of approved websites, this was a popular choice too!
• No Homework or shortened assignment – You will have to plan for something else to do in class if you don’t already assign homework.
• Fort Day – I saw this idea from a teacher Facebook Group. Students bring blankets to school and create a fort using their desk as the structure.  Students can still work on assignments or read during this time. This is such a great idea!

Incentives for Individual Students

• Bring in a stuffed animal (desk pet) – This could be the cutest idea on the list.
• No shoes in class/wear slippers – Create a pass for students to carry around to show their special teachers or anyone else who may inquire about said slippers.
• Wear a hat/hoodie for the day – See above for making a pass.
• Sit in the teacher’s rolling chair or other special seat – Since I rarely sat, this was an easy incentive to provide for my students.
• Chew gum in class – The kicker? Students have to bring their own gum.
• Be referred to as King or Queen for the day (a class crown seems like a great addition here). What a fun way to liven up your classroom. 
• Positive note or phone call home – This was a surprisingly popular choice!
• Choose a song for packing up – Create a teacher-approved playlist ahead of time, and have students choose from the list.
• Be the first in line for the cafeteria/lunch – Simple but effective with your lunch enthusiasts. 
• Prize box (students donate fun things) – Ask parents and students to donate on a rolling basis. Expect lots of goodies in August and January.

What incentives for 5th grade would you suggest? If you want to read more, check out 15 Creative Incentives for Middle Schoolers here.

The post Creative and Free Incentives for 5th Grade appeared first on Maneuvering the Middle.

1. Alexa Smart Plugs

“These little guys are simple but one of our best purchases lately. They allow you to set up custom timers for all your plug-in lights and they also connect to your Alexa. Say goodbye to crawling out of bed after you realized you left a light on. Just tell Alexa to do it!” – Jessica

2. Smart Outdoor String Lights

“This string of lights can be controlled from your phone and there are also so many color customization options.” – Kim

3. Avocado Tool

“Cut, pit, scoop, and mash! This is an all-in-one tool for having sliced avocado or guacamole, and it’s dishwasher safe!” – Ashleigh

4. Fly Fans

“We love to spend our dinners outside as often as Texas will allow us, and these fly fans are a literal game changer. They actually work and are great inside or outside. They can be especially helpful when setting out food to host an event, etc. Maybe consider keeping one on your desk and seeing if they work on middle school students, too? Jk.” – Kim

5. Sink Splash Guard

“My sink is located on the island, and I am a sloppy dish washer. Water inevitably ends up running behind the faucet making a mess all over the counter. This sink splash guard keeps the water contained and drains back into the sink.” – Tyne

6. Lip Glowy Balm

“This is my go-to lip balm for a long day of teaching or just going about my day-to-day life! It adds a tiny tint of color, but is also super hydrating. I stick it in my pocket or in my purse for on the go application!” – Jenna

7. Weighted Heating Pad for Neck and Shoulders

“This feels like a warm hug after a stressful day. Grab some hot tea and a good book and feel the tension slip away instantly!” – Angie

8. Under Eye Patches

“It’s not really accurate to say these are my favorite things because I’ve never bought them…but someone did send me these after I had a baby and when I finally got around to using them, they felt pretty amazing. There’s no tired like teacher tired, and I bet there are some teachers out there who would feel seen by these eye patches.” – Kim

9. Quarter Zip Pullover

“Being from Texas, I am acclimated to the heat and when that first cool breeze comes in, I need to stay warm. This pullover is my go-to on a Saturday morning of children’s sports or errands.” – Noelle

10. Best Ballpoint Pen

“While many people are fans of gel pens, I have forever been loyal to ballpoint pens. The TUL ballpoint pens are the perfect size and write smoother than any pen I have ever used. In fact, they write so well that my wife, who only used gel pens, has fully switched as well!” – Michael

11. Plum Paper Planner

“I love that this planner has customizable layouts to create “to-do” lists that meet your needs. For each day of the week, I have a to-do list for both work and personal life and then a section to write my dinner meal plan. I use the monthly calendar to keep my 4 kids after school activities straight. This planner has been a life saver for my brain!” – Sara

12. Retro Sneakers

“Cute, cozy and helping me reach my step goals… what’s not to love? There are so many sneaker color combinations now that it can also be a fun way to show school spirit!” – Rachel E.

13. No Show Socks

Fun colors, but don’t show when you wear your cute fashion sneakers.  Grippy on the heel so they don’t fall down during the day!

14. Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin

Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow is my favorite book I have read this year (and I have read over 60 so far). This story is told over the 30 year friendship of two video game designers. My husband has read a single book this year and this was it. He loved it!

15. The Dutch House by Ann Patchett

Do me a favor and listen to Ann Patchett’s The Dutch House immediately. Tom Hanks is the narrator and should probably narrate all audiobooks. The story is about a set of siblings and the house of their childhood. You can read about how Tom Hanks got the reading gig here.

What are some of your favorite things from this year?

The post MTM Team’s Favorite Things appeared first on Maneuvering the Middle.

Homeroom is often the last thing I think about, but I have found that my school day and school year is so much more successful when I have taken the time to make the most of my homeroom.  Whether your homeroom is 30 minutes or 15 minutes, here are a couple of ideas.

Read until the end to find out what I did on each day of the week and get free homeroom slides.

1. Drop Everything and Read (D.E.A.R.)

This is my favorite one by far!  On days where you are having to pass out papers from the front office or you are needing to collect and track the variety of permission slips that never end, students reading silently makes your job so much easier.  I like to keep Scholastic Magazines available for students to grab and read because they are super engaging, even for your most reluctant reader.  Incredible graphics, interesting stories, and real-world connections are just a few of the benefits. You can find out more about what’s included here.  

2. Character Building/Community Circles

I use community circles to build community and character amongst the students in my advisory.  We decide on norms for how we have discussions (this is key) and then I ask a question that we go around in a circle and answer.  The questions can be super light-hearted (if you had a superpower, what would it be and why?) or a little deeper (what is the biggest challenge that you are facing?).  You have to gauge the maturity of your students, but it does help you know your students better and for them to know you better.

3. GPA and College Preparation

To invest students in their grades, I talk about what grade point average means and what is required to get into various universities.  Because I live in Austin, many students want to go to the University of Texas, which requires a GPA of 3.75.  After I teach decimal operations, every Wednesday students receive a progress report, and they calculate their GPA.  To make it even more impactful, I have a list of colleges and their respective GPA requirements on the tracker.  Their middle school GPA might not count towards college, but there is no time like the present to invest students in their learning and grades.

4. Missing Assignments

Homeroom is a great time for students to work on missing assignments! After students receive their progress reports, students with missing assignments can spend this time making up their work. Ideally, this is best for assignments that can be submitted digitally.

5. Student Helpers

Designate some “teachers’ aids” who have a dedicated job that they are capable of doing on their own.  This could be updating student work bulletin boards, feeding a class pet, double checking attendance, writing the objective on the board, or a variety of other things. You can read more about student jobs here.

6. College Pride/Shout Outs

My school’s homerooms are all named after the college the homeroom teacher attended.  I went to Texas A&M University, so I refer to my students as A&M.  I have a wall of A&M memorabilia, including a flag.  Fridays are Flag Friday.  I award a student who has shown the values of A&M that week by highlighting a specific action that I saw.  The student is awarded with the school flag and they get to wear the flag as a cape for the rest of the class.  My students love it and are super invested!  Every Friday, they ask “Who is wearing the flag?” as soon as they walk in the door.

7. CNN10

CNN10 is a kid-friendly, 10 minute news program that covers current events. There is a new episode each day which makes it a reliable option for homeroom. You can have students jot down a summary or put it on for students to watch as they are eating breakfast.

8. Homeroom Slides

These homeroom slides are a perfect way to start off your time in Advisory! Make your daily announcements, find out how your students are feeling, and share some inspiration – all great ways to start your students’ days!

Grab these free Homeroom Slides!

This list is not exclusive, but they are things that I do regularly in my homeroom.  In an ideal week, I do a wide variety of the items above. Paperwork is usually passed out on Mondays, D.E.A.R. happens the day I collect paperwork so it varies, GPA is tracked on Wednesdays, Thursday is reserved for community circles, and Friday is for building college pride through Flag Friday.  It is a flexible schedule that changes based on what we have going on that week. What are the ways that you use your homeroom?   

Maneuvering the Middle has been publishing blog posts for nearly a decade. This post was originally posted in November 2017; it has been updated for relevancy.

The post Ideas for Homeroom appeared first on Maneuvering the Middle.

WHAT IS A STUDENT SURVEY?

A student survey is a great tool to get students thinking about their experience in your classroom – their achievements, areas of growth, and what they learned over the course of the year.

For you, the teacher, it serves as a tool to improve your craft and make choices about what you will do next year. One year, I received overwhelming feedback that students had a hard time seeing notes on my document camera. The next year I invested in technology to connect my iPad to my projector.

They can be as in-depth as you would like, but I would suggest keeping them around 10 questions with a variety of free-response, check boxes, and ranking scales. We are looking for quality answers over quantity. 

WHEN TO DO A STUDENT SURVEY

The end of the year is notorious for a random assortment of bell schedules. Sometimes you only see classes for 20 minutes a day or you only see your morning classes one day and the afternoon classes the next. That is a perfect time for a student survey! Student surveys can be the perfect bell ringer (they are pretty self-explanatory) or exit ticket. I would recommend doing it in class, so you can guarantee 100% completion.

STUDENT SURVEYS SOUND INTIMIDATING

I loved doing end of the year surveys with my students because it provided some great insight and helped me to reflect on the year!  

You may feel nervous to hear what your students think about your class and your teaching, so let me encourage you by stating – you are a great teacher!  I know this because in your spare time you are reading a teacher blog. 

Remember that you are the one crafting the questions.  Think about how you word them and what exactly you want to learn from the response. 

For example, you could ask “What was your favorite part of this class?” and if you leave it open you may get a few responses that say “Nothing.”  But likely you will get better responses if you provide a few selections for students to choose from and then an “other” blank where students can write in something you may had not thought of.  

You could also reframe the question to, “What is one thing you learned in this class that you can carry into next year?”

SUGGESTIONS FOR QUESTIONS

Before you write your questions, really think about what you want to accomplish with the responses:

• Do you want to improve your classroom management?
• Do you want to get a feel of how your classroom felt?
• Do you want to rework your lessons and need some suggestions for the fall? 

Here are a few general suggestions:

• How has your confidence in _________ (subject) improved this year?
• What lesson/project/activity did you most enjoy?  Why?
• What lesson/project/activity was the most difficult for you ?  Why?
• What is one piece of advice that you would share with a student who is entering this class next year?
• What skills do you still need help with?
• Explain a time in class in which you were able to overcome a struggle.
• What is something that you would change about our class?
• What is one thing in class that made it difficult for you to learn?
• Did you feel as though I had high expectations of you?

You can also grab our free printable 12 question End-of-the-Year Survey, complete with an editable Google Form (since paper is so valuable!)

GRAB THIS FREE STUDENT SURVEY WITH AN EASY TO USE EDITABLE TEMPLATE! 

The post Student Surveys: An End-of-the-Year Reflection appeared first on Maneuvering the Middle.

Is this really necessary?

You know your students and what is happening in your classroom best. For me, it was always a yes. I didn’t go into nearly as much detail as I would have in August, but I did spend a little time everyday reviewing a routine or procedure the first week back.

Consider how December went and make the decision based on how well your students were modeling those procedures before winter break. Even if your students would earn an A+ for your class routines, a refresher after 2+ weeks out of the classroom won’t hurt. It also shows students that it is still important enough to you to repeat. 

We spend time reviewing math content, so why would we not spend time reviewing classroom routines and procedures? 

Which Routines and Procedures need reviewing?

Going over every single routine and procedure might overdo it, so what are the parameters for which routines and procedures to go back over?

• Do you want to introduce a new routine and procedure? Start here. Perhaps, you want to introduce a new way to earn points for a class incentive. Or maybe your Chromecart has been a mess, and you have a new method for organization that will be a community effort. 
• Is there a procedure that you noticed starting to slip back in December? Are students taking too long getting their materials out? Are students not pushing their chairs back  in when dismissed?
• What routines are the most vital to the day-to-day functioning of your classroom? Review them! Being proactive can prevent future encounters where you are having to correct students. 

Explain, Model, Practice + Fun Activity Idea

This method for reviewing routines and procedures (or sharing them for the first time) is perfect for the spring semester. 

Explain – This is exactly what it sounds like. Tell your students in detail what the procedure should look and sound like. You can present this information via slidedeck or in note format. 

Model – This is how you get your students involved! *Fun activity alert* Grab a group of students. Four or so are going to model the routine perfectly, and one is going to be your non-example. Secretly assign your model students and the non-example. The students + you (the teacher) complete the routine as a skit. Let some hilarity ensue! Then have the rest of the class discuss what was correct and what wasn’t via turn and talk or group discussion.

Practice – Now it is time to practice with everyone! Depending on the routine, you may only have to do this once. Praise the students who are doing a great job. 

This activity can take as little as 10-20 minutes, so there is still time to include math practice too. Complete this activity once a day until you have covered each routine you want to review.

Top 3 Routines and Procedures that Frequently Needed Review

• Classroom Entry – This topped my list every year. My classroom entry set the tone for the entire class period, so it was vital for it to be seamless. Silent, straight to their desks, materials out, and starting on the bell ringer by the time the bell rang. This was aided by my class posters.

• Group Work Expectations – We reviewed what being on task would look and sound like. In addition, we reviewed what students needed to do if they were stuck and needed help. 
• Attention Getter – This expectation would start softening over the course of the Fall semester. It was a good reminder for myself that I needed to wait until all students were silent and looking at me before giving directions.

What classroom routines and procedures will you be reviewing this Spring semester?

P.S. Want more on routines and procedures?

• 20 Must Teach Middle School Routines and Procedures 
• 15 More Middle School Routines and Procedures
• Routines and Procedures to Teach on the First Day
• Technology Routines and Procedures 

The post Classroom Routines and Procedures for the Spring appeared first on Maneuvering the Middle.

Note: These tips are more general in nature. Please follow any guidelines provided to you by your school or district.

Inside of the Classroom

Be Inclusive

My first experience in co-teaching was when I was hired in the middle of the year to support an Algebra 1 class. The Algebra 1 teacher made sure I felt like it was also my classroom the day I arrived. My name was on the board, and she ended each lesson by asking, “Mrs. Brack, did I miss anything?” It wasn’t her classroom; it was our classroom.

Try New Methods

There are 6 methods of co-teaching: 

1. One Teach, One Observe – The observer is gathering information to be analyzed together at a later time.
2. One Teach, One Assist – The assistant circulates to provide additional help.
3. Parallel Teaching – Both teachers are teaching the same information, but to two different groups simultaneously.
4. Station Teaching – Both teachers teach different information to a different group and then repeat instruction to the subsequent group of students.
5. Alternative Teaching – One teacher takes on the large group while one teacher works with a smaller group.
6. Team Teaching – Both teachers are delivering instruction at the same time together.

While it can be easy to fall into One Teach, One Observe or One Teach, One Assist, I recommend trying each method at least one time. My personal favorite was Station Teaching. Specifically, for skills with multiple ways to solve. For example, one teacher models solving equations with algebra tiles while the other demonstrates solving equations with the algorithm. Additionally, this creates opportunities for grouping students in a way that can target specific needs. 

Here are a few ways our MTM Team Members co-taught:

“We planned a lot of small group instruction so we could each take a few groups, instead of one person taking all of the groups (not enough time). We would each try to have a “low, medium, high” group in an effort to finish at the same time.” – Marissa

“We planned a few days where the co-teacher got to teach the entire lesson.  She would also walk around and help all students. That way they felt there were 2 teachers in the room, not just one teacher and someone else they didn’t really have to listen to or who was only there for certain kids. When either of us were teaching we would ask the other if they had anything to add.” – Ashleigh

“During independent work time, we would often sit at different tables in the room (teacher table and small group table) and pull small groups of students (low, medium, high) to do a reteach if necessary or assist in any way. We would each take turns walking the room and checking on students working independently.” – Jenna

Align Yourself on Classroom Expectations

Everyone runs a classroom differently, so upfront communication about expectations, routines, and procedures is non-negotiable. I recommend going through this Routine and Procedure blog post to discuss how you want your classroom to look like, sound like, and feel like.  Students need consistency, and both teachers must agree on expectations and how to follow up if expectations aren’t met.

Outside of the Classroom

Meet Weekly

With both of my co-teachers, we had a scheduled sit-down time once a week. We used this time to plan for the upcoming week, divide responsibilities, look at student work, and discuss student progress. While I did the bulk of the lesson planning, it did give my co-teacher opportunities to give me feedback about the lesson or provide additional ideas. 

Build Your Relationship

Building relationships with your students is vital! Building a relationship with your co-teacher is just as important. Go to Happy Hour! Find out their coffee order! Learn their dog’s name! Building that rapport will be seen and felt by your students.

