I was going to start by asking, “Have you ever wanted to write report card comments faster?” but then DUH of course you do! I don’t even need to ask. ChatGPT is an AI application that basically does everything! From creating a three day split workout plan to writing your lesson plans and report card comments. ChatGPT is currently free but I’m betting that there will be a fee attached in the future. So hurry up and get your report card comments done! I’m in report card writing mode right now and have been using ChatGPT to write my report card comments much faster. Is it perfect? No. But does it ..read more

If you’re the teacher or a parent of a child with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), you already likely know that they can struggle with memory, focus, and organization. Students may lose homework assignments, make careless mistakes on tests, have problems following instructions, and cause disruptions in the classroom and at home.  While learning to manage ADHD requires a long-term effort, many strategies can make a difference. With the help of a HomeAdvisor blog on organization hacks for ADHD, we’ve come up with six ADHD-friendly tips to help students succeed in school—and ..read more

As a classroom teacher, sometimes we encounter situations where students have suffered a loss. It can be challenging to address the grief that a child is feeling. We often talk about emotions in the classroom but rarely talk about grief. When a child suffers a loss, they are sometimes unprepared for that emotion. Teaching children about grief can be challenging but with the use of age appropriate books it can be manageable. When using picture books we want them to be relatable for children. When I read this book, “An Emotion Called Grief” , I knew that this was a book that I wanted for my clas ..read more

I have blogged about this pencil sharpener for the classroom before but I just got a new one and I felt the need to share my love all over again! It is THE BEST pencil sharpener for the classroom that I have ever owned and I highly recommend it. As a classroom teacher, it is important for me to have good tools. The pencil sharpener that was supplied with my classroom was constantly breaking the pencils and frustrating everyone. I bought 3 different electric sharpeners and they were all very good. The problem was that they were $40 a piece and were only lasting me for one school year. This pen ..read more

“Would you Rather?” is a fun game to play both in and out of the classroom. I created a fun digital presentation to use as a first week of school ice breaker activity. This activity could be used in class as a socially distanced ice breaker or even as a distance learning ice breaker. You can find the link to my Would you Rather Questions for the classroom below. Digital Would You Rather Questions for the Classroom: This digital Would You Rather slide deck is made for use with Google Slides(TM). You can use my questions or create your own. I included an editable slide that you can personalize ..read more

I have been looking for a voice amplifier for the classroom for a few years now. Now that I have to wear a mask to teach I decided to just bite the bullet and make a purchase. I read a bunch of reviews and there were several companies selling what seems to be the exact same voice amplifier. After I added it to my cart I went camping for 2 days and then when I got home I was notified that the price jumped. Sure enough, just about every voice amplifier has gone up in price. My guess is a lot of teachers are looking for voice amplifiers for the classroom now that many of us have to wear masks. Th ..read more

Digital back to school activities may be a necessity for those who are doing distance learning or a hybrid model. My school will be going back with a hybrid model which is why I created these fun digital back to school activities. Digital Back to School Activities for Upper and Middle Grades: It can be tricky to build community in the classroom when in distance learning. Distance learning will never be the same as in class learning. Using digital back to school activities, you can still build classroom community even at a distance. I created these digital activities to be used with Google Slid ..read more

We often hear about social emotional learning of students and that we need to incorporate it into our teaching. I am just beginning this journey of learning how to start teaching social emotional learning in math. To begin with, I think it is important to do a math attitudes and interest survey to see what the overall feelings are in my class. Before we get to that, let’s go over what social emotional learning is. What is Social Emotional Learning: According to Casel.org, social emotional learning is how we understand and manage our emotions. It allows us to “set and achieve positive goals, fe ..read more

I was once asked by a fellow teacher, “Why do you teach coding to your students? It’s not in the curriculum”. She felt that it was a waste of my time to teach coding in the classroom. I beg to differ (as do a myriad of other educators as well as those in the business sector and now it has been added to my local curriculum expectations. Read on to learn about why coding is important for students and where to find the best FREE coding resources for your classroom. Loren Padelford, Vice President at Shopify, had this to say about coding in the classroom: “Coding is the language of the future and ..read more

Create Dream Explore Teaching Children about Grief: A Child Friendly Book As a classroom teacher, sometimes we encounter situations where students have suffered a loss. It can be challenging to address the grief that a child is feeling. We often talk about emotions in the classroom but rarely talk about grief. When a child suffers a loss, they are sometimes unprepared for that emotion. Teaching children about grief can be challenging but with the use of age appropriate books it can be manageable. When using picture books we want them to be relatable for children. When I read this book, “An Emo ..read more