Un-Ruling Teaching

It's the time of the year to plan what students need for the upcoming school year. How do you approach this challenging task? There is one request that could really be updated!

How often do teachers change grades? Schools? Do something different? Do we need to?

Relieved when that "one student" or "students" are not in class? Are there other options?

Throughout the year, especially after long breaks, and even just getting comfortable in the classroom, expectations and routines can get lost or less enforced. Is it worth it to go back and adjust? Or not?

It's Christmas Break! Are you busy watching the clock? The calendar for when it's time to go back to work? Does time seem to fly by? Maybe it's time to try something different. But actually try it. Guilt Free.

In this episode that I call an addendum to the previous episode, I expand my thoughts on working until we are forced to stop for whatever reason. Maybe the photocopier breaks down. Maybe we get so worn down physically that we need time off etc. Normal? Or not?

In this episode, I speak to feeling guilty about leaving school at a reasonable hour. I used to leave so late on a regular basis that it was often just the custodian left! Is that just part of the job? Or can we go home and enjoy the rich experiences of life without feeling guilty? Hmmmm....

In this episode, I discuss morning work and whether it has been helpful for my teaching practice or a hindrance.

As we start to prepare our classrooms for our new group of students, we are also looking at who we are getting. In this episode, I discuss the importance of giving students a fresh start, and how we should be interpreting previous observations about them from former teachers.

In this episode, I briefly discuss the practice of asking about summer vacation, in light of looking more deeply into trauma informed practices. This is something that I have been changing in my classroom the past few years, knowing that summer may not be the joyous occasion for all. So options may be good to have on hand!