Do you have a co-teacher? What tips do you have for co-teaching?

The post Tips for Successful Co-Teaching appeared first on Maneuvering the Middle.

Math Activities to Survive December

Business as Usual – Perhaps, you have timed it perfectly; the end of the unit or your midterm falls on the last day before the break. Bravo! You are a planning wizard. 

1. Projects

If you haven’t heard, Maneuvering the Middle launched projects for 6th, 7th, 8th, and Algebra 1! These projects are flexible in nature and can span 3-7 days. They are purposeful, standards-based and make a great alternative to an assessment.  

RATIONAL NUMBERS + LINEAR RELATIONSHIPS

• 6th graders research and calculate the costs of flying or driving to various destinations. Grab it here.
• 7th graders will calculate the cost of traveling to various National Parks and calculate the percent change in park and gas prices. Grab it here.
• 8th graders will plan a vacation and apply discount options to their vacation expenses to explore the effect on the linear relationship. Grab it here.
• Algebra 1 students will use and represent linear relationships to help them plan a vacation on a budget. Grab it here.

FINANCIAL LITERACY

• 6th graders plan a career fair and compare the lifetime earnings of various careers. Get it here.
• 7th graders calculate household incomes and analyze best cities to live in based on earnings. Get it here.
• 8th graders calculate and plan saving for college. Get it here.
• Algebra 1 students find and use an exponential function to predict the rising cost of college. Get it here.

2. Winter Solve and Color Freebie

If you need a day or two for your students to complete something calmly, but also keep it math related, check out our winter solve and color freebie.

Click here to get it!

• 6th – Ratio Application
• 7th – Proportional Relationships
• 8th – Non-Proportional Relationships
• Algebra 1 – Writing Linear Functions

These concepts are typically taught in the Fall and will be great for review.

*** Fun tip: Project a fireplace, turn on some tunes, provide some colored pencils, and walk around blissfully as the fire hypnotizes your students into a peaceful calm. 

3. Cookie + Dessert Recipe

This is a project that requires little planning and has a festive energy, but also engages students in a unique way. You can also give students a choice! Print off a variety of dessert recipes and allow students to pick what they would like to “make.”

Then students have to determine how much they need to make (ex: enough for the class, enough for the whole school, enough for the staff). Students have to use rational operations to calculate how much of each ingredient they will need.

You can go even further and have them shop for all of the ingredients using the various curbside or delivery options available. Texan here to recommend HEB.com.

4. Shop for Friends and Family

Let students go shopping! Give students a budget for how much they can spend to buy gifts for their friends and family. Give students a specific website to stay on like target.com and have them record their total. To spice it up, provide coupons and BOGO opportunities.

5. Jigsaw to Review

If you are preparing for a midterm, then a jigsaw may be right for your students! If you aren’t familiar with a jigsaw, essentially students become an expert in a specific math skill and then come back together with students who became experts on other math skills. Then, they teach each other their respective skills. If you need more ideas for test review, check out this test review post.

Just For Fun

While these are not December activities that are math specific, there are sometimes opportunities to do something winter themed and festive.

6. Gingerbread Houses

At my last school, we used the last few days of the semester to do celebratory type activities. I would ask students to save their milk cartons (they act as the base) from lunch for the week leading up to the activity, and have  students bring in various candies, frosting, and graham crackers. I would use butcher paper to cover my tables, we would decorate for an hour and then students would take their gingerbread houses home. 

Tip: You need plastic knives for spreading frosting, paper plates as a base, and gallon-sized plastic bags to transport.

7. Holiday Cards

This is the perfect activity for your class after a midterm or on an adjusted bell schedule class period. Students can make holiday cards for custodial staff, cafeteria workers, or administrators. You could also adopt a nearby assisted living facility! 

8. Make Snowflakes

I used this activity for our adjusted bell schedule (30 minute classes) after our benchmarks. Students needed a brain break, and I needed something for them to do. This is the video I used to make colossal snowflakes that were hung in the gym for the winter dance. 

No matter what you choose to do to make it the end of the semester this December, remember that students are jazzed for an upcoming break and to use that energy to create excitement for math. What December math activities are you planning on implementing?

The post Math Activities to Survive December appeared first on Maneuvering the Middle.

We are so excited to announce our amazing middle school math projects for 6th, 7th, 8th grade math and Algebra 1 are complete and ready for your classroom! 

Benefits of Implementing Projects in Math

There are numerous benefits to students working through the open-ended nature of projects in math. This list is non-exhaustive, and I would love to hear additional benefits in the comments below. 

You get to see different students shine – This is exciting to see! The students who may not excel in a traditional math setting can truly step up to really surprise you when given the opportunity to complete a challenge creatively. 

Students are able to use different parts of their brain – Projects, by nature, involve synthesizing and analyzing information in a way that does not always happen in a standard instructional setting. Not only that, but students will practice skills like orally presenting their findings or displaying their work in a visually appealing way.

Students problem solving in real-world scenarios – When students ask, “When will I ever use this?” then it may be time to start a project. Here is a snippet of what our projects ask students to solve:

Rational Numbers + Linear Relationships

• 6th graders research and calculate the costs of flying or driving to various destinations. Grab it here.
• 7th graders will calculate the cost of traveling to various National Parks and calculate the percent change in park and gas prices. Grab it here.
• 8th graders will plan a vacation and apply discount options to their vacation expenses to explore the effect on the linear relationship. Grab it here.
• Algebra 1 students will use and represent linear relationships to help them plan a vacation on a budget. Grab it here.

Financial Literacy

• 6th graders plan a career fair and compare the lifetime earnings of various careers. Get it here.
• 7th graders calculate household incomes and analyze best cities to live in based on earnings. Get it here.
• 8th graders calculate and plan saving for college. Get it here.
• Algebra 1 students find and use an exponential function to predict the rising cost of college. Get it here.

All of our projects are jam packed with everything you need to implement a project from start to finish.

Projects are an alternative to tests – Students take so many tests in a year. Why not replace an assessment with a project that does the same thing?

Projects are great for that interim time –  Do you have 4 days before winter break that you aren’t sure what to do with? Is Thanksgiving Break coming up, and starting a new unit doesn’t make sense? Projects are your solution!

Projects help create a positive classroom environment – You can read more about how to build a classroom environment conducive to projects here, but in my personal experience, my classroom felt more joyful when projects were taking place.

Have you implemented projects in your classroom? What benefits have you and your students experienced by working on projects in your classroom?

The post The Benefits of Math Projects appeared first on Maneuvering the Middle.

We will be attempting to cover everything that will set you up for success in your first year. This is the last post in our series, so be sure to go back and read the previous three posts to get caught up.

• Part 1 – How to Teach Middle School Math as a New Teacher
• Part 2 – Cultivating a Strong Classroom Culture 
• Part 3 – What To Do When Everything is Urgent and Important 
• Part 4 – Our Favorite Practices (You are reading this one now!)

Today’s post will be all of the little things that will set you up for success. I am calling them best math practices, but since I have no scientific data to back them up, I will refer to them as favorite practices too. Let’s do it!

Work Out Every Problem Before You Teach the Lesson

This is probably my #1 best math practice. I like to do this for three reasons. 

1. As I work through problems that I will use for my direct instruction, partner work and independent practice,  I am prepared with the misconceptions my students may encounter. By mentally scripting what I might say or ask to combat these misconceptions, I am more prepared to teach. If while working through some problems, I am not really sure why [blank] is the next step, I can watch a video to help my explanations be clear and concise. 
2. When I am circulating while my students are working, I have my worked out answer key in hand, so I can check student progress. Instead of just looking at final answers to monitor progress, I like to quickly look at the students’ work too. If their work matches my work, I can give them a thumbs up, and move on to the next student. This idea also reinforces to students that their work is just as, if not more, important than the answer. In addition, if I do see an incorrect answer, I can look at their work, compare it to mine, and find the error faster. 
3. My first principal, Luz, told me this before my first year. It will take students 3 times longer than you to complete a problem. By working out every problem, I was able to assess whether I would need more work to fill up the class period … which leads me to my next point.

Always Have More Prepared

Your students will have varying math skills and speed levels. Some students will accurately complete all of their work before another student finishes the first problem.

Another best math practice is to provide meaningful work for students to work on after they have completed their assigned work. If these students need a challenge, make sure that it is rigorous enough to keep them engaged (don’t give them fluency practice) but not so challenging that they need your help. 

My go-to would be to ask them to write a test question based on what they learned that day, complete with answer choices and an answer key. Our digital activities are a great supplement too!

Assign Seats

Often I see teachers recommend to abandon seating charts at the beginning of the year, so you can learn who is friends with whom. This is not my advice! 

While you may not know your students well enough to create an informed seating chart, creating a seating chart that will help you learn names! I would start with alphabetical order because it helped me learn first and last names and made attendance easier.

Here is my rationale for starting with a seating chart. You can always give students seating choice after they have earned it. It is always easier to loosen up an expectation than try to wrangle students back in after they aren’t meeting your expectation. 

In addition, students without friends in that class or who are new, will feel more comfortable and safe in a classroom with a seating chart. You can read more advice about seating charts here.

Don’t Talk Over Students

There are entire books written about classroom management, so advice in this department cannot really be summarized in one paragraph in a blog post. I am going to pick the tool that packs the biggest punch. Don’t talk over students.

When giving instructions (not direct instruction), get your students’ attention, stand still, and wait. For example, it is time for students to go from working in stations back to their desks to start their exit ticket. 

*Attention Getter*

Teacher is standing still, squared up, and facing a majority of students. 

“I am waiting for all eyes to be on me. Thank you, Gabriel. Thank you, Max.”

“Most voices are turned off. Thank you. I am waiting on two more.”

*Teacher turns body and makes eye contact with the two students who were talking.*  (non-verbal redirection)

Students are still talking. *Teacher walks over to them.* (proximity) 

Students are now silent, and the teacher gives clear and concise directions. Teacher stops and waits if there are any interruptions.

When you give a direction while students are talking, you are communicating to them that what you have to say is not that important and they have a choice whether they need to listen to you or not.

Be Flexible

Being in the classroom for any length of time will result in a variety of mishaps – fire drills in the rain, copies running out, technology rendered useless since the internet is down, vomiting by both students and teachers, and a mouse running around. (These are examples from my classroom. Yes, the mouse visited my classroom during state testing, so that was …fun.) 

You can’t really get too worked up when something chaotic happens. Your students will follow your lead, so take a deep breath, problem solve, and make the best of it.

Build Relationships

Students will work harder for teachers they like and feel like them. Here are some ways to build relationships with your students on a daily basis.

• Use an individual’s name (so learn those names quickly )
• For every correction or redirection a student needs, be sure to praise them two times
• If a student invites you to a game or performance, go! If they went out of their way to invite you, then they love you and want you there.
• Be consistent. You can’t treat every student the exact same, but you have to hold all students to the same bar. 

Become an All Access Member

Finally, my best math practice is to become an All Access member! It bears repeating that the best thing you can do as a first year math teacher is find a reliable, standards-based curriculum. You will be spinning so many plates; don’t add curriculum writing to your very full scope of work.

Veteran teachers, what are some of your best math practices? New teachers, what questions do you have?

The post Best Math Practices for New Teachers appeared first on Maneuvering the Middle.

We will be attempting to cover everything that will set you up for success in your first year. This is part 3 in our series, so be sure to go back and read the last two posts to get caught up.

• Part 1 – How to Teach Middle School Math as a New Teacher
• Part 2 – Cultivating a Strong Classroom Culture 
• Part 3 – What To Do When Everything is Urgent and Important (You are reading this one now!)
• Part 4 – Our Favorite Practices

Today’s post will be all about how to overcome being an overwhelmed teacher and how to manage your to-do list. Let’s do it!

Feeling Overwhelmed

In my first year teaching high school math, I remember receiving a weekly update email from my principal on a Sunday night with many deadlines and tasks (on top of planning and preparing content for two preps), and I started to panic. How was I supposed to get all of this done? 

My husband, Taylor, asked me, “How do you eat an elephant?” I looked at him with a this-is-not-helpful stare. His response? “One bite at a time.”

In your first year of teaching math (or teaching at all), you will feel overwhelmed with the sheer number of tasks ahead of you. It is inevitable. The only way to overcome this sense of overwhelm is to start. Not sure of where to start? Make a list of everything you have to do for the next day and start with the easiest task. Use that momentum to knock out the next task and then the next. When you are feeling overwhelmed, any progress (even progress on peripheral tasks) will help you overcome your stress. 

Plan Your Work then Work Your Plan

When I have a written plan (in this case, a to-do list), I am efficient and I can knock things out. When I sit down to work with no plan, I am literally and figuratively listless.

No minute of your planning period should be wasted. Especially since planning periods tend to be commandeered by meetings or (possibly, but hopefully not) covering other classes. When you do have a full planning period ahead of you, take advantage of every second.

So how do you take advantage of every second?

• Make sure students are gone. That means that when the bell rings you are dismissing students, not asking them to start cleaning up.
• Know ahead of time what you need to accomplish during that planning period. This process is unique to each person, but personally, I liked to dedicate a day to the same tasks. Monday was for planning for the next week, Tuesday was for making copies and answer keys, Wednesdays was for grading and entering grades into the computer, Thursdays and Fridays were for miscellaneous or unfinished tasks. 
• Close your door. This sounds unfriendly, but if you are often interrupted or slow to recover after an interruption, then this gesture will keep visitors at bay. You can always chat with teachers in the workroom. 

If you want to read more about saving time during your planning period, check out these posts:

• Teacher Planner Printables (comes with free planner pages)
• 6 Time Saving Tips for Your Planning Period

Focus on What is Most Important

Teachers don’t just teach. Teachers do everything. They host clubs, they organize fundraisers, they plan field trips, they coach other teachers, and so much more. Nothing makes an overwhelmed teacher feel more overwhelmed than taking on more.

You may be tempted to take on an extracurricular or host an after-school club. If your heart is set on that, then go for it!

However, I do believe your first years in math should be dedicated to familiarizing yourself with your content and developing strong mathematical practices.  Give yourself permission to decline taking on additional roles, so you can participate in math professional developments or stay updated with new pedagogical practices. Being a lifelong learner of math and instructional practices is the sign of a great teacher!

If you haven’t read part one of this series, How to Teach Middle School Math as a New Teacher, you can read more about getting to know your math content.

Done is Better than Perfect

Since you will have a very full plate, sometimes we have to finish a task at a B- level. We want to strive for our personal A+, but when we have 900 things to do, done is better than perfect. 

If a B- has the same result as an A+, then don’t waste your time making it an A+. For example, bulletin board displays. Some teachers go all out with a theme and change the look each month – good for them, but not for me. I put one bulletin board display up in August, and only switched up the student work when it was required. 

Another example was something I saw an Algebra teacher do at my school. Since typing formulas and various mathematical symbols into the computer slowed her down, she would hand write problems for her students to complete. She would handwrite the problems, scan it to email it to herself, and then make copies. Would the worksheet look better printed? Sure. Did it matter? No. Done is better than perfect. 

Become an All Access Member

The best thing you could probably do as an overwhelmed teacher is to find and use a reliable, standards-based curriculum. If you can save yourself the time that it takes to scour the internet for worksheets or starting from scratch, you will already be so many steps ahead!

Veteran teachers, how do you tackle your to-do list? New teachers, what questions do you have?

The post Are You An Overwhelmed New Teacher? appeared first on Maneuvering the Middle.

Welcome, New Math Teacher! If you have made it to this blog post, you are most likely about to enter your first year of teaching or your first year of teaching math. (And if you are a veteran math teacher, we would love for you to share your tips in the comments :))

We will be attempting to cover everything that will set you up for success in your first year. If you haven’t read part 1, do that first. 

• Part 1 – How to Teach Middle School Math as a New Teacher
• Part 2 – Cultivating a Strong Classroom Culture (You are reading this one now!)
• Part 3 – What To Do When Everything is Urgent and Important
• Part 4 – Our Favorite Practices

Today’s post will be all about cultivating a strong math classroom culture. Let’s do it!

Be Proactive

A strong classroom culture is predicated on students knowing what is expected of them and rising to meet that bar.  This means you will need to communicate what you want students to be doing 100% of the time they are in your classroom. 

I can talk at length about routines and procedures and we have 4 blog posts dedicated to them, so I won’t belabor those systems anymore. Please be sure to check them out though because they are pretty comprehensive.

• 20 Must Teach Routines and Procedures
• 15 More Must Teach Routines and Procedures
• How to Teach Routines and Procedures that Stick
• Routines and Procedures for the First Day of School

Create a Safe Space

I had a student who would pick up her bell ringer from the door and stare at it for 5 straight minutes. This student was not off task in the slightest; she had her supplies, she came to class early, and she wasn’t chatting with classmates. She would just stare at her paper. After inquiring about her inactivity, she revealed to me that she feared making an error. 

