The squeakiest wheel gets the oil - but NOT in my classroom! 

I have a rule, no excited outbursts (aka blurting), and hand waving during instruction time. For early childhood educators, classroom management is always a little tricky! The average US elementary school has 20 plus children, making instruction time crazy as we attempt to create a learning environment that allows even the most reserved child to grab the spotlight and shine. 

I share a straightforward strategy in this episode that allows every child to think, process, and answer questions. 

Ready to join me for another - Morning Meeting! Takeaways: 

[00:01:24] Our Morning Meeting Song [00:03:04] Why "processing time" is critical
 for all learners
 [00:06:14] Naturally quiet vs. talkative students- how to give everyone attention
 [00:11:28] Sneak peek into my newest project 

For Fun Math Games For Students, check out https://www.boddlelearning.com/article/we-are-boddle 

The Morning Meeting Podcast is a community for early education teachers. Join me as I share insights, resources, and research-based principles for educators. 

Did you love this episode? Drop me an email and share your biggest takeaway. 
Follow me on Instagram.

Do you want to support The Morning Meeting, click here https://www.buymeacoffee.com/matthalpernedu 

Interested in learning how we can work together? 

Music by Matt Halpern

What Is The Best Way To Teach Students To Read? 

The debate around the Science of Reading is getting exciting, and I love it. Lively discussions show just how passionate early childhood educators are about providing our young scholars with the best instruction possible. 

In this episode, you will learn how I help my learners interpret and comprehend what they are reading. Of course, I've included tips on keeping students engaged and building relationships along the way. 

Additional key takeaways in this episode are how to use oral storytelling to engage your students, how to pre-plan key activities, and setting boundaries during the "Turn and Talk" exercises. 

The school bell is ringing. Let's get ready for our Morning Meeting. Takeaways: 

[00:00:45] Our Morning Meeting Song
 [00:02:31] What is the science of reading
 [00:04:31] Learn why reading to kids is an integral part of comprehension - and how older children benefit, too.
 [00:06:46] Tips for bilingual students
 [00:10:29] - My top 3 most instructional tools for building listening & comprehension skills 

For Fun Math Games For Students, check out https://www.boddlelearning.com/article/we-are-boddle 

Did you love this episode? Drop me an email and share your biggest takeaway. Follow me on Instagram. 

Do you want to support The Morning Meeting, click here https://www.buymeacoffee.com/matthalpernedu 

Resources Mentioned In This Episode: 

Boddle

Additional Recommended Resources: 

Shifting The Balance
The Ramped Up Read Aloud 

Welcome to Part II: Teaching Through A Pandemic. If you are an early childhood educator, you entered this school year with both hope and apprehension. All across the nation, educators were promised that their safety and the wellbeing of their students were a top priority of school boards implementing pandemic plans. 

Not only did we rest on these promises, but we also entered the classrooms and bet our lives on them. 

This week's episode is about acknowledging our frustrations about the promise makers' failures and the constant stress of managing those failures while balancing our students' academic and emotional needs. Our concerns are valid, and I want to share with you how I am "getting through this pandemic." 

Today, I am sharing: 

•How I incorporated time in my classroom to honor the  emotional needs of myself and my students [00:07:50] 
•How to adjust rigid academic standards to fit the reality of our day to day [00:05:30] 
•How to continue to foster community and connection with your students. [00:09:20] 

Did you love this episode? Drop me an email and share your biggest takeaway
Follow me on Instagram.

Interested in learning how we can work together? 

Resources Mentioned In This Episode:
•CDC
•Boddle 

If You're Building Your Classroom Library, You Don't Want To Miss This Episode. 

Early Educators have so many opportunities to introduce children to new things. As an educator who loves reading and writing, I am beyond excited to open our classroom library and witness student's imaginations open as they fall in love with reading. 

In this week's episode, I share my 3-part framework for creating a classroom library that our young learners design, operate, and are delighted to keep organized. 

These tips will ensure that you never miss an opportunity to allow your students to develop problem-solving skills, find their voice, and keep them engaged in their learning. One key takeaway I share is how you can 

Eliminate Library Book Abandonment and Have Students Returning Books To Their Rightful Place [12:31] 

Tune in to this week's episode and let me know on Instagram, What book made you fall in love with reading? 

Hey, did you know you can watch this episode on YouTube? 

Be A Brave Speller shirt

The Morning Meeting Podcast is a community for early education teachers. Join me as I share insights, resources, and research-based principles for educators. 

Did you love this episode? Drop me an email and share your biggest takeaway. Click here or follow me on Instagram. 

Do you want to support The Morning Meeting? Please click here. I appreciate your support!

Interested in learning how we can work together? 

For many educators, the signs, symptoms, and stigmas surrounding ADHD make it challenging to feel confident in understanding this disorder. Much less how to deal with young learners who are/or maybe coping with it. In honor of ADHD Awareness Month (October), I want to share some of my tools, rules, and resources to help you break through and provide an atmosphere that allows children with ADHD to thrive. 

Grab your favorite fall drink and join me for another Morning Meeting! In this episode, we are learning: 

1. [11:13] How Peer Support Can Be Both Magical and Transformational for ADHD students 
2. [6:38] How Constant Movement Can Be A Good Thing 
3. [3:30] The Sweet Spot That Makes Your Classroom Rules Easy  To Remember, and even easier to follow. 

And lastly, why fair may not always mean equal when dealing with different learning styles.

