by Lori Wolfe, Monthly Columnist “If only I had more time in a school day…” Have you ever caught yourself uttering this phrase? You can easily add those instructional minutes to your day by explicitly planning for your transition times. Carefully considered transition times offer the key to maintaining an optimal learning environment, minimizes disruptions
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by Hadar Maor, Monthly Columnist As the school year goes on, and breaks approach, you may notice your students having a tough time staying focused and following classroom rules. It’s not just me, right?! So I wanted to share a fun management idea that I introduced to my class last year before summer vacation because
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You are tired, the classroom is hot and stuffy, the lesson you had planned got cut short by a surprise fire drill, and instead of happy voices, all you hear are grouchy, grumpy ones.  Your patience is shot.  It is one of those days.  We all have them.  And does it not seem that on
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by Tessa Maguire, Guest Blogger Managing behaviors is usually the number one issue with a new teacher. Student teaching, while giving you lots of opportunities, just isn’t the full experience of managing your very own classroom. Generally, you follow the systems your cooperating teacher already has in place and they establish the routines with the
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By Barbara Gruener, Monthly Columnist I don’t know about you, but I’ve always had a difficult time with certain conversations. Nose picking, for example. Surely I can not be the only one who thinks it’s just plain yucky. If I catch a pick and roll while kids are in my office, I quickly offer up
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Idea By Barbara, Friendswood, TX We decided to inspire better behavior in the cafeteria with a spinoff of the Elf on the Shelf.   We’re actually using a little hanging monkey we call JOY by putting JOY up for grabs. JOY will get to go back to the classroom whose class showed the best table manners
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Get out the wiggles with this idea by Diane, a 1st Grade Teacher, from Langdon, ND. Whenever my students get a little antsy while doing seatwork, I play a game I call “Switch.”

Turn attitudes around with this idea by Jessica, a K-5 Gifted Resource Teacher, in Wichita, KS. My students are incredibly smart but often struggle with their own negativity.

The end of the year is filled with a lot of pressure and stress for both students and teachers alike.  Between testing and report cards, to uncertainty about next year, the stress can build up.  As all really good teachers know, the key to teaching students is to give them the tools to do things
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We’re excited to have guest author and ADHD coach, Laura Rolands, share with us some really good tips for working with students in the classroom who have ADHD.  We love that they’re practical and easy to implement! Let us know how they work out in your classroom. Helping Students with ADHD in the Classroom by
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