This took me back to my math experience as a student; I couldn’t think of a single instance that I volunteered to answer by raising my hand. I was so scared to be wrong that I avoided eye contact any time a teacher asked a question. 

Creating a safe space for making mistakes is vital to your students’ success in math. 

I will point you to Jo Boaler’s research on how mistakes make our brains grow which is a fascinating read. This quote really nails it:

So how can you encourage mistake making? Start with yourself.

If a student points out an error, celebrate it: Wahoo! I made a mistake! My brain is growing!

If a student asks you a question that you do not know the answer to, admit to that. Great question! I am not sure I can answer that right now, but I will find out. 

If a student shares something incorrect, tell them that their brain just grew instead of telling them their answer is incorrect and then give them a moment to try again.

After I learned that the student was fearful of making an error, I started to hand-write (before making copies) “You don’t have to be right, but you do have to try!” on my bell ringers.

Lean into the Productive Struggle

If you are teaching middle school (particularly math) then you should prepare yourself for this second point… teach students to work through hard things, also known as productive struggle. 

This is still a battle I fight daily.  The first thing I begin teaching my students to say is, “Mrs. Brack, will you clarify this part to me?” or even simply, “I need help.”  “I don’t get it” suggests that you are passive in the understanding of a problem. 

You can respond with, “I don’t get it yet.” Or you can come up with a norm (see next point) for how to combat passive learning.

Then, you need to shift those “I don’t understand” type responses to a specific question about the content. Or by asking, “What do you understand?” We want them to make a connection to something they already know and then construct a plan based on that.

This flowchart (that you can grab for free below) is something I would point to when my students were stuck.

Click here to get your own copy of my How to Get Help in Math Flowchart.

Create Norms as a Class

This goes hand-in-hand with being proactive. With your students, come up with 3 or more “norms” or practices that will hold everyone accountable to learning math. To start the brainstorming process, you can ask students and yourself, “What needs to be in place for everyone to be successful in our classroom?” Students may respond by saying:

• Don’t give up. 
• Ask for help when stuck.
• Respect each other.
• Mistakes help us learn.

After you and your students have brainstormed a list of norms, post these norms on your classroom walls and refer to them daily. Students are bought in because they have a say in the very foundation of your classroom culture.

Start With Yourself

As a new math teacher, you don’t know what you don’t know. Even veteran teachers are lifelong learners of instructional math practices. Get comfortable asking for help from a trusted colleague, or even the brilliant teachers that are readily available in many Facebook groups.

Join All Access

An All Access membership will save you time and energy in your first year of teaching. I wish All Access existed my first year teaching – I believe it would have made for a less stressful year!

“Maneuvering the Middle gave me my life back and I know my students are getting what they need!” – All Access Member

Click here to learn more about All Access.

When it comes to teaching math, many things have changed. If you are relying solely on how you learned it growing up, then you are likely missing out on some great strategies. The way that I taught students to divide fractions during my first year teaching is nowhere near how I would approach teaching dividing fractions today.

Veterans, what tips do you have for new math teachers? New math teachers, what questions do you have?

Editor’s Note: Maneuvering the Middle has been publishing blog posts for teachers for nearly 6 years. This post was originally published in June of 2017. It has been revamped for accuracy and relevancy and to include a Good Morning Teacher podcast episode.

The post Tips for a New Math Teacher appeared first on Maneuvering the Middle.

Let me be the first to offer my congratulations! I hope that you will find our blog useful, so please stay a while. 

We will be covering everything that will set you up for success in your first year. Be sure to check back to read:

• Part 2 – Cultivating a Strong Classroom Culture
• Part 3 – What To Do When Everything is Urgent and Important
• Part 4 – Our Favorite Practices

Today’s post will be all about what to spend your time and energy on this summer. You have a huge task ahead of you and still a month before you begin. How should you use this time before you? Let’s dive in!

What To Focus on This Summer 

Most advice (including my own) around being a first year teacher is about building relationships with students and creating consistent routines and procedures for your classroom. But if you are reading this in July, you don’t have a classroom of students to start working on this yet. So what to do while you are anxiously waiting for the start of the year? 

Get to Know Your Content

This was a hard reality I discovered when I started teaching math: being a good math student does not always make a good math teacher. Math was always my best subject, so when it was time to reach struggling students, I felt stuck. I had learned math this one specific way and it worked for me, so I lacked additional tools that could help me help my students.

You don’t know what you don’t know, but you can assume that the way you may have learned a math skill is not the only way that you can teach it. So it is time to educate yourself! 

Before I get into specific math skills, I want to recommend reading about and implementing the Concrete, Representational, Abstract framework in your daily lesson plans. This study is short and does a great job of summarizing the CRA framework. We also have two posts: here and here.

The CRA framework helps guide students from the hands-on materials (Concrete), to the drawings and models (Representational), and finally, to the equations and algorithms (Abstract). By using the CRA framework, you are setting students up to understand the WHY behind the procedures of various skills which develops their conceptual understanding, builds math confidence, and gives students multiple methods for solving a problem. (Hint: you don’t need a huge supply of math manipulatives to use the CRA framework – check out our favorite math manipulatives here and how to get them on a budget.)

Let’s talk about what you are teaching! If you know what grade you are teaching, then I would start by looking at the standards for that grade level. You can find Common Core standards by Googling “CCSS + math + grade level” and by clicking here for the TEKS (if you are in Texas). If your state does not teach Common Core, I would search your state + grade level + math standards. 

Don’t expect to read your grade level’s math standards and instantly understand what you are reading and supposed to teach. But do read through the standards and make some observations. Here are some guiding questions:

• Are any topics or skills mentioned more often than others?
• Are there any words or phrases that I am unfamiliar with?
• Are there any skills that I only know one method of solving?

For the last question specifically, if you noticed a few or many skills that you only know one way of solving, use the internet to learn more. Before teaching 6th grade math, I knew exactly one way to solve a proportion: cross multiply and divide. I now know about 16 ways to solve a proportion: finding the scale factor, bar models, double number lines, scaling, graphing, and so forth.  This is something that you can expect to do throughout the school year. A good rule of thumb is to come ready to teach with at least two different ways a student can solve. 

Now I am going to make a few plugs

You can grab our middle school math + algebra 1 pacing guides by clicking below. This will help you get an idea of how our Maneuvering the Middle curriculum is organized.

Math teachers are incredibly helpful and we have almost 10k in our Maneuvering the Middle VIP Facebook Group. Join us, read and learn, and post your own questions. 

Join All Access! I truly believe if I had access to this curriculum in my first year of teaching math, I would have been less stressed and 100% more confident to tackle these standards. You can learn more about All Access here (like how it has everything you need and more to teach math), but we hear from teachers and administrators all the time about how our student video library helps new teachers learn and internalize the content.

What to Spend Your Money On 

If you can help it, try to resist the temptation to start spending money on your classroom until you have done some research.

First, find out if you have a budget from the school. I have been given $50 to unlimited funds (within reason) to spend on my classroom. Unfortunately, (and might I add, wrongly) some teachers receive zero dollars for their classroom. If you see something that you MUST have, at least hang onto the receipt since it may be reimbursable. 

Next, find out what the school already provides (or doesn’t provide). Your school may keep the teacher workroom stocked with #2 pencils, so you may never need to make that purchase. You may find out that you have a budget of $200 for the year, but the school doesn’t provide copy paper, so you may want to use that $200 on a paper supply.

You may want to purchase classroom posters and decorations! I get it, but it can get expensive, so be sure to check out how I decorated my classroom on a serious budget. All you need is colored cardstock and a printer.

Whether your school is paying or you are paying out of pocket for your classroom, I would recommend checking out our list of essential classroom supplies. This list even includes how necessary I think the item is. 

Lastly, remember that asking for donations from parents at Open House is totally acceptable. 

If you are a new math teacher, let us know how you are spending your summer. Veteran teachers, any additional advice you would include for the summer before school starts? Be sure to come back next Tuesday for more new math teacher tips.

The post How to Teach Middle School Math appeared first on Maneuvering the Middle.

Promoting perseverance is a highly complex skill to teach! This problem recently was brought up in our Facebook group, and our amazing community of teachers delivered some spectacular solutions. While I have written on cultivating a growth mindset in your classroom in the past, these ideas were unique and deserve a place here. 

Recognize When You See “It”

Students respond to praise. Students (and people) appreciate when they are recognized for their efforts. I was recognized in a meeting recently, and I spent the rest of the day beaming!

If you see any students make any type of effort, celebrate it! Consider the individual student and celebrate when they accomplish something. This might be as big as a student turning in all of their missing work or as small as a student asking a question.

“Thank you for asking that terrific question! I always appreciate it when you show your curiosity!” is more valuable than a frustrated sigh because I already answered that question – why aren’t you listening?

In the case of perseverance, celebrating a student for making an extended effort on a difficult problem might need to be scaffolded. If, as a general rule, your students won’t even attempt a problem that is difficult, you may need to celebrate as you guide them. 

• Celebrate that they read the problem (because you know students often give up before even reading the problem)
• Celebrate that they looked at their notes to acquire some help
• Celebrate that they started the first step

Students need to build up that confidence, and you teacher, are their #1 cheerleader. Keep your expectations high, and celebrate as students rise to meet them!

Remember that you are teaching students to be problem solvers. The problem solving process is not a one step skill. Therefore, trying again and trying again and trying one more time is how growing our brain in math works!

Introduce a Chain of Command

You may have a few students who are paralyzed by making a mistake or will not attempt work without you beside them walking you through every step of the way. I definitely have had these students. 

Introduce a chain of command, and stick to it! Your chain of command can vary – I had this handy flowchart on my tables that helped remind students of the steps. You can grab your own here.

Better yet – brainstorm with your entire class ideas of what to do when you are stuck! Kristin and her class brainstormed these ideas and she has it posted to remind her students.

A student has to make some effort in the problem before asking me for help. Even then, I would be helpful, but I wouldn’t walk them step by step through the entire problem because that is how a student becomes too dependent on their teacher. I would give them some feedback and walk away.

Connect Perseverance to Their Own Lives

No one is born a master of any skill or any task. While you may have a propensity for certain things, you have to practice to truly be good at anything! This is true for math as well! 

Ask your students what they are good at – it can be anything! Video games, being a good friend, making a great sandwich, tennis, soccer, or playing the fiddle. Ask if they were good at it the very first time they tried it. 

Sports is my favorite analogy because it is obvious to students that practice is necessary. If you are on the basketball team, you go to practice weekly or daily. If you play an instrument, you practice daily. Why do you go to practice? Do NBA players skip practice because they are already the best? No! Improvement is constant upkeep!

Change It Up

As I continue to explore ideas from Building Thinking Classrooms by Peter Liljedahl, I find myself fascinated with what he has observed. While I encourage you to read the entire book for more context, I thought this particular idea to be a quick hit that you can implement today.

He has researched and found that students working on vertical whiteboards demonstrate persistence, discussion, and participation more than working on any other surface. A horizontal whiteboard (or desk surface with dry erase markers) is the second best option. Apparently, the non-permanent nature of the whiteboard improves persistence. 

Now there is published data that backs up what I always observed in my classroom! If you don’t have the whiteboard space for every student to use, consider rotations or a system available for students who are stuck to jump start  by working at the whiteboard! Promoting perseverance can be as easy as changing the way in which students write down their work!

Other Helpful Tips:

• Make sure that the work put in front of your students is properly scaffolded. Students shouldn’t be starting with the most complex or challenging questions. Our Maneuvering the Middle student handouts and homework were designed with this in mind.
• This video is really encouraging! 
• Take the focus off of the answer. Focus on the work to get there! 
• You can read more ideas on developing math confidence here.
• Grab our Community Counts activity.

How do you promote perseverance in your math classroom? 

The post Promoting Perseverance in Math appeared first on Maneuvering the Middle.

Who is Teacher Appreciation for?

I believe that teacher appreciation is for any staff member at school! Especially after the last few years, non-instructional staff have definitely taught a class or two (or 18). 

If you are an administrator or PTA member that is planning for teacher appreciation, don’t forget to include the nurse, librarian, and front office staff.

Budget vs. Going All Out

You don’t need a massive budget to make teachers feel appreciated! 

• Catered Lunch v. Potluck Lunch Donated by Parents
  • I have experienced both, and I can tell you that homemade food was widely appreciated. Administrators, send out a Google Sheet sign-up sheet to members of your PTA to have a lovely lunch provided by helpful parents. Don’t forget to ask for donations for tablecloths, flowers, cutlery, and paper plates. 
• Starbucks v. Create a Coffee Bar in the Teacher’s Lounge
  • Average cost of a Starbucks drink per person: $5
  • Average cost of a Costco amount of K-cups, various creamers, syrups, and some whipped cream – $1 per person
• Hire a Mobile Car Washing Company v. DIY Car Washing
  • We have had a professional car cleaning company wash all the cars in the parking lot, and another year, Student Council students worked in shifts to wash all the teachers’ cars throughout the day. Either way, my car was clean for the first time in years.
• Hiring a Photographer v. DIY
  • My favorite teacher appreciation present was so meaningful and creative! My principal hired a photographer to visit each classroom and snap a photo of us teaching in action. The photos were printed and framed. These are probably the only 2 pictures I have of me teaching, and they are so valuable to me. This can easily be done without hiring a professional photographer. It would require someone’s smartphone, and the cost of photo paper and some cheap frames.

More Ideas to Make Teacher Appreciation Fun

Stop by their classroom with a fun treat! One year, my principal used a cart to provide a yogurt bar; I was able to customize a yogurt bowl to enjoy during my first class. Another year (and at a completely different school), I made my own Root Beer Float. A customized treat that is delivered – count me in! 

Consider allergies! After combing through so many comments about Teacher Appreciation in a Facebook group, I realized that so many teachers are left out due to food allergies. Instead of donuts (a popular treat during this week), consider providing additional breakfast items: bananas, granola bars, yogurt, etc. 

Think out of the box! One year, our PTA hired two masseuses to provide 10 minute back massages.  An email was sent out and teachers could opt in to a back massage during their planning period. (This was the surprise I missed while I was on maternity leave – dangit!)

Ways to Appreciate Teachers that Cost Nothing

• Cover their lunch, bus, before or after school duties for that week
• Cancel that after school meeting
• Jeans or athleisure for the entire week (or more)

Ideas for Parents

If you are a parent looking for a way to celebrate your children’s teachers, look no further. These ideas cover a range of budgets and time commitments.

This idea is from Sharon McMahon, and I whole-heartedly agree!  Write an email to that teacher’s principal (with the teacher CC’d) outlining why they are such a fantastic teacher. Include specific details about what your child loves about their class. 

Pick up and deliver lunch for the teacher. Here is the best way to do this: Email the teacher – 

“I am going to [insert restaurant] on [date] to pick up some food for you. Here is a link to the menu, please respond with your order.”

Consider the week after teacher appreciation week since they may already have many lunch options. Here are some other quick ideas:

• Handwritten note from parent or student
• Gift cards
• Most teacher would say they are good on mugs
• Something consumable
• Support their classroom with classroom supplies: fun pens, sticky notes, dry erase markers. Put the supplies inside a basket or a cute caddy!
• Bring the teacher flowers

What would you like your administrators to do for teacher appreciation week? What is the best gift you have ever received for teacher appreciation?

The post Teacher Appreciation Ideas appeared first on Maneuvering the Middle.

October is just around the corner! While there are so many fun things that autumn brings, it can be a challenging month to be a teacher. Let’s dive into some ways that we can thrive during this month.

LISTEN ON: APPLE PODCAST | SPOTIFY

Why is October so challenging?

October is just days away. Labor day was 16 work days ago, and Thanksgiving is approximately 30 work days away. 

The excitement of Back to School is beginning to wear off. You are now in the trenches. You may have bolted from the starting line in August with grace and enthusiasm, but now it is dawning on you that this isn’t a 100 meter dash, but a full on marathon. 

October is also a long month, Halloween punctuates it, the grading period typically falls within it, and daylight savings time is ending, so it can feel dark and literally be dark.

1. Take a Personal Day of Rest

When we originally published this post, we suggested that teachers should plan to take a day off from work in the month of October. Now with the shortage of subs in our country, that recommendation has a caveat. If you can request a day off, then great! If that brings additional stress to you, then plan for a day of rest on a weekend.

Pick a date, put it on the calendar, and anticipate with excitement a day in which you have made zero commitments and have zero responsibilities. If you have kids, can you send them to hang with the grandparents for the weekend? 

Then I will recommend spending your day off doing things in slow motion. Go on a walk, turn off your phone notifications, sit and drink coffee in one sitting. Prioritize rest.

2. Throw a Few Stacks of Paper Away

Is there a better feeling than a clear desk? A clear desk is a clear mind. Give yourself permission to recycle a few stacks of paper. Send them to paper heaven!

If you aren’t going to look at the assignment within 24 hours to grade it, or at least look at it to get an idea of your students’ mastery, then you are probably never going to. And that is ok! 

Note: District assessments or unit tests should not be tossed.

