Have you ever told a student he couldn’t choose a particular book to read because it wasn’t the right level for him and seen the light go out of his eyes? I have. Learn what classroom practices kill students’ love of reading and what to do instead.

Teachers need a way to hold students accountable for getting their reading practice in. The result? Reading logs. For reading logs to be successful in your classroom, you need your students to get on board. Here’s how to accomplish that while also getting parents on board.

You can’t turn your current space into an organized classroom with systems that work without first going through all you have and purging what you don’t need. A classroom purge that puts you on the road to an organized classroom has three main steps.

There is a better way to lesson planning. A way that streamlines the process, saves you time, while also boosting rigor. I’m talking about planning backward. This idea might be new to you. If it is, I ask you to keep an open mind, continue reading, and trust me.

The best approach to behavior management is to be positive and proactive. Build a positive classroom environment in which students feel safe and know they can trust you. Starting a lunch bunch is just one way to make that happen. Let me show you how to get started.

Connecting with difficult students, those who challenge us in many ways, isn’t easy. But it is essential. When you succeed in building connections with your difficult students, the reward is huge. Today, I’m sharing seven simple but effective things I’ve done to build connections with those students who challenged me the most.

How do you take beginning of the year writers who ask endless questions because they are afraid of being wrong and turn them into independent writers who produce quality work? Today I’m going to talk to you about some tools that can accompany any writing program. Your students can use these tools to gain independence in writing and spelling.

Watch students take a big step toward spelling independence.

Teachers answer questions - all day, every day. It’s what we do. And it’s what we should do. After all, we teach because we want to inspire and encourage students, sharing knowledge and helping them learn important concepts and skills. Questions are a natural and vital part of learning.

However…

There’s one question that every teacher answers at least 20 times a day every day.

No, I don’t mean, “Is it almost time for lunch?” or “Can we have extra recess?”

The question I’m talking about is, “How do you spell…?”

Students who are not confident, independent spellers often turn to the most convenient of dictionaries - you. If you’re ready to retire from your role as a human dictionary (or at least greatly reduce your hours), keep reading. I want to share some resources with you that will help your students take an active role in their own spelling.

Learn how to use Spelling Fluency, a trusted Orton Gillingham practice, in your classroom to help students improve spelling accuracy.

Learn about the Spelling Fluency method and why it’s the best way to help your students gain automaticity in spelling high frequency words.

Start with these three priorities to get - and stay - organized this school year. Learn ways to organize your “stuff” and your “systems.”

Taking time to rest and recharge is so important. I hope you’ve taken that time for yourself during these summer months. Giving yourself time and space to process and reflect on this past school year - as well as time to think about anything but teaching - is essential to your well-being as a teacher. But… there is another gift you need to give yourself during this time away from the classroom - the gift of a smooth start.

Every teacher wants to start the school year feeling prepared, organized, and in control. And that means setting up systems at the beginning of the year so the rest of the year runs smoothly. Today, we’re talking about three systems to put in place now to help start your school year off on the path to success.

One of the best pieces of advice I could give to any teacher is to establish (and stick to) daily classroom routines at the very beginning of the year. Not only will creating routines help you manage all there is to accomplish in the classroom every day, but it also provides much needed structure for your students. Consistent routines are one of the best strategies for avoiding behavior management issues as well. Let me share with you a few tips on how classroom routines benefit you, the best places to have routines, and advice for sticking to them.

Spontaneity can be fun when you’re planning a last minute trip or deciding what to have for dinner. However, it’s not a recipe for success when we’re talking about lesson planning. Planning without having a system in place leads to so much time wasted searching for activities and resources that might fit with what your students need to learn.

There is a better way.

To make lesson planning less time-consuming, less stressful, and infinitely more effective, you need a system. It starts with saying no to planning “Pinterest-style.”

Over the past several years, I’ve talked to hundreds of teachers about lesson planning. We all have to do it and yet so many of us never quite find a way to make the process streamlined or easy. With something so foundational to our work as teachers, establishing a successful routine for lesson planning is paramount to simplifying our jobs as a whole.

The act of lesson planning will never go away - it’s something you’ll always have to do as a teacher. So why not incorporate a few changes now that will streamline the process and save you hours of time later? With these three tips, you can easily cut your planning time in half.