Making Sense Out of Nonsense

Seven tips to classroom management tip one: Don't let anyone see you cry As sad as it sounds, Teaching is tough. You got into this for all the right reasons, you wanted to help others, you love kids, you even loved your content area, but come the first month of school, none of that will seem important. It's not that you can't remember WHY you got into teaching, but you WON'T have TIME to remember why you got into teaching. What's a fresh face like you to do? You need to pee on your territory, to use a canine metaphor. You are in charge, this is your world, and you will welcome them to it--when you are good and ready. Lay the ground rules down immediately. Practice that teacher face. It doesn't matter that you look like Lindsay Lohan, you need to get a different kind of game face on. Sometimes children can't help being sweet, personable, or even funny. DO NOT SUCCUMB!!!! Keep that teacher face on Some say to be mean and angry until Thanksgiving. Maybe, but yo...

When you read a book by a guy named Harry Wong, a guy that often makes teachers squeal with delight, and he tells you the most important thing is classroom mgt, you either take him seriously immediately or you find out later that you should have taken him seriously. As my first year and fifth career, teaching seemed like a dream job, good for my ego and a good way to help enrich the next few generations. Little did I know that it would all come down to classroom management. To paraphrase Dr Wong, it doesn't matter how smart, pretty, clever, interesting, or wealthy you are if you don't have classroom mgt. Over the next month, I will impart how I failed in classroom mgt, how I wasn't as bad as I thought I was, and ways to get better. And the most important answer to what is classroom management. It meant something completely different to me 18 mos ago than it does today. peace,

the School year is done. Mom is feeling better. Life is good. It was a really difficult school year. K12 IS vastly different than higher ed. That being said, going through an alt cert program has really opened my eyes and given me a lot of knowledge in a concentrated time. Of course, I don't know everything about pedagogy, but I certaininly know more than before. I really wish I would have an entire year in one subject [ask me...I can go for days abt how I was treated]. It would have helped me immensely (and students) to have actually not been bounced around from dif class to dif class. Frankly, if they didn't need me, they should have allowed me to transfer. NOW, IT'S OVER!!!! Yipee!! I have high hopes for next year. I really hope that I get the same group of kids for an entire year (instead of four dif grps), to TEACH SPEECH!!!! How great would it be to teach your actual subject. It would also be great to teach technology. I know I'm asking too much, but if you don...

How many virtual worlds are you in? I have a SL -life (or did, I don't keep up anymore), accounts on link-in, twitter, FB, myspace, right here, and most other accounts that I will forget. Now, my friend has turned me onto a way to keep all these things organized and updated with one post (thanks, David). This seems to defeat part of the purpose. Afterall, are you communicating or broadcasting? My ego wants to be on as many new and groovy things as time and sanity allows, but I would hesitate whether the "pasta effect" is transactional communication. That being said, when you do have small groups aligned on Twitter, for example, that community is getting, hopefully, what they need and in turn can communicate their levels of interest. another facinating aspect of this communication is an example from fwtno, who reviewed a technology conference via twitter. Now that sounds like community communicating! I know as someone who is not the chattiest person (for example, see last ...

I cannot tell you how wonderful it was to have two weeks off. It took an entire week just to unclench (my jaws). I now understand why teaching is considered a young person's game. You have to be young to be brain-washed into putting up with all the paperwork and blame.