3. Plan your grading strategically

Here are a few tips to how to strategically plan grading:

• Avoid having a test the week grades are due. This leads to missing grades from students who are absent and not enough time to follow up with students who did not meet the standards. 
• Avoid testing on Fridays. Student absences seem to be the highest on Fridays.
• Provide accountability for assignments that are missing as the grading period goes on, rather than the week they are due. This means you are dealing with fewer assignments and fewer students. Can you take advantage of a study hall or homeroom to follow up with missing assignments?
• Utilize technology that grades for you.
• Can you reduce the number of assignments you are grading? Remember, you don’t have to grade more than required by your school. 

4.  Change Your Mindset Regarding Halloween

There is a 5 out of 7 chance that Halloween will fall on a school day. While Halloween can be distracting to students, embrace it!

How can you incorporate the fun and excitement of Halloween into your content? Remember to avoid teaching new content on Halloween or the day after. Use it as a review day or an activity day.

I know that lots of students love coloring, so I created a Halloween themed solve and color to keep kids on task but also still providing structure and a more relaxed environment.

5. Spend Some Time with Your Coworkers

Teaching can be lonely. You may go several days without any adult interaction. 

Your team and you are all in this together. Here are some easy ideas to implement to make October brighter for everyone on your team.

• Friday Happy Hours 
• Weekly lunches with your team. You don’t have to go anywhere; just pick a classroom and meet up.
• Write a few thank you notes to your coworkers. It doesn’t take long, but it can be meaningful to both the recipient and to you!
• Make some positive phone calls as a group to students who are often quiet and overlooked.

6. Maintain and Adjust Routines and Procedures

At this point, students are much more comfortable with you. They may be testing you, too.  This is the time to make any adjustments to the routines and procedures you taught in August. Address your expectations to your students. Get feedback from your students about what is working well, and what could use improvement. 

Remember that you do not need the energy for the rest of the school year right now. You just need enough energy for this one day.

Here is to a great October!

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Not setting enough boundaries is potentially one of the reasons that educators feel so burnt out early in their careers. I am going to share with you some ways we can put healthy boundaries in place so that we can thrive in our roles as educators, family members, and friends.

Why we need boundaries

As educators, I think we are prone to struggle with setting healthy teacher boundaries for two reasons:

• We are high achievers – we want to do our best and give our best to our students each and every day. We take a great sense of pride in the work that we do. This is a great thing!
• Teachers also tend to put others (in this case students) above their own needs. Selflessness and caring for others is so admirable and something to be respected. However, I think the unique combination of high achieving + selfless people + the demands of the profession can lead to burn out + resentment + stress really quickly. 

Professional boundaries provide longevity in our educational career and help teachers function at their best long term.

Choose Your Teacher Boundaries

So what teacher boundaries should you put into place? I can’t tell you what to do, but I can give you some examples for myself.  I think it is fair to say that boundaries are pretty nuanced based on your situation and your personal capacity.

Remember: what you allow is what will continue.

But how do we decide on what we will allow?

I first heard about the idea of juggling different balls in the air from a favorite food blogger of mine. She heard it from an author Nora Roberts, and upon further research, she may or may not be the original source. You can read the thread here.

First, imagine you are juggling… and some of the balls are plastic and some are glass. 

The glass balls are those most important parts of your life. For me, my relationship with my husband and our sons are glass balls. They cannot be dropped. They will shatter. There are even certain aspects of Maneuvering the Middle that are glass balls. Continuing to produce high-quality resources for teachers is a glass ball. As a teacher, showing up ready to teach was a glass ball. Personally, doing what I say I am going to do is a glass ball. 

Now some of the balls being juggled are plastic. They can drop and be picked back up again and again. In fact, you can drop a ball for a period of time and pick it back up when you have time for it. Realistically, most responsibilities fall in this camp.  Joe Mullican says, “Allowing ourselves to strategically drop the plastic balls gives us the space we need to truly invest in what is glass.” 

As a teacher this might look like certain aspects of your job. Here are a few potential plastic balls I brainstormed.

• Volunteering to plan a field trip
• Taking on an extracurricular
• Hosting students in your classroom during lunch
• Having a Pinterest classroom
• Updating your bulletin boards
• Grading everything your students complete

Life is a constant juggling act. You have to choose what to juggle and what to drop.

How to Set a Teacher Boundary

Now that we have thought about the different roles and responsibilities we have, we need to actually set a boundary that will help us in this juggling act.

First, identify what the boundary is. Here are some examples that I brainstormed as it relates to teaching:

• I will leave at ______ time each day.
• I will not bring work home on the weekends.
• I will only work between 2-4pm on Sundays.
• I will only grade _____ assignments each week.
• I will go to bed by _____.

Make your boundary meaningful by stating the WHY behind the boundary.  For example, “I will leave by 4:00pm so that when I pick up my kids I will have time to spend with them before bed.”

Next, we want to actually share this boundary with a friend, family member, or colleague. Maybe you can loop your colleague in on your boundary, and you can both work on it together.

Technology Boundaries

Lastly, we need boundaries with technology. The barrage of notifications and the immediate access we have to others and that others have to us makes it feel like we never left work.

Turn off your notifications on your email when you are at home. You do not need to respond to that email. In fact, the most productive thing you could do is batch your emails and respond to them when you have time during work hours. 

Your mental health is important! It is a glass ball! What teacher boundaries are you putting in place this school year?

The post Setting Teacher Boundaries appeared first on Maneuvering the Middle.

Professional development – let’s talk about it!  Since so many events have moved online, there really are quite a few opportunities available for teachers without the cost of traveling or hotels.

Why You Should Attend

One thing we know about summer is that we are in a completely different mindset than we are during the school year. When we are rejuvenated and well rested, our brains are more willing to learn and consider new ideas.  Teachers are the types of people who love to improve, optimize, and learn new techniques. Anything to help our students… and it is usually required.

Choose one or two focus areas. You could go to many different professional development sessions and not really implement anything new, simply because you are on information overload. Or, you can pick a focus area and use your energy to implement some of those ideas. 

Summer professional development isn’t all formal sessions in conference settings. There are also Facebook groups, online courses, and Youtube Channels with a wealth of knowledge.  

Facebook Groups

Facebook groups have many benefits to collaboration. When I taught, I was the only 6th grade math teacher, so I had to reach out online when I had a question specific to my grade level’s content. I find that the more specific my question is, the better answers I receive. I also learned so much just reading other teachers’ questions and answers. It’s where I learned about Blooket and Go Formative! If you aren’t in a Facebook group and you teach middle school math, take a second and go join our Facebook group. 

Speaking of which, this summer in our Maneuvering the Middle VIP Facebook group, we have a professional learning series planned for the summer using Facebook Live. Each week, we will share on a different topic that you can join in on the conversation. You can participate live by grabbing a cup of coffee and chatting along, or you can watch later when it’s convenient for your schedule. Mark your calendars for our summer learning series beginning in June.  

The YouCubed Facebook group hosted by Jo Boaler provides out of the box ideas for developing a mathematical mindset. 

I love the conversations in both of these groups because they are encouraging, uplifting, and helpful to better your craft as a math teacher.

There are also groups to help troubleshoot specific software like Nearpod, Flipgrid, or Canvas.  You will be surprised by all the assistance you can receive from strangers on the internet. 

When you find a useful post, click the 3 little dots, then click on “save post,” so you can access it quickly at a later date. 

Online Professional Development

Online courses and workshops are another option to try.  Our team will be participating in these three:

• How to Learn Math for Teachers by Jo Boaler
• Mathematical Mindsets by Jo Boaler
• Pam Harris’s Workshops – She has several topics that relate to middle school math. Her adding fractions workshop changed my teaching!

CAMT (Conference for the Advancement of Mathematic Teaching) is usually held in Texas each summer. This year they are hosting it virtually and it is great for the wide variety of topics presented. You can probably find a handful of sessions that meet your specific needs. There are literally hundreds!

YouTube Channels

Mix and Math – Brittany shared her expertise on fractions and divisions on this post. Her Youtube channel has ideas for upper elementary math, but many of her ideas are transferable to middle school. 

Shake Up Learning – Kasey is a technology, specifically Google, expert. If you have a question about Google, she has an answer.

Books

I actually love books about teaching because you can easily reference them, and they often provide visual examples. You can find my favorite below: 

About Teaching Mathematics  |  Mathematical Mindsets | Building Numerical Fluency | 5 Practices for Orchestrating Mathematics Discussions | Building Thinking Classrooms in Mathematics

What are you doing this summer to strengthen your teaching muscles?

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It is almost summer! Can you hear the angels singing? Summers are exactly what a teacher needs to refresh their minds and to fill their tank back up. 

Here are some things you should definitely do this summer as a teacher, as well as things you should definitely not do. 

DO: Reflect and audit for next year

DON’T: Stress about next year

You survived the year that will go down in history as the most challenging time to be an educator. You likely taught remotely, at some point you likely taught students in person, you may have taught both students remotely and students in person…at the same time. You lived in the uncertainty of being sent home at a moment’s notice. 

It is 100% normal to feel anxious about next year. 

You likely have had thoughts or concerns about what next year will look like. 

Take a moment to reflect on the year preferably in the first days of summer while everything is still fresh. I like to use the framework of “keep doing, stop doing, start doing” as a form of reflection. 

• It might be … you want to keep using your LMS as a way of organizing your content.
• You want to stop hunting down missing work.
• And you want to start using The Grid Method.

You don’t have to do anything immediately, but it is good to reflect on and make a plan to fix some of the things that bothered you throughout the year, so you aren’t stressing about the impending challenges that await you in August.

DO: batch your productivity

DON’T: FEEL BAD FOR “WASTING” A DAY

If you are a teacher, you most likely have never had a doctor’s appointment during the school day. There just isn’t an easy way to make that happen. I called these types of appointments summer chores – things like doctor appointments, dentist appointments, eye appointments, car maintenance or repair, your children’s appointments, a hair appointment, and renewing a license in person. 

These are all things that must be done, but they are so time consuming to do within working school hours and it really can be challenging to take part of a day for a regular appointment. Enter: teacher summer homework.

Now, my super tip here is to actually batch these! Just like you may mark out a week on the calendar to go on vacation. Mark a week on your calendar and try to squeeze as many appointments into that week. You will want to give yourself some margin since things like these go long. You will feel so accomplished at the end of that week, and it leaves so much more time for rest. 

Now that you have batched some adult responsibilities, it is time to rest. Don’t feel like you are wasting your time if you want to read a book in one sitting (I almost did that with The Invisible Life of Addie Larue — so good!) or binge watch The Crown.

I think as teachers we are used to making the most of every single minute in the classroom. This is a good thing, but it is also good to give yourself the freedom to rest.

Do: Think through some of your lessons

Don’t: Spend the entire summer focused on your classroom decor

I have spent hundreds of hours decorating my classroom – shopping the Target dollar spot or scrolling Pinterest and Instagram for ideas.  I want the space that I spend a majority of my day in to feel inviting, organized, and visually appealing. If you aren’t careful, you can head back to school with your classroom decor ready to go and have not thought through anything else. 

One summer, I revised my unit on rational numbers. It was a tough unit for my students, it was at the beginning of the year, and I knew that my future self would be grateful that I was able to leisurely rework that unit. It paid off! It made August and September feel less stressful, and I was able to get ahead of my lessons. Teachers getting ahead of their lessons in the summer is a very ambitious goal, but it can make a huge different during the school year.

Do: schedule time to treat yourself!

Do you love going to lunch with a group of friends? Do you find getting a pedicure a great treat? Maybe you want to take time to visit some family you haven’t seen in a while.

Be sure to treat yourself to something that you enjoy! Make this the best teacher summer yet!

How are you spending your summer?

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I was thinking about how I normally would end the school year. Our grade level participated in an end of year field trip after STAAR, my students would pie my face based on a test prep incentive they were only TOO happy to participate in, and then we would spend some time signing yearbooks and taking pictures.

It kills me that teachers and students will not get to experience that kind of closure this year, and while the end of the year will be different, it doesn’t mean we can’t try something fun! So here are 5 ideas I had for how to end the school year remotely.

5 WAYS TO END THE SCHOOL YEAR REMOTELY

1. Create a Digital Yearbook

Students could drop in their pictures from the year into a Google Slides digital yearbook. Then everyone saves a copy and shares their yearbook digitally for signatures and notes from classmates and teachers

And I have found an amazing resource for a yearbook using Google Slides. Check out Slides Year Book for several yearbook templates! 

I was also recommended Padlet to create a collaborative yearbook. It integrates with Google, so students wouldn’t need to create another login and you can monitor what students are adding to the “yearbook.”

2. Digital Time Capsule

I saw this idea from Be Spoke Classroom. You can have your students design a Google Slide as a Google Classroom Assignment. Have them answer questions about who they are now, add pictures from the year, and the list goes on. Collect the assignment and set a reminder on your calendar for 2-3 years from now. Email your students (most school email addresses stay the same as long as they stay in the same district) in a few years with all the Google Slides from the class.

3. Host a Shout Out on Zoom

(Kind of like a toast but school appropriate)

Invite students to a special shout out and tell them to bring their favorite treat. Take turns shouting out each student! Bonus points if students also bring kazoos, bells, or air horns (just kidding).

4. Kahoot

Create a Kahoot that captures pop culture or personal fun facts from your 2019 – 2020 school year OR better yet, have students submit questions for the game.. Winner gets a prize! (You could also sprinkle in some math problems)

Fun idea: Have students submit their baby pictures to guess who is who in a Kahoot game! 

5. What Teachers Are Already Doing

From our Facebook Group, “We had a final GoogleMeet with our whole pod of students and did a Kahoot of “guess which teacher…” and each question was something funny about a teacher … and they loved it…”

“We are having an end of year google meets celebration! We made a video of pictures from the year to play, are giving digital superlatives (voted on by students), some teacher elearning awards, and goodbye end of videos from the teachers. The students decorated digital scrapbook slides that we’re compiling to share with all students.”

“I’m mailing home certificates for various awards. They will keep the envelope sealed until our last Google meet, then open them when announced and we will applaud each other.”

“I’m having students complete a Word Cloud to describe what they learned in class this year.”

What ideas do you have for ending this school year?

Still working on teaching math? Check out our digital activities here.

The post WAYS TO END THE SCHOOL YEAR REMOTELY appeared first on Maneuvering the Middle.

@makeshift.macaroni##ukulele ##uke ##originalsong ##teachersoftiktok ##tiktokteacher ##smallgestures

♬ original sound – makeshift.macaroni

If you don’t click through to watch the video, (I highly recommend it!) it is a teacher strumming her guitar in peace. Then she screams… a lot! You really have to watch to get the full comedic effect. 

We asked our Facebook Group and other teachers their best practices for remote teaching, and we compiled and shared our favorites below. Here are some remote teaching tips for teachers.

5 TIPS FOR REMOTE TEACHING

Note: We understand that many teachers do not have the autonomy to do what they think is best for remote learning due to district or administration requirements. This list is intended to give you ideas from other teachers who are having success.

1. Create a FAQs Page on Your Class Website

This brilliant remote teaching tip was shared by Kelly. Are you getting tired of responding to the same questions about log in, passwords, and when assignments are posted or due? Only you know what logistical questions are taking away from your instructional or planning time. Create a FAQs page or slide that you can link or email when you are being asked the same question for the eighteenth time. Other ideas for your FAQs page include how to access assignments, office hour times, where to take notes, when grades are updated, late work policy etc.

2. Be Consistent 

Many teachers commented that since students are receiving so many instructions from multiple teachers, it would be best for students and teachers to create standard procedures (perhaps even across schools or grade levels) by adapting consistency in the following ways:

• Post assignments in the same place – Even if you are linking to Desmos or some other assignment, always post assignments to the same place — this could be a LMS or Google Classroom. 
• Post assignments at the same time each day – Since scheduling assignments is a feature most LMS have, it would be best to take advantage. Decide either that your assignments for the entire week will be posted every Monday at 8 am or that your assignments for the day will be posted everyday at 8 am.  This helps students and parents plan for their week. One parent told me that her student’s teacher post assignments on Sundays to help working parents plan for their week.
• Keep a consistent due date – If you are grading assignments, choose a day of the week and time that everything is due.
• One subject per day – My former school has dedicated one day of the week to each subject. Monday is reading. Tuesday is math. Wednesday is history. Thursday is science. Friday is for electives. Each teacher provides about 1-2 hours worth of either assignments, office hours, or live/recorded teaching for students.

3. Assign a Manageable Amount of Work

Many teachers shared that lowering your expectations for the amount of work students complete daily is acceptable and encouraged. As adults, my husband and I are getting much less done in our work day, and we have our own computers and rooms to work in with closed doors.  Many of our students with working parents are now responsible for younger siblings or are sharing devices or coping with the drastic changes to their lives. And they are students! I would say about half of my students needed pretty heavy encouragement and reminders to stay on task and complete their work when I was standing next to them, so adjust your expectations if you haven’t already to prevent frustration. Calling a student to kindly check in with them during this time would probably also encourage work completion.

