Are you wondering what to teach children about Valentine’s Day, if anything? This article will address this idea and more. What to teach children about Valentine’s Day! I LOVE VALENTINE’S DAY AT SCHOOL! This is my absolute FAVORITE holiday to experience with school children. Now, I have to point out here that I’m talking about... The post What to Teach Children about Valentine’s Day! appeared first on Teacher Buddy Helps ..read more

I know, you are thinking; my recess breaks are already scheduled in the day; I don’t have any decision making power regarding when they can take breaks. And why do students need breaks anyway? Well, the gist (don’t you just love that word) of this point is to remind us all that the younger the... The post Do students need breaks to increase focus on content? appeared first on Teacher Buddy Helps ..read more

Have you ever started a lesson that has collaborative group work only to regret it a few minutes later when the students are out of control? Here are 5 Steps to control behavior during group work. I know I have, as a matter of fact I avoided group work for quite a few years after... The post 5 Steps to Control behavior during group work, and​ keep the noise level down. appeared first on Teacher Buddy Helps ..read more

How do teachers get students to listen and follow directions? This must be the million dollar question. There are many attention getting strategies out there, but the next step is to actually get them to listen after you have their attention. ** Gaining the students’ attention I will list just a few ways to gain... The post How do teachers get students to listen and follow directions? appeared first on Teacher Buddy Helps ..read more

Congratulations! You got hired to teach a new class. The dilemma is that it is mid-year and you are walking into the class mid-stream. What do you do when you are starting your class mid-year? Where do you start? Starting Your Class Mid-Year Most of the time when you begin mid-year, you are replacing a... The post 6 Steps for Starting Your Class Mid-Year appeared first on Teacher Buddy Helps ..read more

Have you incorporated student jobs to help in the classroom? If you haven’t, you should. Student jobs in the classrom offer so many benefits for both students and teachers. This is often a topic or idea that gets “put on the back burner” for some teachers as they trudge through the other MANY DEMANDS on... The post Using Student Jobs in the Classroom appeared first on Teacher Buddy Helps ..read more

When I began thinking about what makes a resilient teacher, I decided that it takes many different things; from taking care of yourself to being as prepared as you can be without running yourself ragged. Google defines resilient as “able to withstand or recover quickly from difficult conditions.” So here are some tips to be... The post My top 17 tips to be a resilient teacher! appeared first on Teacher Buddy Helps ..read more

Every new teacher is searching for a plan, a path to guide them (a guided pathway) during their first couple of years. If you were really lucky as a student teacher, you had an amazing experience. Your master teacher was knowledgeable and taught you MANY effective tools and strategies. However, for the rest of you,... The post A Guided Pathway for New Teachers appeared first on Teacher Buddy Helps ..read more

With many teachers back in class now, I’ve heard rumblings of exhausted, overwhelmed teachers. So, I thought it would be a good idea to write about building a teacher mindset. Teachers are taught about building the mindsets of their young learners, but has anyone really discussed the TEACHER’S MINDSET? BUILDING A TEACHER MINDSET To build... The post Building a TEACHER MINDSET appeared first on Teacher Buddy Helps ..read more

Is there a difference between collaborative groups vs. center time? ABSOLUTELY! I’m going to give you the…who, what, when, where, why and how of both. Center time is used most frequently in elementary school. Unfortunately, some teachers have taken this out of their schedules due to the “test prep.” But you really should add it... The post Groups vs. Center Time; which is better? appeared first on Teacher Buddy Helps ..read more