1) Official School ID. Every school I have worked for gives you and ID to wear at all times when you are on campus. This is for the safety of the students and adults that work in the school. 2) classroom key: I wear my key around my neck attached to my lanyard with my school ID. This way, you will never be locked out of your classroom. I have heard horror stories about students locking themselves in and the teacher out of the classroom. I have also heard horror stories of a student locking the door before the class went to lunch. When they return, so much time is wasted waiting on someone to come with a key to unlock the room. 3) Pen: You never know when you will need to sign something or document something. I always use a pen that has a clip on it. I can clip it to the front of my shirt or my lanyard. This is the only writing utensil I don’t loan to students. 4) clipboard: this is where you need to keep your lesson plans, seating chart, and student behavior tracking sheet. You never know when you need to refer to your lesson plans especially if you script yours like I do. I can tell by the number on my lesson plans and the number on my PowerPoint what I need to say. I like my slides to be full of images and I can refer to my lesson plans on what I need to say. If you haven’t watched the two videos I posted about scripted lesson plans and how I create PowerPoints to match my lesson plans, please check those out. Also, you never know when you need to document students behaviors. Sometimes all I have to do is snatch my pen off my lanyard and stare down the student breaking the rules for them to stop. They don’t want me to document their behavior. Keep your seating chart on the clipboard as well since kids often like to change their seat. Once they know you are on top of it, they will stop. 5) Cell phone: I use my phone in a variety of ways. The first way is if I have a sick student and the school nurse is not at school or the school does not have a school nurse, and the child needs to call their parent. The second way is to call a parent on the spot if a child is being belligerent. The third way is if a fight breaks out and I am not in my classroom, I will call the front office to send an administrator to my location. The fourth way I use my phone is if I correct a student, that is not one I teach, in the hallway or the lunchroom, etc. If this child I do not know is disrespectful when corrected, I take their picture of the student and tell them I will deal with them later. I then ask a colleague that teaches that student to identify them. Then I handle the student as needed. (Then delete the picture from my phone.). I also use my phone as a timer. Of course there are many other ways to use your phone that I did not list.
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(This video will be live Sunday, July 7, 2019. Just click the picture above.)
When I first started teaching, I did not make a single parent contact. Why? Because I was scared. The thought of calling a parent and telling them negative things about their child seemed horrifying. I was worried they would yell and scream at me. Now in my 10 years in this business, I am happy to report that I can count on both hands how many times I have been yelled at by a parent through the phone and parent-teacher conferences. If you are like me, don’t be afraid. Most of the time parents want to work with you and they want to know what is going on with their child. I have put together a list of 13 tips on how to make those parent contacts a success. 1) When the parent says hello, say, “This is Mrs. Mack from Star Wars Middle School, and I am trying to reach Mr. Parent”. 2) State facts and observations not opinions. (Keep your emotions out of this.) Side Note: Don’t ever tell a parent a child needs to be on medication! 3) Do not call if you are upset. (Wait until you are calm and your judgment is not cloudy.) If I feel some kind of way and am in my feelings, I will make a list of facts so my emotions do not get involved when I am talking to the parent. 4) On the first day, observe students and the ones you think you may have a problem with, call those parents first to sell them something positive about their child. Be proactive. 5) Be positive. I always talk to the parent like every issue we are dealing with can be fixed. 6) Do not talk negatively about the child as a person, talk about the child’s behavior. If possible, turn this into a positive for the future. I try to think about the behavior and how that behavior could relate to a successful career. For example: If a child talks all the time, say “Johnny is really social, but this trait will come in handy when he is an adult. I can see him being a preacher or a politician.” This is usually followed by a laugh. Or if a child is really sassy, say, “this trait will come in handy when she is an adult, she will never let anyone walk on her.” Try to turn the negative trait into a positive. If you have a hard time turning a trait into a positive, say something like “he is well liked by his peers” or “she is highly intelligent“ or he is a natural leader.” Make sure you are sincere! Parents know their child and they will know if you are being dishonest. 7) Always talk about what is best for the child. Your focus should always be the well-being of the child. 