I am not good with names. Really not good. At one session a week, among hundreds of students, I consider myself successful if I know all the students’ names by the November conferences. (As I’ve calculated it, by that time,
The Professional “No”
Planning, parent communication, classroom setup, tutoring, report cards, IEPs, faculty meetings, department meetings, district arts meetings, parent night, concerts, fundraisers, extracurricular activities, professional development, recertification, grading, differentiation, testing, curriculum development, documentation, copies, class blogs, parent-teacher conferences, impromptu parent-teacher conferences, filing
Almost summer: end-of-year reflection questions
I’m seeing all the “last day of school” posts coming through my feed now, and I’m thinking about how to wrap up the year with my team. As teachers, we naturally want to improve our craft all the time, so
15 questions to ask the teacher before you
It’s the time of year when you might be preparing to move on to a new job. You’re probably looking forward to some changes, and wondering about some of the behind-the-scenes workings of your new school. If you are lucky
10 Tips for Using Learning Centers in Specialist Classes
I’ve been experimenting with learning stations, or centers, in my music classroom. I’m always intrigued when I walk into classrooms that are set up with exciting experiments, games, and other provocations for learning. But a long time passed between admiring
Classroom management from the first minute
I start every year thinking about changes I’m going to make to improve my classroom management. I have so many colleagues whose calm, quiet, relaxed personalities spread to their students. I think I need to accept that my energetic and
Seesaw – An Introduction for Specialist Teachers
If you don’t know about Seesaw, back up quickly to read what I love about it here. If you are ready to see how specialist teachers can utilize this tool—because let’s face it, very few teaching tools are made with
I Have Found It: A Digital Portfolio Solution
I have been through several attempts at digital portfolios, but last year my school introduced me to one that has my interest: Seesaw. So today I thought I’d share some of the reasons I find it effective with my students.
20+ Questions to Guide Inquiry-Based Learning
A teacher new to PYP asked me recently, “How do you do inquiry in a specialist class?” I remember how confused and overwhelmed I was when I first landed in a PYP school. I was the only music teacher there,
4 Easy Tricks for a Quieter Classroom
Music teachers have an amazing tolerance for noise. All primary school teachers deal with the calling out, the obliviously loud voices, and all that, but the music classroom multiplies that. After all, we don’t usually sit at desks—maybe not in