Designated Doodler

Here are the important tips about teaching art that you won't find in your first year teacher's survival guide. 1. Only leave out on the table the supplies that you want each grade to use. Little kids are like bloodhounds that can find a marker in a crayon stack, and it only takes one marker to mess up a project! 2. Never give your kids the color black, unless you are using it specifically, or their work will be 90% black. I'd also go ahead and pop out all of the black cakes in the watercolor palettes. 3. Demonstrate how to do absolutely everything, from using a glue stick properly to how to do the project, step by step. 4. Start the year off by immediately telling the kids that they will always, ALWAYS, only get ONE SHEET OF PAPER. Unless you want to singlehandedly destroy the rainforest, do not hand out paper like it's candy. Instill in the kids that their work is precious and should take time and care. And if they make mistakes, they need to think of ways...

I teach high school English and I also tutor elementary and middle school students. No matter what the age group, I see a common and alarming trend among children. They can't focus! These kids, our kids, are being affected by two pervasive things: instant gratification and constant stimulation. They get what they want, when they want. So when they come to school, they expect to run the show, which just isn't how it works - at school or in life. They talk back to teachers, question why they have to do assignments, argue about their grades, turn in assignments late and detest having to focus. It's no wonder that teachers are jumping ship right and left. Believe it or not, there once was a day when kids were respectful, did not question their assignments or grades, did not badger their teachers to grade faster, did not bring weapons to school or start fights, did not wage an electronics war or refuse to work. As teachers we receive absurd amounts of training on be...

I am drowning in work. Drowning doesn't even begin to cover it. You can ask any teacher, their first year teaching is undoubtedly the worst. The upside is that this isn't my first year teaching. I was a long term sub before finding my spot at my school, so I have a year's worth of experience in coming up with assignments, handling grades, communicating with parents, grading essays, going to meetings, etc. But since I am "real" now thanks to Geppetto, there is a whole slew of new things to trudge through. Teacher inservice week(s) was perhaps the longest experience of my life. I got to go to new teacher training for three days and then do in-service. That's long off the list of things to do, but it wasn't exactly a blast. Now for the things that remain… I need 50 hours of professional development THIS YEAR because of my alternative certification program (regular teachers need 25 or 75 in three years). I also get three in class visitors that review...

I feel like it's been forever since I wrote a blog post. This summer was crazy. And since I have no idea how to sum it up or share it, I'm going to throw a bunch of stuff into this post and hit "publish" whenever I feel like it. Teaching: I've learned that Cypress Fairbanks is awesome. They have given me so much training, support and information that I really feel ahead of the curve this year. They hang on to their employees for years…decades…and it's no wonder - it truly is like a family. This community of teachers and administrators make me feel like I could take on the world. For my teacher friends, I have a few AWESOME Pinterest boards you can follow: CLICK HERE STAAR 4th Grade SAT Prep Art Education English (all ages) 5th Grade Science …and 10th Grade English This weekend I'm going up to decorate my class…so wish me luck! My color scheme for this year is black, gray and yellow. I think it was inspired by my love for the Steelers...

1. You know that terrified feeling you get when you start your first day at a new job? Yeah, well that's what subbing is like...every single day is your first day (unless it's a long term sub job). 2. Let's pray that the teacher has their kids seated alphabetically, it will make my life soooo much easier. 3. Nobody talks to you at lunch because you're just a temporary fixture. 4. It is inevitable that you will walk into a classroom where the teacher has no plans for you whatsoever. 5. The kids will test you...every minute...of every hour...of every day. This includes them switching names on you, switching seats, trying to sneak out of class, trying to get in verbal battles with you and doing anything and everything except for their classwork. 6. There will be a point when you ask yourself...why did I take this assignment? 7. You will be up at 5am looking for jobs for the day if none were posted the day before, and you really want/need ...