8) If a parent becomes irate with you, kindly say, “I can set up a conference with myself and the administrator if you would like.” Then go from there. 9) If a parent curses at you or becomes belligerent, say, “Thank you for your time.” Then hang up. “ Then tell your administrator ASAP. (Anytime you have a parent that is mad at you, tell your boss the whole story and document this.) 10) Do not ever disrespect a parent, even if they are disrespectful to you. Remember, you are the professional. 11) Make sure you end the call with “Please contact me anytime time if you have any questions or concerns. I am here for you and I always try to get back with parents within 24 hours.” 12) Do NOT ever mention other children’s names to the parent. For example: Mrs. Parent, your child, Johnny will not stop talking to Sarah”. Do not mention other children’s name to parents. 13) If the parent does not answer the phone, leave a message and document it. Call another phone number for the child. Many times these extra phone numbers will be on the child’s check out card. (If the child is a cat rider, try to walk the child to their pickup destination. Do not give up. If this does not work, send a letter home. Make a copy of the letter and include it with the documentation you have been collecting. I hope this lists makes calling parents a little easier. You all have an amazing day. This video will be live Sunday morning (June 30, 2019). You will be able to click on the picture above to see the video. Many times in a new teacher's career, we are told to document everything. This is obviously a very broad topic so I have created a list of 15 occasions that teachers need to document. (Document (as a verb) is defined as a record of something in written, photographic, or other form. Basically meaning provide the time, date, possible location, and brief description of the occurrence kept in an organized list so this information can be useful later if needed. Depending on the situation will determine how many details that are needed to be included. Here is the list of 15 occasions you need to document. 1) Absences & Tardies 2) Makeup Work Given to Students 3) All parent contacts! (Phone calls, texts, letters, postcards, Talking Points, Remind 101, class-craft, & conferences) 4) Returned progress reports & returned report cards 5) Evidence of student growth. (Whether this is pretests & post tests, iReady diagnostics, teacher observation checklists, student work samples, or exit tickets) 6) classroom disruptions ( and all the interventions you provided) 7) Students that are exceeding your expectations. 8) In your lesson plans, document students with IEPs, students with 504s, & ELL students’ accommodations and how you will differentiate your lessons to meet these accommodations. 9) In your lesson plans, always include the standard or standards you are teaching. This way you have a paper trail just in case there is any questions about you teaching the standards. 10) Students that do not turn in homework or class work. 11) Documentation of support put in place to aid students that are failing your class around progress reports. You need to contact these parents before progress reports go home so it is not a surprise. (Give examples of support) 12) Any negative interactions with your colleagues or any staff that works within your school or district. 13) If you notice any of your students have bruises, are unclean, or anything out of the ordinary. (Keep in mind as a teacher you are a mandated reporter so if you overhear a student talking about abuse or they tell you, you have to tell someone within 24 hours.). I always tell the administrator or school counselor. 14) At the end of the class period, scan the exit tickets and document the students who get it and the ones that don’t. Follow this up with what you did to intervene. 15) All mandatory meetings such as faculty meetings, PLCs, Department meetings, etc. You will find a couple of resources below to help you get started. My other blog posts include resources that are helpful for documenting as well. Just scroll below.
When teachers are struggling with his or her responsibilities one of two things happen. Administrators offer support, but do not renew the teacher's contract for the following school year or administrators will put the teacher on an improvement plan. If you are a teacher and are struggling in your profession, do not be afraid to ask your administrator to help before it gets so bad that you are faced with one of the two options I listed above. (Click the picture above if you have not seen the video yet.) Below are a couple of resources to help you better understand teacher improvement plans (TIP). If I had to do it all over, I might have put myself on a TIP.
Have you ever wondered what teachers do in the summer? Click on the picture above to watch the video. Teachers usually are recovering after the school year concludes. Once teachers have recovered, many of us seek out professional development to upgrade our skill set. Please comment below what you do in the summer to upgrade.
This video discusses how teachers get paid and how much teachers get paid. (Click the picture above if you have not watched it yet.) I can say for sure in Mississippi, teachers get paid once a month. The salary is divided by 12 and this money is disbursed the last day of the month.