4. Hold Office Hours

This remote teaching tip came up with teachers and parents I spoke electronically with. Even if just 1 or 2 students show up, that means your office hours were purposeful.  Record or find a video lesson for students to watch on their own time with some questions (Edpuzzle is perfect for this!) and then hold office hours (at the same time everyday) so students can ask questions and check their work. It’s like a small group! 

5. School Culture Still Matters

If you aren’t drowning, and you want to engage your students outside of math content, then encourage students to participate in picture taking challenges. Maybe if they participate, they receive bonus points or get an assignment/homework pass. Ideas include: taking a picture of yourself doing the following activities:

• Putting away laundry
• Playing a game with their family
• Going on a walk outside
• Riding their bike
• Completing an art project
• Cooking a meal
• Something that made them laugh
• Supporting a local business

What is working for you? What is not working? What are some remote teaching tips that you would add to this list? If you need any more help with remote learning, please check out our free resources here.

The post 5 Tips for Remote Teaching appeared first on Maneuvering the Middle.

1. Change Your Teacher Mindset

Growth mindset as an educational buzzword peaked right around the time I started teaching algebra. I am so glad it did because it changed my own mindset as a teacher! (see this article to read more about growth mindset.) Without understanding that effort was more important than ability in math, I could have inadvertently communicated to students that they had limited potential due to their previous failing.

As the leaders of our classroom, it is important that we reflect on our words and actions. We should be asking ourselves, “Do I believe that every student can be successful in math and do I model that belief to my students?” If we want our students to believe they can solve math problems, we have to model that belief for them, which leads me to these next two points.

2. Emphasize the Importance of Mistakes

Ms. Gertson, a fellow algebra teacher, had a poster that said, “YAY MISTAKES!” on her wall. This was a statement that she said everyday. She sang it when she made a mistake and when students made mistakes. She celebrated mistakes! Why? Mistakes give everyone an opportunity to learn — not only the one who makes the mistake, but anyone observing as well! 

A study published in Psychological Science says, “Making mistakes allows us the opportunity to pay more attention and incorporate new information that will likely improve our learning and performance.” 

Have you ever had a student freeze on an assignment or turn in a blank assignment because they feared making mistakes? Communicate to your students that mistakes are not the enemy of math but rather the vehicle for learning math.

3. Value the Process over the Answer

I had to (and still have to) rewire my brain to desire critical process thinking over just the final answer. Here are some ways to do this:

• Error analysis – “Error analysis leads students to enact two Standards of Mathematical Practice, namely, (a) make sense of problems and persevere in solving them and (b) attend to precision,” according to the National Governors Association Center for Best Practices & Council of Chief State School Officers.
• Ask the problem before teaching the method to solve. Even if students arrive at an incorrect answer, you have provided an opportunity to be creative and think for themselves. 
• Teach Using Think Alouds – When you do move to modeling a process, narrate your thinking process using several methods for solving. Draw a picture, show patterns, and ask for other ways of solving. 
• Ask probing questions that require students to explain, clarify, or elaborate on their thinking.

One year, our campus read a book called Quality Questioning.  We spent the entire year focusing on the level and frequency of the questions that we asked in class.  We observed other teachers asking questions and then made it a goal to teach our students to be quality questioners.  It really impacted the way that I taught in a few ways:

1. I focused on my wait time.  When I asked a question, I didn’t immediately acknowledge if the answer was correct or not.  I aimed to hear from 3-4 students before we actually discussed whether the response was a solution to the question.
2. I taught students to ask questions.  Typically, we can get in the rut of teaching something new and then asking students what questions they have.  The book suggests flipping the script and having students explore and ask questions up front. It requires students to think more deeply about the content and make connections independently.  

UPDATE: ALGEBRA I DIGITAL ACTIVITIES ARE NOW AVAILABLE!

If you want to read more about growth mindset, I wrote a post about how I cultivate a growth mindset in middle school math here. What are some ways you cultivate a growth mindset in Algebra 1?

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Remote Learning Technology and Tools

Recording Your Screen

Tool: LOOM

Cost: Free for Teachers  |  Video Tutorial

Tool: SCREENCAST-O-MATIC

Cost: Free for videos less than or equal to 15 minutes long  |  Video Tutorial

Tool: SCREENCASTIFY | Google Extension

Cost: Free  |  Sign Up for Webinar to Learn How to Use Here

Tool: ED PUZZLE

Cost: Free | Works with Google Classroom | Ed Puzzle allows you to record or pull educational videos from a video bank (including Khan Academy) and tracks your students progress.

Annotating and Screen Recording Simultaneously 

Tool: Educreations – iPhone or iPad

Interactive whiteboard and screencast recorder  |  Cost: Free for basic plan | $8.25 per month for more features

Tool: Doceri – iPad or Desktop

Interactive whiteboard and screencast recorder  |  Cost: Free for 30 Days

For Recording Using Your Desktop

Drawing or Annotating PDFs, Google Slides, or PowerPoints

Tool: Good Notes for iPhone or iPad

Cost: $7.99 (one time fee)

Tool: Notability for iPhone or iPad

Cost: $8.99 (one time fee)

Tool: Airsketch for iPad

Cost: $24.99 (one time fee)  This tool does allow you to sync to your laptop, so it might be useful when you return to your classroom allowing you to be mobile as you teach and write. .

Tool: Lumin PDF for Desktop

Cost: Free for 14 days | $5 a month

Tool: Stylus

Cost: $12.97

Tool: iPaD

Cost: $399.99

Tool: APPLE PENCIL

Cost: $124.99

Tool: xPEN BOARD AND PENCIL (iPAD ALTERNATIVE)

Cost: $59.99

Tool: WACOM BOARD (iPAD ALTERNATIVE)

Cost: $69.95

For Recording using an iPad

For Live Video

Tool: Zoom

Video Conferencing App  |  Cost: Free

Tool: FLIPGRID

Allows you and your students to record short videos and post for all to see. This tool would be perfect to get students reasoning or for a class discussion. | Cost: Free

For Assignments and Grading

Tool: Google Forms

Self-grading and easy to use with Google Classroom

We also have already made some for you to use for free. You can find them here.

Tool: Quizizz

Most teachers in our Facebook group agree that Quizizz was an easy way for students to complete assessments. 

GAME-BASED

TOOL: KAHOOT

Cost: Free |  Interactive Review Game. Teachers say students can play individually.

TOOL: QUIZLET

Cost: Free  |  Great for making online flashcards. Kids can share decks with one another and can create them based off of review sheets. 

Tool: GimKit

Game centered review. Check out the post we wrote here.

For Uploading Videos to Google Classroom

LEARNING MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS + DESMOS

Here are some LMS you might want to check out while you have some extra planning time on your hands.

Tool: Schoology

We wrote a post about it here.

Tool: Pear Deck

Find out more here.

TOOL: Nearpod

This post will tell you more.

Tool: Canvas

Read about this tech tool here.

Tool: Desmos

We rounded up our favorite Algebra 1 activities and middle school activities here.

TOOL: Go Formative

Read about this tech tool here or watch how a teacher uses it here.

TOOL: EdPuzzle

Read about this tech tool here or watch how a teacher uses it here.

There it is! Every remote learning technology tool you could possibly need, but we will keep updating it as we learn more. Which are your favorites?

If you need some remote learning lessons, you can find them by topic here. If you are interested in shopping for a grade level bundle, click here.

SHOP DIGITAL ACTIVITIES BY GRADE LEVEL BUNDLE

The post Remote Learning Technology and Websites appeared first on Maneuvering the Middle.

We want to support you as you plan to teach in the midst of schools being closed.  We thought about what we could provide that would not only meet your needs, but be helpful to students learning at home and practical for this situation. 

Remote Learning Lesson Ideas

We landed on Remote Learning Lessons covering Equations. These will include short videos and Google Forms that you can assign to your students via your LMS. (If you currently don’t use a learning management system, you can still use these lessons! See video below on some ways to teach remotely.)

Please know that these resources will be FREE to you.  Click here to access the video lessons.

Here is what you need to know about the remote learning lessons.

The lessons cover:

• One-Step Equations (with integers) – complete
• One-Step Equations (with rational numbers) – complete
• Two-Step Equations (with integers) – complete
• Two-Step Equations (with rational numbers) – complete
• Equations with the Distributive Property – complete
• Multi-Step Equations (with integers) – complete
• Multi-Step Equations (with rational numbers) – complete
• Volume of Rectangular Prisms – complete
• Volume of Triangular Prisms – complete
• Volume of Pyramids – complete
• Volume of Cylinders – complete
• Volume of Cones – complete
• Volume of Spheres – complete

The Lesson Plan

• 5-8 teacher-led examples via video
• 5 Practice problems on Google Forms self-grading exit ticket

This is uncharted territory for all of us, but we know that just because we can’t open our classroom doors doesn’t mean that our students have to stop learning.  

Click here to access the free remote math lessons.

These lessons are being built from the ground up, so they will not be live all at once, but we do plan to have resources available for you beginning Monday, March 16. 

We have also compiled some resources that will benefit your students during this time. The video below can show you how to take the Maneuvering the Middle student handouts (or any PDF) and use them for online learning.

Recording Videos of Existing MTM Resources (DESKTOP)

Recording Videos of Existing MTM Resources (IPAD)

Helpful Links from Video – 

• Loom: Allows you to record your computer screen | Free educator account
• Lumin: Allows you to manipulate PDFs from your browser – add shapes, comments, color coding, etc. | Free for 14 days | $5 a month after that
• Zoom: Video conferencing | Free for schools impacted by the Coronavirus.
• Kami: Allows students to annotate a PDF | Free

LOOKING FOR ADDITIONAL DIGITAL PRACTICE?

If you need any other digital materials for your students, check out the Google activities section of our shop where you can shop according to skill or topic.  This post explains how you can use the digital activities in more detail though you may have to adjust for remote learning.

SHOP DIGITAL ACTIVITIES BY GRADE LEVEL BUNDLE

P.S. — Join our Facebook Group to get the latest updates and share ideas with fellow math teachers.

The post Free Remote Learning Math Lessons appeared first on Maneuvering the Middle.

BOOK TO READ THIS HOLIDAY BREAK

1. Educated – Read in September

Memoir

The author, Tara Westover, doesn’t set foot into a classroom until she is 17 years old.  Born to survivalist parents, she spent her childhood preparing for the end of the world. Despite the years of abuse at the hands of her brother, she educated herself and earned degrees from Brigham Young University, Harvard, and Cambridge.

2. The Song of Achilles – Read in August

Fiction

If you have any interest in Greek Mythology, then I highly recommend Madeline Miller’s adaptation of The Iliad.  I was enraptured by Miller’s Circe last year, and this novel is just as much of a page-turner. 

3. Atomic Habits – Want to Read

Nonfiction 

James Clear, one of the world’s leading experts on habit formations, reveals practical strategies that will teach you exactly how to form good habits, break bad ones, and master the tiny behaviors that lead to remarkable results.  This book will (hopefully) usher in a more disciplined decade for me.

4. A Madness of Sunshine – Want to Read

Mystery/Thriller  

A woman vanishes from a close-knit community in New Zealand.  Is her disappearance related to the hikers who went missing years ago?  It has an average of 4.14/5 stars on GoodReads, so onto my book list it goes.

5. Homegoing – Want to Read

Historical Fiction 

This novel follows the lives of two half sisters, Esi and Effia, and their descendants.  One thread follows Effia’s descendents through centuries of warfare in Ghana, while the other thread follows Esi’s bondage as she is sold into slavery and shipped to America. 

What do you plan on reading during your break?  My school used to do an Accelerated Reader competition after all the long breaks.  The grade level team with the most words read would enjoy lunch from Torchy’s Tacos or another Austin restaurant. It was a great idea, although fifth grade always won!  Does your school promote teacher reading?

Want more reading resources?

https://www.whatshouldireadnext.com/  – Enter a book you enjoyed, and the website will populate books that you should read based on that selection.

What Should I Read Next Podcast – I do not know if this podcast is affiliated with the website previously mentioned, but it does have a similar premise.  Each week, Anne Bogal interviews people to find out what books they liked, what books they hated, and then she uses that information to do some literary matchmaking. 

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Note: This post will be about my specific experience with teacher student loan forgiveness.  I am not an expert, as you will see by all the mistakes I made applying. Hopefully, you will learn from what I did wrong and learn from what I did right. Also, when I was applying for loan forgiveness, all the information I read felt vague and confusing. I am hoping to shed some light by sharing my experience. You can find more resources for debt pay off at the end of the post.

MY TEACHER STUDENT LOAN FORGIVENESS STORY

Here is what I qualified for according to studentaid.ed.gov – 

Under the Teacher Loan Forgiveness Program, if you teach full-time for five complete and consecutive academic years in a low-income school or educational service agency, and meet other qualifications, you may be eligible for forgiveness of up to $17,500 on your Direct Subsidized and Unsubsidized Loans and your Subsidized and Unsubsidized Federal Stafford Loans.

This blog post details what loan forgiveness options are available for teachers since there are a variety of forgiveness programs.

You can click here to see if your school qualifies as low income.  Long story short, after seven years of teaching math, I did receive $17,500 in loan forgiveness. (It took seven years because during my second year of teaching, we relocated, and I was without a teaching job for a few months, so I had to start my five years over.) 

APPLYING FOR LOAN FORGIVENESS

First off, apply after you have finished your five years.  It is up to you, based on the type of loans you have and your loan balance, to still make payments during those five years.  Depending on your loan servicer, you can also defer them. Interest will still accrue during this time, which WILL add up! I continued to pay the minimum balance during the seven years.  However, I looked up how much I paid in interest alone during those seven years, and it made me feel sick. If you can pay off your student loans faster without the help of federal aid, then I would recommend that! 

You can find the application here.  Read this form carefully!  I made three silly errors. 

MY FIRST APPLICATION: DENIED

My first application was rejected for three reasons:

1. The application form had expired. The top right corner of the application has an expiration date.  I was unaware of this. I had printed my application off months ahead of time when I was doing the research.  Thoughtless, I know. Please learn from my lack of observation. 

2. My assistant principal signature was premature.  Your principal, assistant principal, superintendent, or human resources manager will be the one to sign off that you did indeed work at your school in your position for five years. My five years was spread out among two schools – one in California and one in Texas. I worked in California from 2014-2015 and in Texas from 2015-2019.   Because I thought it would take longer to get the signature of the principal that worked in California, I contacted her five months prior to completing my fifth consecutive year. She signed it and sent it back over promptly. Nope! Not allowed! I couldn’t find an explanation for this on the application, so I am just going to recommend that you get all signatures after you have completed your five years. 

3. My application was missing my principal’s title.  My principal did not include the word “principal” next to her name.  The form is not as user-friendly as you would hope, so if someone else is responsible for filling something out for you, you have to double and triple check.  They even have a specific format for how they want items dated: mm-dd-yyyy. Getting denied and reapplying ate up about three months, so proof for any errors on the front end.  Asking your principal to fill out a part of an application for you might feel like you are wasting her or his time, but my suggestion is to sit down and do it with them. Have things like your work start date and school address ready to go. 

ASK QUESTIONS

This is something I would recommend doing whether you are in your first year of teaching or in your fifth year of teaching – call your student loan servicer.  They will be able to tell you whether you qualify or not. They can look at your type of loans and make sure they are eligible for forgiveness. This will give you peace of mind.

I actually figured out I was rejected the first time because I was calling to get an update.  The people I talked to at Nelnet were super helpful and walked me through my errors and sent me a new application.  

 THE PROCESS

After I had completed my fifth consecutive year, I filled out the application and mailed it to my student loan service provider.  There was a specific address to send teacher loan forgiveness applications.  Before I sent it, I made myself a copy just to be safe. It took around four weeks for it to be approved by the student loan servicer.  I think I called every week to check on it. Once it was approved, they request funds from the Department of Education. This takes months!  AND, in my experience, it does not hit in one lump sum.  

Since I was checking my student loan account so frequently, I noticed that I had received a payment of around $15,000.  I was ecstatic, but I was also disappointed. I thought I would receive $17,500. I called my student loan servicer to inquire whether I should expect more or if I should pay off the balance myself.  The gentlemen I spoke to told me to wait another month to see if any more money was distributed. A few weeks later, I received the rest of the money. I’m glad I waited! 

To summarize just how long this process took, I applied for a second time in late July, and I received my forgiveness in mid-October. Not a quick process by any means, but it was worth the wait.

Have you received teacher loan forgiveness?  What was your experience? Are you applying soon?  Let me know if you have any questions in the comments.

Resources for Debt Payoff:

Debt Payoff Tracker (pictured) – These were a super motivating tool for my husband and I when we paid off his loans too.

The Total Money Makeover – If you want to get intense about your financial future, but you aren’t sure where to start, then read this book. It walks you through Dave Ramsey’s Baby Steps to financial success.  I also highly recommend listening to his podcast.

