Read Across America Day (March 2) is also Dr. Seuss’ birthday and the perfect time to have a little bit of fun by dressing up in costume.  Not only will your students be delighted, but you may find that your day is filled with more joy and fun than usual.  The three costumes below are
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If you have ever considered being a teacher or are almost ready to graduate from a teacher training program, you might have some ideas about what you think teaching is really like.  For veteran teachers, however, there are a lot of things they have come to realize about the profession that they never knew before. 
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1.  You witness daily “lightbulb” moments when students finally understand and master a skill. 2.  Kids are fun! 3.  You make a difference in a child’s life every single day. 4.  You get to read beautiful children’s picture books on a daily basis. 5.  Everyday you play the role of actress, comedian, coach, cheerleader, parent,
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by Wendy Cushing, Monthly Columnist I was going to devote this article to the distressing, but indisputable fact that I am no longer a Teacher.  Rather, I am a Tester.  Because in the mere 16 weeks we have been in school this academic year, I have spent 98.9% of my time either testing my students
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By Wendy Cushing, Monthly Columnist Adjusting to my new life as a third grade teacher after 20 years educating kindergartners has turned me into a complete basket case.  No, it’s not the workload or the seemingly never-ending stream of standardized assessments I have to administer all the while wondering when I’ll ever have an entire
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by Wendy Cushing, Monthly Columnist Last week I broke my 3rd graders into cooperative groups to do research for a social studies project.  Their enthusiasm was infectious as they clamored over resources and made excited declarations over new discoveries. At one point, while they were all actively engaged, I was actually able to walk to
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Have you ever seen the movie Peggy Sue Got Married?  The 1985 movie by Francis Coppola is about a woman named Peggy Sue (Kathleen Turner) who gets whisked back in time to her senior year while at her 25th High School Reunion.  In the movie she talks about what life is like in 1985 and
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Did you miss #TeachChat on September 28th?  Read the transcript below to get some great substitute teaching tips and tricks.  Scroll down to the bottom of the post and read UP! JessiLowe1 9:55pm via TweetChat GN all! See you in 2 weeks! #teachchat   ReallyGoodStuff 9:54pm via TweetChat Have a great night! Thanks again! ~Brandi
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The more detailed you are with your substitute plans, the better the day will be for your students and the substitute teacher.  Take the guess work out of figuring out what to put in your substitute planner and use the ideas below to get you started.  With a 3-ring binder in hand, you can create
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by Wendy Cushing, Monthly Guest Columnist on The Teachers’ Lounge It’s the first day of classes.  Despite a week’s delay in the opening of school due to Hurricane Irene, the day has gone surprisingly smoothly.  No nerves on my part.  Well behaved students.  All Bollinger insurance forms, emergency cards, and lunch menus properly distributed and
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