How much a teacher makes depends on a variety of things. The first is how many years experience the teacher has under his or her belt. The more years experience means the more money they will earn. Another factor is how many degrees a teacher has. A teacher with his or her Bachelor's degree will earn less than a teacher with his or her Master's degree with the same years experience. The last factor and I believe is the most important is the location. Which state a teacher works determines how much money they can earn. Also, school districts within that state have different rates. As far as I can tell, the states' department of education lists the minimum money a teacher can earn. If you are a teacher outside Mississippi or outside of the United States, please comment below how you get paid. This short and sweet video gives you a brief overview on how to turn your lesson plans into PowerPoints. This style allows you to stay on track while you are teaching. Check out the lesson plan below and check out the accommodating PowerPoint so you can get an idea of how this is done. Feel free to use either as a guide. This way of creating PowerPoints that follow my lesson plans has upped my game in this education world that I live in. It has enhanced student achievement and has decreased disruptions. This video will be live on June 16, 2019.
I was on an improvement plan the second year back in a middle school setting. My classroom management was out of control and I really needed the help. I was also moved to a content area that was out of my expertise. My two amazing administrators worked with me weekly to improve. They said it was mandatory for me to script my lessons, so I did. I came up with a method that worked for me and this is what I share in this video. (If you have not seen the video yet, click on the image above. I will wait.) Once I started scripting lesson plans, it changed everything. I had thought of everything before entering my classrooms. I was less tolerant of misbehaviors since I had a lot to teach in my plan and no time for nonsense. I was quick to deliver my consequences so I could get back to teaching. So below, is a general template (Madeline Hunter) I use to script my lessons, the lesson plans I wrote for one week for a 7th grade math class and I am included a scripted version for one day. Please check it out. I plan for my next video to show how to create a PowerPoint that matches the scripted lesson plans so you can pace yourself accordingly. I hope it helps.
This video is longer than I anticipated, but I had so many topics to cover. (I will upload it this evening or tomorrow morning.) First, I mentioned that you need to familiarize yourself with some classroom management books. These books are below. (Click on the image to be directed to amazon.com to purchase any of these books.) The next thing you need to do before the first day is ask what the procedure is if a student arrives to school out of dress code, what are the lunchroom procedures, where is your table, and what is the procedure if a student does not know how he or she is getting home. You also need to read the student handbook, and be knowledgeable of the school's dress code policy. when the first day of school arrivesHave your seating chart posted on the board, and have plenty of copies of the first assignment. Below is a sample of what I use each year. For the full paid version, visit my TPT store. (Just click on the picture.)
Make sure you have a student roster so you can document students' being exceptional and any student that you had to give a consequence. You will need this for later. I have included a Microsoft Word document and a PDF. You can edit and customize as you see fit. If you decide to use my template, make sure you have one per week. This really helps me keep up with exceptional and disruptive behavior.
Sometimes, I teach my rules and procedures through acting. The sample scripts I use are below. Disclaimer: You need to customize these to suit your expectations for the classroom. If you decide to use these, print one copy for you, and print multiple copies to use throughout the day. (Make sure to cute out the different scenarios.)
You can do an icebreaker activity with your students, but this is not necessary. Once your day has ended, call one parent per class period to inform them of their child's good day. If you had to deliver any consequences, call those parents too. Make sure to always start with a positive point first. Below is a link to Google Voice (just click on the picture) if you do not want to call parents from your personal phone number. I am also including a parent contact log template to document all parent phone calls.
I apologize again for the lengthy video. I wanted to be a precise as possible. Hope you feel prepared for your first day of school! Good luck, and feel free to leave comments about how it went. If you are a veteran teacher, I would love to hear your tips for our new teachers. Please, do not be shy.
The 2019 Making Connections Conference was took place in Biloxi, Mississippi. (Click on the picture above to see the video if you missed it.) It was a three day event. In this episode, I vlog my three day journey of all the things I learned. Since this video is full of all of my wonderful experiences, I will keep this short. Below are the helpful websites I mentioned in this video.
https://www.peardeck.com/ https://quizlet.com/ https://edpuzzle.com/ https://get.plickers.com/ https://www.classcraft.com/ |
AuthorI am not an expert yet by any means. I felt inspired to create a YouTube channel and website so new teachers will have an easier journey than I had. Archives
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