EveryDollar Budgeting App – This app made all of the difference in actual budgeting.

If you happened upon this blog post because you were looking for Financial Literacy resources for your middle school classroom, then you are in luck!

If you are interested, here is our debt free story.  This year my husband, Taylor, and I decided that we were going to pay off every single dollar that we owed — student loans for both of our educations (I had more than just the $17,500 forgiven) and a little consumer debt.  We paid off $32,000!  We began to budget routinely, we delayed gratification on many things that we hoped to repair in our fixer upper home, and we set a common goal together. Paying off all our debt was freeing! Now that we are debt free, we are amazed at how much money is no longer going to the minimum balances for our debt.  We can save for our future, and not stress when an emergency comes up!

The post My Teacher Student Loan Forgiveness Story appeared first on Maneuvering the Middle.

22 MUST-HAVE GIFTS for 2020

Under $20

1. Cook Once Eat All Week Cookbook

This cookbook has been such a hit in my house!  We have meal planned four weeks in a row and enjoyed each of the recipes!  They are all gluten-free and relatively easy to prep.  Just set aside 1-2 hours on Sunday and then whip every meal together in a few minutes on a weeknight.  

2. Bento Lunch Box 

This lunchbox has some compartments and is microwave and freezer safe. It’s also pretty thin, so it wouldn’t be cumbersome to carry.

3. Tile 

I have lost my keys about 100 times, and this has saved me! I already have one, but this makes for a great present.

4. Nail Polish 

A pretty winter color! Perfect for a stocking stuffer!

5. Rack for Coats 

Our current “mudroom” space really needs some hooks. I like that these have a minimalist look, but they’re also really stylish.

6. Rotating Marble Desk Caddy 

This would be perfect for the space by a document camera. You could put your projector remote, your timer, and extra pens in here. I also like that it looks a little more grown up.

7. Planner 

New year! New planner! I like that this one has a stretchy band to keep all the sticky notes contained.

8. Water Bottle 

Anytime I mention not feeling well, my husband asks if I have drank any water that day. Whoops! I need to drink more water.  You could also go with the ever-popular HydroFlask in so many fun colors! 

9. Educated by Tara Westover 

I read this book last month, and I found it fascinating. I love a good memoir!

10. Reusable Produce Bags 

I have been eyeing these for a while. I mostly made the switch with plastic baggies at home, but I think it is time to start using these for produce. Has anyone read Zero Waste Home? I read it a few years ago, and it has changed my views on consumption and recycling.

11. Junk Drawer Organizer

Noelle bought this organization book for me for my birthday, and I was so inspired that I organized my junk drawer. Now I need to organize my bathroom drawers!

12. Marie Kondo Book

Most people have read The Magical Art of Tidying Up or watched the Netflix series by now, but if you haven’t, it’s a quick read that will get you ready to purge and start clean in 2020.

13. Rose Hip Oil 

Anyone else unsure of what to do to take care of their skin? Just me? I read that this is a natural and healthy way to take care of your face. Taking better care of myself is definitely one of my goals for this year.

14. Blue Light Blocking Glasses 

I sent these to my husband already because my eyes are really starting to resent all the computer and screen time they endure. I also like that I can try something super trendy because they are so cheap!

15. Slippers 

I am due for a new pair since I wear mine outside so often. 

Under $100

16. Leggings 

My friend Mary says these are the best. I love leggings, but I cannot justify some of the outrageous costs out there. These seem perfect!

17. Fitbit

I owned a Fitbit a few years ago, and it was run over in a parking lot. I didn’t realize that the price for Fitbits have come down so much since then. It’s only $35 now!

18. Cute Pajamas 

It feels so luxurious to sleep in pajamas that match on top and bottom. I have not experienced such a luxury, but these are cute and look so soft.

19. Striped Cardigan

This looks like it could be from Madewell but for way cheap! I love stripes, and the length is nice for leggings. I guess I plan on being pretty cozy in 2020.

20. Tennis Shoes 

Being healthy requires more exercise, I think. Therefore, new tennis shoes.

21. Cordless Vacuum 

Everyone I know loves their Roomba, but since I would rather buy a less expensive vacuum and pocket the difference, this is my go to choice.

22. Weighted Blanket 

Many bloggers I follow are obsessed with their weighted blanket because it helps them sleep better. I would love to give this a try!

What’s on your wishlist this year? You can see previous gift guides here: 2017  |  2018  |  Gifts for Techy Teachers

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During CAMT, we met so many teachers who shared creative ways they use our activities (ways we had never thought of), and it really made us think that teachers who use the curriculum each and every day are truly the experts in how to execute the daily lessons.  Often we get asked questions, and we do our best to answer, but what’s better: one answer or several answers? 

Benefits of Online Teacher Collaboration

More Teachers = More Student Achievement

I love this quote by Lauren Davis: “The beauty of collaboration is not only the ability to tap into various perspectives and ideas, but also to share responsibility for our students’ learning. The more people invested in a student’s education, the better the chance that student has to be successful.” 

Even the largest schools are limited in the number of teachers who can collaborate together. My school consisted of one math teacher per grade level, 2-3 special education teachers, and a math assistant principal. If I wanted input on how to approach a skill or a concept specific to 6th grade, there were always people willing to help, but they were not always able to provide the expertise I needed. 

However, when a teacher posts a specific question in a Facebook group, they could receive answers from multiple teachers with varying levels of expertise and perspectives. Not only that, but unlike just Googling for ideas, asking a question in a Facebook group allows the questioner to give the context and specifics so that teachers responding can be as helpful as possible in tailoring their response to meet the questioner’s needs. 

In our Facebook group, we have many teachers who have taught for more than 20 years and a few who have taught for more than 30 years.  All of this teaching expertise in one space can impact students all over the world. Technology allows teachers from Texas to learn from and implement practices that teachers from Ohio suggest.  

A Positive Community

We have teachers who reach out to us to say that they are grateful for this online community because they don’t have any positive community at school, which is great to hear but is also a real bummer.  We wish all schools had happy teachers that worked well together (for the sake of other teachers and students), but that is not the world we live in. If you do have this at your school, that is so great!  Please share what makes your school a great place to work. But if this does not sound like your school, then you can receive encouragement in our Facebook group.  

Each week, we post our wins and cheer for other teachers’ wins!  If no one has told you that you are doing a great job at your school, we will!  

Personally, I used to get so discouraged year after year trying new things with my students only to see my students’ mastery in certain skills stay stagnant. 

I would get so discouraged wondering why my students were not following directions. 

I would think, “I’ve been doing this for seven years; why am I not better at this by now!?”

When I read the posts from teachers all over the country who were asking for help for the very same things, it would remind me that TEACHING IS HARD, and I am not giving myself enough credit.  

Share Ideas

Like I said earlier, our Facebook group has only been around for a little over a month, and in that short time, I have read SO MANY GREAT IDEAS that I would have never thought of.  Teacher collaboration at its finest. I am going to just drop some of them right here:

In response to how they teach decimal operations:

In response to how to teach Pythagorean’s Theorem:

On how to stay organized with the curriculum:

On their wins for the week:

We would love for you to join our Facebook group – Maneuvering the Middle VIPS. Remember to answer all the questions and agree to the rules so that you can get in.  What groups have helped you in your teaching experience?

The post Benefits to Online Teacher Collaboration appeared first on Maneuvering the Middle.

I also recommend checking out my post about setting up your substitute for success.

Returning from maternity leave as a teacher

Gather Information

If you can swing it, try to set up some time to talk with other moms at your school who took teacher maternity leave and returned.  If you can’t make it happen before you leave, then talk to them when you return. Ask questions like: How supportive was administration? What challenges did you face?

In addition, talk to your administration about how they transition teachers back in.  Looking back, I spent all of my time before my maternity leave discussing what would happen during my leave.  We never talked about my return.

Will you be expected to teach solo for the whole day your first day back?

Or can your maternity sub support for a few days?

One of the benefits to advocating to my principal in the beginning of this school year was that she hadn’t given much thought about how challenging returning to work as a new mom can be, and they were able to plan the transition better for the two other staff members who had babies after me.  If you plan on breastfeeding or pumping, you will also need to discuss getting coverage and having a space to pump. (Is anyone interested in learning more about pumping at school?)

Practice Everything

If you are returning to work, you have some kind of childcare planned.  My husband had paternity leave that he was able to take when I returned, which made the transition much easier. However, my daughter did eventually go to daycare.  Before her first day of daycare, I went ahead and gathered everything she would need (extra outfits, sheets, and diapers) and dropped it off ahead of her first day hoping that would make the first day of drop-off a little easier.  

What I wish I would have done is practiced dropping her off during my or my husband’s leave.  The first day I dropped her off at daycare, my husband and I had a full day of work ahead of us.  I didn’t realize just how emotional it would be. Then, I had to go teach, despite how worried I felt.  

I learned later that many moms do a trial run of dropping off their child while on leave, so their child can adjust to a few hours with new people and not a whole day.  Then, mom could go run some errands (or cry in the car).

As sad as I was, nothing could prepare me for my daughter’s smile when she saw me at the end of the day. It’s not all bad, I promise!  If you plan on pumping, then do a practice run at home, so you can see how long it will take you to assemble your parts, pump, and clean up.  That information will be needed in order to plan for coverage. And while I am on the topic of pumping, I am so glad that I purchased a small refrigerator for my classroom to keep expressed milk.

Plan to Not Get Everything Done (and Be OK with it)

I am pretty confident that there is no such thing as “getting everything done” in teaching; however, I think most teachers (including myself) push themselves and their lessons to be more amazing with each subsequent year.

When I returned from leave, I was still feeding my daughter at around 3 AM, so I did not have the energy to revitalize my lessons from the previous year. I had to be OK with that. I had to be more strategic with what I got done during a work day because I was not bringing work home. When I did, it didn’t get done. If it didn’t have to get done for the next day, then I would let it pass.  

In addition, I knew that with a baby to drop off at daycare, my mornings were no longer a time to accomplish anything either.  Since I had less time, I had to give myself permission to do less work. (Which is still a challenge for me.)

My coworker told me “Teachers who become parents are the most efficient people I know.” (This was right after I apologized for sending her lesson materials late. :))  It was very humbling to see how people offered to take things off of my plate or to allow me extra time to accomplish tasks.

If this doesn’t happen for you, ask for help and learn to say no. “No, I cannot take up an extracurricular this year.” “No, I cannot sacrifice my planning period for this parent meeting.” “Could I have an extra day to submit grades?”  Sometimes I feel like I am not doing enough as a teacher, and then I remember, I am also a mom! Moms who teach are taking care of their child and 100+ others! With help, I can be a great teacher and a great mom! I cannot do both without help, and that is OK.  

Other Tips

• Prioritize planning and making copies/materials for an emergency substitute lesson (or two).  Make sure it is a lesson that can be executed at any part of the school year. You will be amazed just how random it is your child will get sick and require you to stay home.  It will also give you peace of mind knowing that you can take care of your child because your students have already been planned for.
• If you can return on a Thursday or Friday, do it!  This will give you the weekend to regroup if necessary.
• Do your best to not take on a new role or teach a new grade level or subject from the previous year. Returning to something you already know how to do will save you time and prevent additional stress.
• I wish All Access had been around during my maternity leave and for when I returned to the classroom. The student video library would have been a game changer for my substitute! You can learn more about it here.

Moms, what tips do you have for returning from maternity leave? What did you learn or what would you do differently?

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When I began teaching in 2006, the cost of my monthly premium for an upgraded health insurance plan was $6 per month.  Yes, it’s hard to believe! I paid $6 per month with a $1,500 deductible…it seems like those were the good ole days. Today, many teachers around the country, and definitely here in Texas, are lucky to pay less than $300 per month with a $5,000 deductible.  My, how times have changed.

I wanted to write a post about my personal experience using a health insurance alternative and how it has positively impacted my family’s budget, as well as our experience when using the benefits.  If, after reading it all, you find this helpful and think it would work for your family, then I would greatly appreciate you using my referral link.  This is not sponsored in any way– I just know it is a current struggle for many families and wanted to share my experience.

Health Insurance Alternatives for Teachers (and Others)

What is a health insurance alternative?

The health insurance alternative that my family and I use is called Medi-Share.  It is referred to as a “health care sharing ministry” because it truly is different than insurance.  The organization pools together the monthly “shares” of its members and then uses that money to pay the health care bills of its members.  

There are several other health care sharing ministries, but I only know Medi-Share from personal experience.  I know health care is very serious and would never want to share information that I haven’t personally experienced.

Who is it not for?

Since this is not traditional health insurance, there are several stipulations that members have to abide by in order to qualify for medical sharing.  This is not regulated by the government like traditional health insurance and, thus, it really isn’t for everyone. In fact, we have even been quite frustrated with a few of the stipulations that personally impacted us with our adoption.  

• If you have complicated pre-existing conditions, then this isn’t for you.  I don’t think it hurts to apply, but there is a very thorough health questionnaire that you must submit.
• If you are a single person without a spouse or kids, then likely the costs will be comparable to that which your district offers.  Again, it might be worth checking out, but the savings may be less.
• If you don’t agree with their statement of faith, then this won’t work for you and/or your family.  This is a faith-based ministry.

Who is it for?

• If you are generally healthy, then this might be a great option for you to lower your health care costs.
• If you have children, then the lower monthly shares are going to be very helpful, as the rate is the same for three or more people within the family. When we added our second son, our costs remained the same.
• If you have a healthy blood pressure and weight, then you might benefit from their health incentive, which reduces the monthly share by 20%.  
• If you don’t visit the doctor very often, and really only want something for unexpected events, then this will work for you.
• If you have the cash to pay for small routine doctor visits, then you will be able to negotiate a cash discount.
• If you can be organized about any health events and don’t mind doing some of the phone calls to educate hospital billing, then you’ll do well with this alternative.  Since it is different, most billing departments are not familiar with the procedures.

Why IS A HEALTH INSURANCE ALTERNATIVE beneficial?

I have seen time and time again the cost of health insurance rise, and the local school districts have maxed out their ability to contribute; thus, the cost is passed on.  I hate that education is poorly funded and that educators are not fairly compensated. If Medi-Share or another health insurance alternative would work for you, then I would encourage you to consider it.  I am confident that it would increase your monthly take-home pay.

My personal experience

My family and I have been members with Medi-Share since 2017. We have learned the different terminology, have had our fair share of health events, and have visited the doctor several times, so I feel fairly confident sharing our experience.  I know that when we were investigating this option, it almost felt like it was too good to be true.

Ultimately, we looked into health insurance alternatives when my husband’s job changed.  We had been fortunate to carry my son on his insurance and then to carry my family as I started to spend more time on Maneuvering the Middle and with our son.  When we looked into other options, we found them to be very limited here in Texas. We didn’t qualify for subsidies through the Affordable Care Act, and even if we did pay the high premiums, we wouldn’t be able to be seen by any of our current doctors.  In fact, we learned later that our local children’s hospital didn’t even take the health exchange policy.

We settled on Medi-Share based on the personal experience of some of our friends in January of 2017.  Later that year, we had an unexpected health event when my son began having seizures. There was an ambulance ride, an ER visit, two nights at the local children’s hospital, a sedated MRI, and EEGs to determine the cause of the seizures.  Our total bill came to roughly $30,000. It was then that I really began to get nervous about the hospital bills and how the sharing actually worked.

My husband took on the responsibility of compiling the bills and communicating between the hospital and Medi-Share.  It definitely took time, so I don’t want to act like it was easy peasy. Most of that was ensuring that the correct forms were being sent to Medi-Share and educating the billing department on how Medi-Share worked.  

When all was said and done, we paid our “annual household portion” (the equivalent of maximum out-of-pocket) and moved on.  Medi-Share ensured that the hospital and doctors got paid, and we are grateful for them.

How much do we pay?

We personally have chosen a plan that works well for our family financially and cover any small doctor visits on our own and take the cash discount.  We are a family of four and do qualify for the health incentive. We pay $318 for our monthly share and have an $8,000 annual household portion (all of our families costs combined). While that isn’t cheap, I know that my neighbor who was insured through a local school district paid closer to $900 a month for his family with a similar maximum out-of-pocket.

We have chosen this by basically doing the simple math to figure, in the event of an emergency, what our best option is.  Typically, our pediatrician sick visits run us about $80. We budget a small amount for visits to the doctor.

What do WE do differently WITH A HEALTH INSURANCE ALTERNATIVE?

• I will say that when choosing a new doctor or agreeing to treatment, I do ask the cost involved.  I think Medi-Share has helped me to become a wiser consumer in the health care field.
• My husband and I use MDLive (like Teledoc) that is included in our share for basic colds and allergy-related illnesses.

I hope that my story has given you some ideas or something to consider if you are looking for health insurance alternatives.  It is so unfortunate that the costs have become what they are, but I hope this gives you a little bit of encouragement as to what options are out there.

If you do decide to apply, then I would greatly appreciate if you would use my referral link.  I will receive a $100 in the event you decide to join and are a member for three months.  Any member can then refer a friend and receive the same benefits.  

