Dear WeAreTeachers:Every day, I hear my second grade students talking about what they see on the news. Often it’s about violence. Between the Buffalo supermarket shooting and the school shooting in Texas, I’m at a loss. They seem so disillusioned and almost numb to another mass shooting. I don’t feel super-confident facilitating hard conversations, so … Read more
“Excuses are the tools of the weak and incompetent. I am neither weak nor incompetent! Therefore, I will not use excuses.” I listened to that chant in the room next door to mine every single morning. It seems like a positive message of potential, and sometimes, for some kids, it was. But there were definitely … Read more
Let’s face it, most of us don’t need to know what “future continuous perfect” means in our everyday lives. But we do need to use it correctly. In most cases, kids pick up proper verb tenses naturally as they go along. But there are some advantages to understanding and being able to name tenses, especially … Read more
Graduation is almost here, and it’s time to think about what to get the graduates in your life! Of course, high school teachers can’t be on the hook for gifts for all of their students—that would add up pretty quickly! But there are times when you might want to give students a special token, or … Read more
The Greek myths and the gods and goddesses who populate them have endured for so long because they’re exciting. Introducing kids to these stories and legends has never been easier, with the wealth of excellent works available, as well as several books about Greek mythology that play off the original stories to invent new, fun … Read more
Do you know a budding equestrian or a child otherwise fascinated with horses? Have you ever been in the company of a child when passing or driving by a pasture of horses? The awe and wonder these creatures inspire in children is hard to deny. Learning about and caring for these animals can impart lessons … Read more
Dear WeAreTeachers:I’m a parent and first-grade teacher. Juggling these different roles and responsibilities has been a challenge, to say the least. This year, I have missed quite a bit of school. I was out for 10 days with COVID. I also needed to take care of my two young kids when they were sick. We … Read more
Dear WeAreTeachers:I’m a parent and first-grade teacher. Juggling these different roles and responsibilities has been a challenge, to say the least. This year, I have missed quite a bit of school. I was out for 10 days with COVID. I also needed to take care of my two young kids when they were sick. We … Read more
If you’re a teacher leaving the profession in search of a career that can give you more flexibility, creativity, and autonomy, you’ll need some resume tips for teachers to help you stand out from the crowd. Don’t think of yourself as “just a teacher.” Your experiences and skill set align with many jobs outside of … Read more
Sometimes you want to lose yourself in a good book, but other times you want the book to come to you. While there is some debate, we think listening to a book in its audio form absolutely counts as reading, and these selections will hook your school-age readers. Perfect for classroom read-alouds, long car trips, … Read more