This past week, my son went on his eighth grade Senior Trip to Philadelphia. This was the first time that he was away from his father and I for the whole day in another state. As you all can imagine, I was a nervous mom all day wondering if he was having a good time and if he was safe. As parents we want our children to have many wonderful opportunities and experiences but we also want to protect them and keep them safe whenever possible. Sometime in the afternoon, one of the parents on the trip messaged me to let me know that all the boys had gotten in trouble and their teacher was going to take their mobile phones away for the remainder of the trip. Now, let me tell you, as an educator of over seventeen years, I am keenly aware of how distracting phones can be when it comes to the classroom. Had his teacher chosen to take my son's phone away in school, I would have been all in support of it but this was not the scenario and I felt she was completely wrong in taking away … [Read more...]
Should Teachers Take Students’ Phones Away On School Trips? #SquashTheBeef #Ad
5 Ways Teachers Can Impact Their Students
As a teacher, you probably want to impact your students as positively as possible. Although you go to work and it can feel just like any other job, there are ways you can impact your students. Don’t get stuck in a rut, use these tips to keep impacting the students of our future. #1. Show You Care Asking your students how they are is just one way you can show them you care. Go above and beyond and show them you care. For example: if a student drops his/her textbooks help pick them up. If your student is having a bad day, take the time to listen. If they ask for extra help, show them you care by spending the extra time teaching/tutoring them. #2. Spend Time Answering Questions There are always those students who have extra questions. They don’t quite learn at the same pace as the other students and that’s okay. Spend time answering the questions of those students and you will impact them more than you ever thought possible. #3. Serve … [Read more...]
Calling All Parents! #Education
This past week, I have taken the opportunity to reach out to many of the parents of my students just to introduce myself and to give them an update on how their children are progressing in class. I cannot begin to tell you how many parents immediately get scared when I introduce myself because they think I am calling to give them a bad report about their child. Nine times out of ten I have to reassure them right away that this is a good call and that there is nothing to worry about. As an educator, it makes me wonder how often my colleagues are calling parents just to tell them that their children are doing well or simply to touch base. My experience has been that I get a lot more support and cooperation from parents that I contact regularly than parents that I only call to give complaints to. After all, nobody wants to hear bad things about their child all the time. I'm a parent and I hate when I get bad reports from my sons' teachers. The response to this round … [Read more...]
First Day Back To School
Today was the first day back to classes for all students in New York City. This means that not only did my boys start school today but that I also got to meet my new seventh grade students for the first time. I wonder if my students realize that I'm just as nervous as they are on the first day of school. There are so many things that I think about as an educator including, whether I will have a profound impact on their academic development or whether they will enjoy being in my class...Of course, I'm sure that they are nervous about meeting their new teacher too, especially in my school where students get to have the same teacher for two grades. This means that my entering seventh graders had the same teacher for fifth and sixth grade and obviously developed a bond with her over those two years that they were together. Since I teach middle school, our students are departmentalized and switch classes throughout the day. As a result, I have two classes with 31 students … [Read more...]
Back To School With Boys & Girls Clubs Of America! #Tools4BTS @BGCA_Clubs
*This post was written by me on behalf of Boys & Girls Club of America. All opinions are 100% mine. This morning, my boys and I had the pleasure of attending the Boys & Girls Clubs of America (BGCA's) Wake Up Call Back-to-School Kick Off event in New York City. The event was supported by JCPenney and aims to motivate kids to be prepared for academic success this school year. The event took place in Foley Square and we had the opportunity to see legendary basketball player Shaquille O'Neal participating with students in a unique obstacle course. We stood with students on the sidelines cheering our teams onto victory and, each child who participated in running the obstacle course, received an honorary diploma. Shaq and Mommy O'Neal also sounded the alarm to signal the start of the Back-to-School season. My boys also participated in running the obstacle course and it meant a lot to me because I want them to be excited about starting off the school … [Read more...]
Back To School With Kleenex And Box Tops For Education! #KleenexBTS #Ad
*This sponsored post was written by me in collaboration with Latina Bloggers Connect and Kleenex. All opinions are 100% mine. Although we don't go back to school here in New York City until the beginning of September, many places across the country are preparing to begin school soon. All parents and students understand the importance of preparing for the beginning of the school year and making sure that kids have all of the necessary materials and resources to help them begin their new grade successfully. As an educator and parent, one of my concerns when it's time for Back to School is making sure to decrease the spread of germs as much as possible. Kleenex brand is supporting the Back to School season by supporting healthy kids in the classroom with their Everyday Tissue with Sneeze Shield. Not only is their tissue extremely soft but it's also a very useful in the classroom because it helps to decrease the spreading of germs. This is accomplished through their … [Read more...]
Wordless Wednesday/Letters From My Students…
My graduating eighth grade students wrote some letters to me and reminded me exactly why I became a teacher in the first place. (Just click on each photo to read each letter.) … [Read more...]