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But, when I first started teaching, I followed several money-saving blogs and went through a period of time where I felt great satisfaction when I used coupons to get things for free.  Hello teacher salary! Fast forward a few years and two kids later, and my coupon days have come to an end because of the sheer amount of time and energy that must be exhausted.  Today, I wanted to share a little known secret with you– saving money using Ebates.  

Saving Money Using Ebates:  Teacher Edition

That is, until I heard about Ebates.  Have you tried Ebates yet?

The basic premise of Ebates is that you log in to your account and use their Google Chrome extension to shop as you normally would online.  Key phrase, “as you normally would.” Each website has a partnership with varying percentages (ranging from 0.5% to 12%) that you earn cash back on.  All of your purchases accumulate in your account, and each quarter you are sent a check (or a Pay Pal payment) for your total cash back amount. Easy!

My favorite aspect is that it automatically stores coupon codes, and you can easily apply the ones that meet your needs.

How I Use Ebates

For example, I was in need of some new foundation and decided to search for it on Ebates.  I saw that the website has 12% cash back.

I simply added it to my cart, as usual, got a notification that there were two coupons available, and checked out.  Now, not all of the coupons work…so beware. Some of them require certain cart minimums or only work on certain products.  But, you can always go to Ebates and the specific shop to see the coupon details.

It was so nice to be able to make my purchase and see that I was getting $4 back for a product I was already planning to purchase.  

I could quickly see that my purchase went through by viewing the Shopping Trips page, and the next day, I was able to see my cash back show up.  Win-win!

I love easy things that help me to save money and don’t require me to spend any extra money on things I didn’t plan on purchasing.  Is this just me, or is it a teacher thing? It is similar to how teachers have an innate ability to turn some leftover obscure object into a lesson.  Teachers are creative.

Ebates didn’t pay me to write about this, and there isn’t any catch.  However, if you choose you can use my referral link here, then Ebates will add $10 to your account after you make a $25 purchase.  Our site gets $10 too, which keeps things running around here.

Want to try Ebates?

1. Create an account
2. Download the Google Chrome Extension
3. Login to Ebates prior to shopping
4. Shop as usual — be sure to apply coupons
5. Save your Ebates cash back

If you shop online quite a bit, then getting in the habit of using Ebates will make a big difference in your ability to save money.  Our family does quite a bit of online shopping because of the convenience, and I am excited to see what I can save. Does anyone else use Ebates?  What other tips do you have?

PayPal casino – list of great UK casinos that accept PayPal

Every PayPal casino listed on this page is licensed by the UKGC, meaning the games you play will be fair, your transactions will be secured with SSL encryption technology, and the gambling site online Casinos that accept Paypal itself will be held to strict ethical and regulatory standards. As Editor-in-Chief, Daniel offers his expertise in all things gambling, contributing to a number of topics on Davedealer.com. Marcus is an Editor at paypal casino uk.

There are also numerous popular casino games like baccarat, roulette, blackjack, keno, and video poker. Most of these titles are available on both Android and iOS platforms. You can also use popular options like Skrill, Apple Pay, and Neteller. And, of course, Casino also accepts all the standard payment methods, Visa, Mastercard, and direct bank transfer. To be considered a great online casino, you have to provide your players with exceptional customer support. In our experience, responses are almost instant staff members are extremely knowledgeable.

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Teaching Interview Tips and Best Practices

1.  DEMONSTRATE PREPAREDNESS

What does it look like?

Preparedness is an all encompassing term to describe simple yet effective best practices for an interview.

• Dress professionally – You likely don’t need a suit, but a nice pair of slacks, a dress, and/or a professional top goes a long way.
• Do your research – Dig into the data of the school you are interviewing with by looking at their school-specific initiatives.  Find out what unique programs they are offering and what goal they are trying to meet.
• Bring a sample lesson plan or student work – If you have teaching experience, then bring a lesson plan or lesson materials for something that you have planned and taught.  If you are a new teacher, then consider writing up a lesson that you would be excited to teach.  Be sure to include standards and student objectives.  Did you implement an outstanding PBL at the end of the year?  Bring a student sample to share with the committee. 
• Know your data – While data is NOT a full picture of a teachers’ effectiveness, if you have great data, then show it off!  Did your students perform well on a district benchmark?  Bring the summary sheet.

Why does it matter?

The interviewer (or committee) is looking for someone who will take initiative.  This person will see that one of their students is struggling and seek out options for assisting them, this person will look for the best lessons to convey a more difficult concept, and this person will take the initiative to be a contributing part of their team.    

2.  ANSWER THE QUESTION BEING ASKED

What does it look like?

This seems simple, but as you interview and begin telling stories, it is easy to get off topic or not fully answer the question.  If you are unclear of what is being asked, then you might consider restating the question or asking for clarification.  When answering, try to be specific to the question and provide specific examples.  

Why does it matter?

These specific and clear responses are much more helpful and memorable than something generic or theoretical.  When many candidates are being interviewed, you would be shocked as to how many say that their strength is being a perfectionist or that they want to be a teacher because they love students.  When you are specific and can provide a short example, you set yourself apart from the other candidates.  

3.  CONSIDER YOUR NON-NEGOTIABLES

What does it look like?

Before going to an interview consider the type of school you would like to work at.  What programs and values are most important to you?  What type of leadership would you like to work under?  Do your research and be prepared to ask questions so that you leave with a better understanding of the school’s values.  Look around the hallways and pay attention to what you are seeing; there are countless non-verbals that are communicated.  Do teachers look generally happy?  Do students look generally happy?  How do people talk to each other?  Are the hallways structured?  I always loved when a principal would give me a school tour because I was able to see the interactions of the staff, students, and the expectations of their teachers.  

Why does it matter?

Remember that while you are interviewing for the job, you are going to be most successful in a place that is a good fit for you.  If you are passionate about STEM, then working at a school that is focused on a different initiative might leave you frustrated.  If you are set on being a 5th grade teacher, then consider if an 8th grade position is the best fit.  There are always things that you will be able to move past, but in general know your non-negotiables.  

4.  DEMONSTRATE THAT YOU ARE TEACHABLE

What does it look like?

Being teachable is an incredible quality and can be conveyed in an interview through a few simple phrases.

• “I haven’t experienced that before, so I would be sure to ask about how the school handles situations like that…”
• “When I am uncertain, I am quick to ask for help…”
• “I really like when feedback is provided because it helps me to improve my craft of teaching…”

You might have a different opportunity to demonstrate that you are teachable, there is not a right or wrong phrase. 

Why does it matter?

A principal would much rather someone not know and ask a question, than not know and make an assumption.  Team members who are willing to learn, willing to ask for help, and willing to take feedback and make improvements are excellent members of a team and highly sought after.  Sometimes in an interview, we feel the need to have the right answer to every question, but when we are unsure, an interview committee can typically see right through it.  

What other teaching interview tips would you suggest?  If you have participated in a committee interview, then what suggestions do you have for those interviewing?  

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As I watch the news, I hear the details surrounding the school shooting that took place yesterday at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida. I really can’t bear to hear the sounds of terrified students and teachers, the piercing pop of the bullets, or the sirens of first responders. It’s too much.

As I scroll through social media, I see teachers and parents calling for change by asking for new legislation to keep schools safe and protect our country’s children. I see the comments devolve from the situation at hand to some sort of political debate about who is to blame. It’s not enough.

There are children who did not come home last night.

There are parents who did not come home last night.

Friends, peers, role models, teachers, parents, sisters, brothers did not come home last night.

We have to do something. And yet, no one can agree on what the “something” is. This image below (source unknown) perfectly summarizes the situation at hand. As American citizens we have several rights given to us by the Constitution of the United States, and two of them are the right to vote and the right to contact our leaders and affect change. But we can’t stop there.

Source Unknown from Instagram – please let me know if you know the original artist

We are personally responsible for our decisions as educators and parents.

To me, this epidemic seems to be the symptom of a terrible disease. Last month, my husband and I attended a weekend-long training about raising children who come from trauma. You see, we are adopting our second son from China, where he has spent his life in an orphanage.

As I sat in the training absorbing the impact that trauma has on one’s brain, development, communication, and general well-being, I couldn’t help but think about the implications of trauma in the classroom. In 2018, being a teenager is hard and while I am certified to teach math and know how to listen and cultivate relationships with students, I had never been to a training on the impact of trauma.

“TBRI® is designed for children from ‘hard places’ such as abuse, neglect, and/or trauma. Because of their histories, it is often difficult for these children to trust the loving adults in their lives, which often results in perplexing behaviors. TBRI® offers practical tools for parents, caregivers, teachers, or anyone who works with children, to see the ‘whole child’ in their care and help that child reach his highest potential.” – Dr. Karen Purvis, Trust-Based Relational Intervention

Our students are coming to us with backgrounds of trauma.

Bullying.
Divorce.
Loss of a loved one.
The foster system.
Social media pressures.
Feeling left out.
Lack of connection.

We need to be equipped.

I would like to start a dialogue about what we can personally do to affect change in our neighborhoods, in our schools, and in our country.

 1.  We can vote and contact our representatives.

As I mentioned above, that is right given to us by the Constitution of the United States of America. Do not be guilty of forsaking that right. If you aren’t sure who your local congressman is, then use this link to find their contact information.  There are several different activists groups you can join at a local and national level, as well.  Become educated on who is running for office, what they stand for, and what organizations are funding their campaigns.

2. We can cultivate a classroom culture of respect, safety, and listening first.

Our students need someone to listen, to really sit down and listen. I know that there is curriculum to teach, and standardized tests to prepare for, so it isn’t easy to set aside time to listen. We can set the tone with respectful speech, we can teach our students what that looks and sounds like, and we can make our classrooms a joyful place to belong.

3. We can cultivate an anti-bullying school culture.

Is there a clear and succinct system in place in the event a child is being bullied? Are teachers and administrators quick to take action? Is there a healing process and a rehabilitation process for students to go through? These are things to advocate for on your campus.

4. We can solicit the help of mentors, role models, and tutors.

Obviously, there are not enough hours in the day to facilitate all the recommendations, trainings, and interventions. Ask for help. In years past, I have volunteered with Kids Hope USA and been paired with an at-risk student. Mentors and students get to meet weekly for the purpose of building a relationship and being a safe person. Is there someone willing to head this up for your school? Communities in Schools, Kids Hope USA, and your local Boys and Girls Club all have great programs already in place to assist.

5. We can equip our campuses with mental health training and resources.

I can personally attest to TBRI and the resources they provide. Additionally, they offer a training called TBRI and Trauma Informed Classrooms which is specific to educators.

“Children from ‘hard places’ have changes in their brains, bodies, and behavior. They must feel safe in order to access their whole brain so that it is responsive for learning.” -TBRI and Trauma Informed Classrooms

6. We can parent our children with boundaries.

As a mom, I can provide boundaries and have discussions about why they exist. I can put down my phone and have a conversation face-to-face. I can listen without judgement and instruct from a place of experience.  I can provide a safe place at the dinner table where my son knows that he is loved and that he belongs.  I can teach him how to care for others, to look out for those who need a friend, and to be inclusive on the playground.

I would like to make this a place where ideas are shared that will affect change in our classrooms, communities, and country. I would love to hear actionable ideas and resources in the comments below.

If you would like to start a political debate, then please click to your personal Facebook page and begin there.  This is a place where we can discuss how we can individually affect change. I will affect change. Will you?

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CONFESSIONS OF AN END OF YEAR TEACHER

This year has been hard.  This group of students hit puberty collectively earlier than my last couple of groups, so I was NOT PREPARED.  How do 7th grade teachers do it?  They are not paid enough to deal with all the giggling.  Bless them.

I am going to be real here for a second and admit what most teachers would be ashamed to say.  My expectations are exceedingly lower than they were in August.  Shall we compare?

August teacher asked all students sit up straight, pencils in hand, and follow along with the class. End of year teacher considers no one visibly asleep in class a success.  Sleeping with your eyes open is impressive and allowed.  August teacher required students to write their full heading on every single piece of paper. End of year teacher is fine with Jose C. writing a J followed by a scribble that looks like it could be a C.  Whatever works, JC.  

Today as I was checking homework, I could not stand to hear one more student tell me that they didn’t have it.  By my last class, I didn’t even ask students to get it out to check because I just could not watch the bad acting.

“Where is your homework?”

(Pause to watch student ruffle through her backpack and look around her desk – CLEARLY, FAKING IT)

“I did it.  I must have left it at home. I will bring it tomorrow.”

Why don’t you just tell me that you did not do it and don’t plan on ever doing it until I call home and arrange for you to stay after school to do it with me because that it how it has gone all year? WHY DO WE CONTINUE WITH THE CHARADES?!

The state of my classroom has changed too. My pencil cup has seen better days.  I ran out of pencils in October.  It has now been reduced to storage for trash since the trash can is all the way on the other side of the room.  Students without pencils? You. are. out. of. luck.  You only have a highlighter? Great. 

This was what my desk looked like at the beginning of the school year.

Now it looks like this.  It’s not terrible, but notice all of the water bottles.  Who would have thought that the most confiscated item this year would be water bottles?

Speaking of things that have seen better days, here is my restroom pass.  I thought I would document just how far it has gone.  In case it is unclear, the top restroom pass needed to be replaced.  The bottom is the replacement.

A couple of months ago, my school launched a gratitude campaign.  This response was the one that I photographed, but there were HUNDREDS of responses in which students wrote that they were grateful for their teachers.

It reminded me how much I have to be grateful for in my classroom and with my students.  And even though I am counting down the hours until I wave goodbye to students for the summer, I am pretty darn grateful for my students and the privilege it is to teach, gray hairs and all. 

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Techy Teacher Gift Guide

1. AUDIBLE SUBSCRIPTION

I love to read, but finding the time to sit and read a book can be a challenge. Audible is the perfect solution! On the way to work, washing dishes, riding the train, or exercising are all excellent ways to maximize your time and learn something new.  My husband and I love to listen to books as we travel over the holiday season.  In one trip home, we can finish an entire book!  It helps the time pass, we learn something new, and I love checking off some reading.

2. Wireless Headphones

The new iPhone makes it possible to use wireless headphones and get rid of the cords. I love this cordless option and found this pair to be a great price for an entry level option. For a more updated pair, check out this wireless bluetooth option.

3.  Socks

Socks are the perfect way to give your wardrobe a little refresh for a small amount of money. Grab a silly pair, your students will love it! Stocking stuffer, yes. Secret Santa gift, sign me up.  My favorites are these stripes, these polka dots, and this geometric pair.

4. Backpack

This Incase backpack is perfect for the techy teacher because of all the interesting pockets, pouches, and cord holders. It looks sleek and even has a computer sleeve area for up to a 15″ laptop.  It is super slim, so its not going to hold everything, but its sleek and trendy and won’t get mixed up with any student backpacks.

5. bluetooth speaker

I loved having a bluetooth speaker in my classroom!  You can grab the fancy Amazon Tap, which uses voice control, streams music, and plays for up to 9 hours.

6. A PORTABLE CHARGER

It’s likely that a techy teacher is going to wear down their cell battery between using the wifi and running Bluetooth. This portable charger has all of the cables built in too!

7. Two port usb charger

This is something that you don’t realize you need until you have it. My husband bought one and I thought it was frivolous. Then, I realized that between the lamp, baby monitor, phone, and alarm clock, I was running out of plugs. My husband keeps this two port USB charger in his suitcase when he travels to keep from having to hunt down an awkwardly placed plug in the hotel. I think its perfect to keep in your desk drawer at school.  Another excellent stocking stuffer or Secret Santa gift.

Do you have any other great suggestions?  I would love to hear them in the comments below.

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By day two, the band-aids that I was using to protect my blisters were rubbed off and destroyed – so was that layer of skin.  I had resorted to using painter’s tape that was in my classroom to wrap my injured ankles. Please take a moment and imagine blue painter’s tape (not so) discretely under these ‘stylish’ flats.  Not only were these shoes drawing blood, they were causing my feet muscles to ache, and they kept sliding off.  After a few weeks, I succumbed to my injuries and bought a pair of TOMS.  They were better.  I wasn’t bleeding, but they offered very little support.

Real talk: why can’t ALL shoes be cute and comfortable?

CUTE, COMFORTABLE SHOES FOR TEACHERS

Below, I have rounded up the most comfortable shoes for teachers.  These are all shoes that I can recommend (or some of my teacher friends have recommended) for classroom-comfort.  

1. Birkenstocks and Saltwaters

Both of these shoes are for schools with a casual dress code, but if you can get away with it, these shoes are worth it.  I wore Saltwater Sandals for 4 days around Disney World, and my feet felt fine.  Birkenstocks took about a week to get used to (since they are on the heavier side) but they are now my go to.  I like them better than my Saltwaters because they protect my feet a little better from the rogue chair leg that is bound to squash your toes whenever you wear sandals.