Hey, did you know you can WATCH this episode on YouTube?  

The Morning Meeting Podcast is a community for early education teachers. Join me as I share insights, resources, and research-based principles for educators. 

Did you love this episode? Drop me an email and share your biggest takeaway.  You can also follow me on Instagram where I share more tips.

Do you want to support The Morning Meeting, click here!

Interested in learning how we can work together? I'm available to present, consult, and for limited tutoring.

Resources Mentioned In This Episode: 

• CHADD 
• ADDA 
• ADHD 

We don't start off as good teachers, despite our best intentions. The truth is most new teachers aren't. Luckily, young learners are resilient and learn as long as they are in a supportive environment. 

While learning curves are to be expected, The Morning Meeting exists to expedite the learning curve by providing resources and advice for new and seasoned educators who want to bring the very best to their students, classrooms, and districts. 

Today Matt is sharing tips for new educators who: 

●  [8:11] Struggle With Setting Expectations and Boundaries for Their Students 
●  [12:05] Want to know how to connect with "challenging" students. 
●  [9:43]To foster relationships with young learners, where to invest their time and resources as a new educator. 

Matt Halpern is a Speaker, Consultant, and Early Childhood Educator who
 overcame his new teacher challenges by seeking the support of his peers, investing in affordable but effective resources, and a strong emphasis on building relationships with students.

The Morning Meeting Podcast is a community for early education teachers. Join me as I share insights, resources, and research-based principles for educators. 

Did you love this episode? Drop me an email and share your biggest takeaway. Click here or follow me on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/matthalperneducation/. 

Do you want to support The Morning Meeting, click here. I appreciate your support!

Interested in learning how we can work together? 

Resources Mentioned In This Episode: 

• Kids First from Day One 
• The First Six Weeks of School
• Troublemakers  

Do you want to learn how you can encourage your students to bring their voices forward? Are you interested in connecting with young learners on their level? 

In today's episode of The Morning Meeting, Early Education Teacher, Speaker, and Consultant Matt Halpern introduces us to two simple but powerful techniques to increase student engagement, strengthen relationships, and increase empathy towards our students. Building on last week's episode, Matt is digging even deeper and showing us how we can: 

●  Increase student engagement without losing control of our classroom 

●  Build learners' self-confidence 

●  Provide learners with opportunities to bring their voices forward - while keeping our curriculum on track 

This episode is packed with practical and actionable steps that we can use to engage our students in ways that we may not have thought of before. 

The Morning Meeting Podcast is a community for early education teachers. Join me as I share insights, resources, and research-based principles for educators. 

Did you love this episode? Drop me an email and share your biggest takeaway. Click here or follow me on Instagram. 

Do you want to support The Morning Meeting? Click here. 

Interested in learning how we can work together? Click here.

Three Simple Ways to Build Relationships with Students from the Start

Do you wonder how you can begin to establish meaningful relationships with your students before school even begins? Research shows that constructive teacher-student relationships largely affect how students perform academically and socially. 

In this episode of Morning Meeting, Matt shares three simple ways to build relationships with my students from the start. He explains with examples how you can adapt them for the upcoming school year. 

Listen in to hear a few tips and tricks to help you avoid stress and make your students happy.

For resources detailed in this episode, visit: https://www.matthalperneducation.com/blog

What You Will Learn:

• [0:22] Intro  
• [1:54] A simple good morning song to start building relationships with your students
• [4:01] The impact of a constructive teacher-student relationship.
• [4:55] How to show in your summer letter you care about your students and who they are. 
• [6:52] Make a video showing your interest in them and the upcoming school year. 
• [8:54] Create a family questionnaire for families to give you more information about their child.
• [10:31] Think of the first day of school and a few ways you can welcome students.
• [11:43] A quick teacher hack for when you forget to take the attendance.  

What If You Don’t Have to Decorate Your Classroom?

What if you don’t HAVE to decorate your classroom? 
What if you don’t HAVE to spend your own money at Target and the Dollar Store? 
 
You don’t. 
 
I know many teachers love to spend their money and time decorating their classrooms and there is no judgment, but you don’t HAVE to… do it because you want to… because it brings you joy… do it for YOU. 
 
Taking the pressure of having a Pinterest/Instagram ready classroom off my plate was a gamechanger. Don’t fall prey to all the traps of having the cutest classroom. It’s simply not required. 
 
So, what do I do instead? I spend the first few weeks of school ‘decorating’ the classroom WITH my students. They help me create and put up everything… because it’s OUR space, not mine. The ‘theme’ of our classroom is… STUDENT-CREATED. 
 
How have you typically set up or decorated your classroom? Are you looking to make a shift? In this episode, Matt will talk more about how you can rethink setting up your classroom.

Find more information or reach out to Matt at www.MattHalpernEducation.com

Time to get vulnerable.  This last school year has been a... journey. A Frodo heading to Mount Doom to get rid of the Ring journey. When I got into my car on the last day of school, I literally said, "It is done."  And I probably looked like Frodo after his journey. Worn out.

Join me as I chat about my experiences teaching during COVID 19, both virtual and in person. I have also asked you - educators online about your experiences and share some of those as well. If you taught this last year or are simply curious what it was like, take a listen.

This episode's format is a little different than the future ones I have planned, but I needed to record it as part of my processing this year... and hope it helps you do the same.

I hope you enjoy it and please head to my website - www.matthalperneducation.com for more information.