Tuesday, November 22, 2016

Pets in the classroom







What are the benefits of classroom pets?



Classrooms can enrich their study of these subjects:
Language Arts as they write about them or keep journals.


Pets can really enhance a classroom, but safety is first!

> Visit 2 cool cats on Youtube!

Sunday, July 10, 2016

Are the Best Teachers Really at the Best Schools?

Here's the question: Are the good teachers at the best schools, or are they good teachers because they are at the best schools? What would happen if they went to bad schools?

We hear this a lot in education these days. That the teachers that are the best and most experienced are at the best schools. Are they really? Does the school make you a good teacher? Can it make you a bad teacher?

Here's what we do know. That many of the most experienced teachers who have a choice, choose the better schools and classes. I know this first hand. As a new teacher in high school, I did not even have my own room. I traveled. Yup, I had a cart to keep my world belongings on. While other teachers had a bit of break, I was trying hard to wheel myself through hundreds of students trying to make my next class. The first and last minutes of every class I taught were not good. I had to unpack, get organized, then do the reverse. And many times the teacher in whose classroom I was would stick around. Not a good situation. I also taught all freshmen classes. Not having your own room really made things bad. If you think you can be the same great teacher while traveling, well more power to you. The teachers' "lounge" was where I had to grade and regroup. Needless to say, I took a lot of work home.

Did teachers who had been there a while have to travel? Of course not! They earned their own room. They also taught AP or upper level classes. Most of them were small classes and full of the brightest (read: well-behaved, most focused) students. Not only was I set up to fail, but my students were also set up. Sticking a new teacher with the worst possible teaching situation and students, seemed to be the norm. Nobody cared. Nobody ever thought to say, "Hey! Maybe we need the more experienced teachers doing the hard classes." But....no. There's this hierarchy that has been going on for ages. Older teachers get the best jobs and assignments. Newer teachers are always thrown to the wolves. Why not? If given a choice, why would you choose the worst?

Please note this does not go on 100% of the time. But I do know that some newer teachers are handpicked for the best schools. They know people. So it can depend on who you know.

So that leads to the first question. Do those new teachers put in the best schools instantly become good teachers? Why not? They have the best teaching situation. The same might be said for veteran teachers as well. They thrive at good schools. They get rewarded with being at great schools.

So what happens to the lousy schools? They seem to get the majority of inexperienced teachers. When they get a little tenure, they move on if given the choice. Why would they stay?

So maybe, just maybe, we only think the best teachers are at the best schools because they have all the advantages to become one. If all 30 of your students read at grade level, how much easier is it for you to teach? Do extra things? Thrive? Be a stress-free teacher? Who wouldn't love it!

Now take someone else. They are a brand new teacher. They get put in a school that is in desperate need of repairs. No White students. No parental involvement. 90% of your kids can't even read two grades below grade level. You think that's an easy assignment? You work hard, get your students up a grade level, and you are still looked upon as a failure. You have to deal with discipline problems constantly. Students have little decent materials to work with.

And the cycle goes on and on.

Why do we not start doing the reverse? If a teacher really is great and experienced, why are we not stuffing our lousy schools with them? Put their skills to good use!

Or maybe that's not going to make a difference. Perhaps a great teacher who gets results......owes it all to the school and environment they are in.

We don't think the teachers at good schools would put up with being moved. Yes, I know this first hand. Once a teacher is in a dream job, they aint movin'!

And that could be the heart of the problem.

> Checkout: Good games to play in the classroom.

Monday, March 21, 2016

Eagle Cam in Washington DC

Your students might love to watch the eagles hatching and being raised on the eagle cam. It is one of the best we have see, and it is in the news now. Take a look by going to:
It is very fast and looks like it is in HD. Very clear picture streaming.

Thursday, February 11, 2016

Free College is Possible








  • Stop telling all students they must go to college.


>> Help for kindergarten teachers!

Thursday, November 26, 2015

Teachers and Restroom Breaks

Guess what...it's no problem for even an inexperienced teacher if they realize one thing: Restroom breaks are a nonissue.











Friday, November 6, 2015

Teacher Survey

How well does your school inform and help teachers?
Please take our teacher survey at http://teachersindex.com/teacher-survey.html

Sunday, October 11, 2015

Teacher Motivation

A lot can be said for motivating your students. You sure want them to be in your classroom eager and ready to learn. But how about teachers? Do you nee a little motivation? Many of us do! So let's get started on being a motivated teacher!

Think about your job as a teacher. You have perhaps the most important job in the world: Educating young people who will be the next generation of leaders. Isn't that enough motivation right there? The child you teach may be President someday. Or a famous actor, rock star, or win a Nobel Prize. Wouldn't it be great to be remembered as making a difference? The next group of leaders starts with you, a teacher!

How many people are relying on you? Every part of society from your student's families, to the neighborhood, to your city, to your state, to your country. Everyone is relying on YOU to successfully teach their children. Be determined to not let them down.

You chose to be a teacher. You stepped into the classroom. Why? Just to go through the motions? To be the best, you have to teach YOUR best!

You can raise the expectations at your school. If you are looked upon as a great teacher, you lift up the school as well. The reputation of a school starts with the teacher in the classroom. Are you going to be the teacher that people can say is why the school is great, or why the school is lousy?

School improvement begins and ends with the teachers.

It might not seem like it on some days, but you are making a difference each and every day. Is that difference good, or is it bad? Are you bettering your students and school, or are you adding fuel to the fire of poor performance?

Pat yourself on he back. You might want others to recognize you, but let's be honest. Many teachers think they have a thankless job. Well give yourself some credit! Be proud that you chose the best job in the world. Celebrate your accomplishments on a daily basis. Pat yourself on the back at the end of each day for what you have done!  We want our students to have intrinsic rewards. Well, so should we!

Pump up your fellow teachers. As you spread a little cheer around the campus, others cannot help but be lifted up. Raise the spirits of other teachers, and you raise the spirit of the profession.

Now, you might want to go to the top. That is, ask your principal and district officials if possible, what can be done to make teacher's jobs better, and recognize them. Have a teacher of the month. Special parking place. Have students make cards for teachers. Free coffee in the break room? It would not cost much to drop off a teacher care kit each once in a while...like extra pencils, markers, paper, etc. Ask the PTA to do some sort of teacher appreciation. Get a few teachers together and brainstorm.

In the end, you have to be motivated on your own to be determined to be the best teacher ever. What are you waiting for?

>> How to motivate students.

>> Teacher Jobs