2. Clarks Boots

Clarks are known for their comfort, but did you know that they can be cute?  One of my coworkers, Rene, is always dressed SO effortlessly (think: Madewell + Anthropologie).  The day I saw her in these boots, I asked her where she got them, and she told me that they were Clarks.  She couldn’t believe it either!  They look great with her maxi skirts, jeans, and cropped pants.  I can’t wait to get a pair for later this year.

3. Korkease

For my vegan friends out there, my friend, Taryn, recommends Korkease shoes.  She has this pair, but they also come in boots and flats.  If I want to dress up, I almost always choose a wedge heal.  Something about the wedge is stylish, yet comfortable.  Plus, you can wear them on the weekends!

4.  ROTHY’S

I wouldn’t normally post super expensive shoes because I like to keep things on a budget, but I have heard so many great things about Rothy’s.  I first heard about them from Sherry at Young House Love.  I love Sherry because she is all about buying things that are functional and well made.  Rothy’s are cute, made of recycled water bottles (what?), and super comfy.  I personally love the pointed toe in Marigold.  Use this link to save $20! 

5. Dune London Peppie Boots

My coworker, Joanna, says this about them, “There are no laces for maximum laziness, the heel is an excellent height for standing all day, AND I don’t worry about slipping and falling in front of kids.”  Joanna tells me that they are also waterproof which comes in handy at a school where you have to walk outside to get to the cafeteria and the front office.  

6.  Loafers

For a more professional look, I would recommend a pair of loafers.  Loafers are the ballet flats more comfortable, supportive sister.  They provide support on the arch by way of a little heel.  I had a pair from Madewell (similar to what is linked), but my beloved dog destroyed them.  I don’t remember getting any type of blisters the first time I wore them because I implemented a #lifehack.

Here is the trick:  when you have brand new shoes that may give you blisters, wear them around your house with thick socks for a couple of hours.  This will stretch out the shoes just enough that they won’t rub on your skin when you wear them sans sock.

I would love to hear more about what you would recommend as comfortable shoes for teachers!  Share in the comments below, so that we can skip all the shoe drama.  What do you all wear?  Does anyone wear heals?  Bless you.

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Cultivating Growth Mindset in Math

Communicate That Everyone Can Do It

A fellow math teacher has a poster in her room that says “we are all math people.”  Boom!  That is true.  Everyone is capable of learning, understanding, and believing they are strong in math.  In order for students to believe they can be successful in math, teachers must believe and communicate this fact to their students. How do we communicate this to students?  Posters on the wall are great, but what about sharing valuable research with students?  In Mathematical Mindsets, the author, Jo Boaler, cites a study that occurred over two years-

In one study, seventh grade students were given a survey to measure their mindset, then researchers followed the students over two years to monitor their mathematics achievement.  The results were dramatic, as the achievement of the students with a fixed mindset stayed constant, but the achievement of those with a growth mindset went onward and upward.

This is a great paragraph to share with your students.  My students will read this and studies similar to it, answer reflections questions, and dialogue as a class about the concept of growth mindset.

Build the Relationship

Students will work hard for teachers they like.  You will not get very far by strong arming them into doing math problems.  Sometimes it is necessary to keep them after school or tutoring or to pull from electives because they didn’t complete work or need extra support.  However, this is not something you should rely on consistently.  Here are some ways to build a relationship with these students:

• Be consistent
• Greet them, smile at them, use their name
• Cheer them on
• Emphasize growth over achievement
• Focus on the positive: A great rule of thumb – for every correction, you want to have 3 positive interactions

One year, many of my students rode the bus and arrived at school at least 30 minutes before the bell rang for breakfast.  I am a morning person and made myself available for homework help and tutorials each morning.  It just so happened that a group of eight sixth graders, with tons of potential, were there each morning for breakfast having a grand old time in the cafeteria, but would appear in class without their assignments.  My greatest pet peeve is wasting potential.  So I began setting my alarm and marching down to the cafeteria each morning.  I would ask to see completed assignments and then bring any students who had yet to complete it to my room to eat breakfast and work with my other students.  At first, this was a pain.  I was annoyed; they were annoyed.  But, soon over time, it began to be a bit of an inside joke.  They would see me coming and hold up their assignments.   On days that I had a meeting, they would ask me where I was.  They started seeing that their work had a direct impact in their learning.  They wanted to make me proud.  They began to take pride in themselves.  Was this the best strategy?  I’m not sure.  Should they have been more responsible for their learning?  Maybe.  Was it worth the two minute walk to the cafeteria each morning?  Hands down, yes.

Emphasize Growth + Celebrate Successes

Reluctant math students are usually struggling students (if not always).  That is why you must emphasize growth.  My students take benchmarks 3 times a year before they take our state standardized assessment.  When they get their results back, some of my students, will never learn their actual score.  They will only learn how many points they grew from the last benchmark.  And you better believe, I make a huge deal when there is substantial growth.  This usually involves dancing, an announcement to the whole class, and placing their name along with their growth on a bulletin board.  

It’s difficult to talk about growth and communicate the importance of learning and then be judged on an assessment that only measures the number of questions you got right and wrong.  However, by emphasizing the growth that each student made over a period of time, they are more likely to believe that they can grow their mathematical ability.

Do not give up on these students because students can sense when you have.  Push them, encourage them, celebrate with them, and do not settle for anything less than their potential.  If you have more ideas, please share in the comments below.  This is an area that I know is tough to master and we need all the help we can get.  How have you had success in cultivating a growth mindset?

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As you prepare for your new year, I hope you can learn from my many, many mistakes as a first year teacher.  My teacher friend, Eric, said it best, “Teaching is a multi-facted skill: planning, organization, execution, etc. Nobody is good at all or even most of it right away. Know that each year is going to refine your game a little bit more, and focus on small things to improve.”  That is a relief because going into year five, I am hoping that I won’t rely on the recycling bin as my filing system.  Surely I’m not the only one.   Here are some tips that I wish I could go back to 2012 and tell myself as a first year teacher.  

ADVICE TO A FIRST YEAR TEACHER

Ask Questions and Get Help From Others

For some reason, before my first year of teaching I was really concerned how my handouts would get hole punched.  The school copier didn’t have a hole punch setting, so teachers had to hole punch copies themselves.  Oh my gosh– what a huge waste of time.  Without asking anyone anything, I went and bought 6 hole punches before the year started. (Hole punchers are not cheap.)  The hole punches would go on each student table, and I would teach students to hole punch papers themselves.  

This all seemed very brilliant until the day prior to the first day of school.  I was working in the copy room when a fellow teacher pulled out a huge device that hole punched all of her handouts in about 2 seconds. I was enraged!  Why did no one tell me about this magical device that hole punched more than 5 pieces of paper at once?  The real question was — why didn’t I ask anyone about this?  I was so concerned that I didn’t stop and ask experienced teachers around me how they accomplished something that stressed me out.  Lesson: ask for help.  Rely on the experiences of others.  If you have an idea, run it by someone else before jumping all in.  It will save you time, money, and most importantly your sanity.

If you are a math teacher, then my advice is to find a great curriculum. If you aren’t planning and piecing resources together, you can focus on so many other things.

Don’t Sweat the Small Stuff, but Sweat the Small Stuff

• Your projector shut off and is taking one million years to reboot?  It’s going to be ok.
• You just spilled coffee down your shirt?  It’s going to be ok.  (Also, have an extra pair of clothes in your car/desk/cabinet.)
• Someone just threw up in your classroom?  It’s going to be ok.
• Your principal walks in and your fly is down and a student announces this small fact to the class.  It’s going to be ok.

Because you are in a room with others humans, much less small humans, life is going to get a little messy. Students are going watch your reactions to these situations.  If you freak out, they will freak out.  If you are calm and brush it off, they will too.  Do not sweat this small stuff.  

However, as a classroom teacher, you must sweat the small stuff.  There are some instances that you could probably ignore, and no one would really notice, but you must address.  For example, if a student is unkind to another student, you can stop everything to address it.  Do not blow this off.  In my classroom, building character trumps teaching content, so if a situation arises where we can talk as a class about showing integrity or building each other up, I will spend the time doing it.  If I need to apologize for snapping at a student, I will do it.  Students should know that you will not turn a blind eye to bullying, leaving students out, or rudeness in any form.

Choose 3 Things to Enforce

Now, I love routines and procedures.  And every routine and procedure should be thought out by you and taught and enforced.   You can check this post where I brainstormed the most important, but as a first year teacher, you should pick three routines that you would be willing to die for.  I am not even kidding a little bit.  What really annoys you?  You actually might not know this yet, but come October, You. Will. Know.  For me, it is students being out of their seat without permission.  

The teacher down the hall from me hates the sound of binder rings when they open and close with a passion, so she came up with a routine in her classroom that everyone opens them on the count of 3 and everyone closes them on the count of 3.  Seems nutty, but it is better to own up to being a nut, rather than become a nut involuntarily because all your can hear when you are trying to fall asleep is binder click nonsense.

Whatever you do, do not tell students that pen clicks annoy you.  

I made this mistake and literally as I was telling them this, the amount of pens that were being clicked grew exponentially!  WHAT THE HECK.  This is an area to just ignore. There are other techniques to handle pen clicks/pencil drumming/mechanical pencil disassembly, but that is an entirely different post.

(Also, I could care less if students use pens in math. If you want to work out problems in highlighter, whatever.  I just don’t want to hear about you needing a pencil. Ever.  #mathteacherfail)

Recharge + Reboot

You have all heard this before.  You must make time for yourself.  You must rest.  You must (fill in the blank).  This is harder said than done!  Teachers typically are people who are crazy and will actually spend 36 hours cutting out letters because they are cute.  I can say that because this year, I made my own letters for all of my bulletins boards.  Craziness aside, no one is better at recharging than my principal.  When I interviewed, she told me that she would rather her teacher get 8 hours of sleep over perfectly created materials.  I was like HIRE ME NOW.  You can only be effective if you are rested.  You can only be effective if you take time for yourself.

When I asked on Facebook about advice, almost everyone said things that I can lump into two categories— routines/procedures and relationships.  Notice, nothing is about the lessons, content, activities, grading, parents, planning, copies, copy machines, administration, bulletin boards, classroom decoration, or emergency procedures made the list. That will all get done, but it should not be the focus of your first year.  (And if you want to make decorating your classroom quick and pain free, use these posters.  You can see them in action in my classroom.)

It will be amazing.  You will learn SO much.  And it will get so much better!

Good news, you are only a first year teacher once.

Save

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With the explosion of Pinterest and all things cute, I frequently see great little tags to tie on items.  They are easy to do, affordable when you are talking about up to eight middle school teachers, and thoughtful.  As teachers, we appreciate the gesture and the thought that goes into it.

As I thought about what I could do for my son’s three teachers and his church preschool teachers, I thought back on my favorite gift.

It wasn’t the gift card or the lunch; it wasn’t the homemade cookies, picture frame, or candle.  It was the notes, hand-drawn pictures, and the kind emails.

I remember the sweet end of the year notes I got from students who I was blessed to have made an impact on.  They shared of why they enjoyed my class and what they learned.  They wrote of the confidence they gained and their love for learning.

It was the parent emails of how they had seen a change in their child or how they appreciated how I went above and beyond.

I would hang those notes, pictures, and emails on the walls around my desk.  Teaching is hard; I needed a reminder of why I did what I did.  When I was tired and questioning whether or not it was worth it, I saw the notes.  When I was frustrated with the system and felt like I wasn’t making progress, I read the notes.  At the end of the year, I took down each note and placed it in my binder.  Each students face impressed in my mind.

This week, I want to celebrate my son’s teachers.  I will take them treats with cute tags.  I will tell them “thank you”.  I will write them notes on his behalf.

Cut tag by A Perfect Blend on TpT

“Good words are worth much, and cost little.” – George Herbert

Teachers, you make an impact each and everyday.

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I have personally loved getting to meet other teachers through blogging and conferences and a personal fact about me is that I love seeing schools on each and every trip/vacation I take.  In my most recent trip to New York, we happened upon a high school in Chinatown before Sunday brunch.  It always fascinates me.  What the school looks like, their facilities, what kids attend, how do they get there, all of it is so intriguing.

Teachers around the globe

That being said, I will be showcasing different teachers in different places around the world on a semi-regular basis.  I would love to share the different perspective of teachers in different parts of the United States as well as across the globe.  My hope is that this will shed light into the vast amount of energy and effort that goes into being a teacher.  We can gain insight as to what is working well at other schools and hopefully be united in the fact that at the end of the day, we all want what is best for our students.  Maybe you will read a great idea that you could implement, maybe you the routine of another teacher fascinating, or maybe you will just be encouraged to know that you are not alone.

This is my sister, the younger better looking and much funnier of the two of us.  She is a teacher by day and DIYer by night.  When she is outside of the classroom, she can be found at Home Depot, IKEA, or working on her blog The Great Goodness.

Tell us your name.

Mrs. Brack (only one student so far has made the connection that Brack rhymes with crack)

What do you teach?

6th grade math

Where do you teach? What is the structure of your school?

I teach at a college prep charter school in Austin, Texas.  I get to work around 6:30 am because students arrive at 7:05.  I teach an advisory class, an architecture ‘curiosity’ class (this is similar to an elective), and four 65 minute Math blocks.  Our students school day lasts until 4:05 (it is very long day for students and teachers alike), and I try to roll out of the parking lot by 5:00.  I try to use my two planning periods very wisely.

What is your background/experience?

I studied Architecture at Texas A&M before having a change of heart my junior year.  I received alternative certification through Teaching Excellence in Houston, Texas where I simultaneously taught at a charter school, Yes Prep.  I taught 6th grade social studies and math for two years.  Years 3 and 4 consisted of trying to teach 9th and 10th graders to love Algebra in San Francisco.  Needless to say, it was struggle. 

I am happy to be back in middle school where my biggest problem is getting an 80 pound student to sit down.

Describe something that is unique about where you teach or your classroom.

All school supplies for teachers, students, and classrooms are funded by the school.  I pay nothing out of pocket.  My budget is very reasonable too.  It is amazing!  Also, I get to wear jeans everyday!

The best part of my job is.

While I truly love the students, the best part of my job is solving math problems everyday.  I love math!  Give me a practice ACT (math section), and I will go to town!

What is one tool/item that you couldn’t live without? How do you use it?

I think it is a three way tie between skinny markers, my document camera, and washi tape.  Nevermind, my favorite supply is my stool.  This year I bought a stool to sit on when I go over notes.  I cannot believe it took me so long to feel ok about sitting down for fifteen minutes.

What made you become a teacher?

My sister, Noelle, played a big role in my transitioning from wanting to be an architect to wanting to be a teacher.  I also feel strongly that education is the best weapon in the fight against poverty, so I chose a school which focuses on a historically under served population.

Favorite memory from your time in the classroom.

I am not sure if this is a favorite, but I truly love telling the story, so here it goes.  My first year teaching, I was being observed by about 6 applicants for Teach for America and my Assistant Principal.  I had never had so many adults in my classroom.  The worst part is they came in on the day after a unit test AND it was a Friday AND it was a short day, so I had just planned a binder clean out.  That was it!  As all of these adults come filing into my classroom, I fill with dread.  I somehow managed to wrap up the binder clean out, and tie it into how organization helps us retain knowledge/study better/blahblahblah.  I feel like I am hitting it out of the park, when Lynette (not her real name) raises her hand and says with all the confidence and grandeur that any 6th grader ever has mustered, “YOUR FLY IS OPEN!”

Teaching Motto

“Always say no.” (to bathroom requests) 

If you are interested in being featured in a future edition of Teachers Around the Globe, email me and let me know.

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I do love an opportunity to save money.

I do love awesome resources that save me time.

I do love when my students are engaged and have “fun” in math.  Not too much fun, let’s not get any crazy ideas

I do love an August TpT Back to School Sale.

Don’t forget the code.  I almost always forget the code.

A lot has been going on in my shop this summer, so for those of you who haven’t checked it out.  Here are some lovely updates:

• TEKS Warm Ups are no longer on the to-do list.  Check.
• CCSS Warm Ups got a facelift.
• 6th Grade Endless Bundle is GROWING fast (so is the price).  Grab it quick!
• 8th Grade Real Number System and Solving Linear Equations Units are up.

Must Have 6th Grade Resources:

• Ratios
• Rate and Percent
• Rational Numbers
• Decimals
• Warm Ups
• Homework

Must Have 7th Grade Resources:

• Surface Area
• Warm Ups

Must Have 8th Grade Resources:

• Real Number System
• Solving Linear Equations
• Warm Ups

Now quick, get shopping and don’t forget the code!

Happy Teaching!

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But, I will make an exception for the ePIc Pi Day Giveaway that is going on over at 4mulafun.com!

I personally am giving away a $30 Target gift card and there are tons of other great gifts to win:  Fandango, Amazon, TpT, Starbucks, Panera, Subway, and more.  I wouldn’t want you to miss out on all these great goodies!

Happy Teaching (and Saturday)!

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