This is the final week before a holiday break for many schools. One more week, teachers. You can make it! Students often become very energetic near Christmas break, making it hard for them to concentrate on their assignments. For this final week, I encourage you to invite students to practice writing by having them reflect […]
Throughout December, I will be sharing my favorite activities to keep students engaged and focused on learning, while also celebrating the holiday season. One of my favorite assignments during December allows students to be an investigative journalist. I tell students TIME magazine has hired them to write 3 articles for their “Stories of The Year” […]
December is a crazy month for most schools in the United States. There are performances, celebrations, benchmark test, and field trips. Kids are excited and teachers are ready for a break. Educators must be diligent to ensure students stay focused on learning during December with so many distractions. As teachers, we always want every lesson […]
It’s a number one rule of parenting to have something to entertain your kids on long car rides. But, on the way back from the beach this summer I had roughly a 3-hour car ride with my 7-year-old and nothing to entertain him. No games, no books, iPad was dead, and he wasn’t sleepy at […]
This lesson took me a long time to learn. As a teacher, you feel the constant pressure of TIME. Time is your number one enemy. There is never enough time. Time to grade assignments, plan lessons, make copies, attend meetings, call parents, document student behavior, put in grades, print out grades, and discuss grades with […]
Like every good parent, I finally cleaned out my son’s book bag from last year at the end of the summer. In it, I found a collection of journals from his 1st-grade year. I suppose the teacher had kept the journal in the class throughout the year, which is why I had never seen it […]
This past week I was reminded of a saying I told my students almost daily… “choices have consequences.” I had to pay a fine for a red light I ran a few weeks ago. I don’t recall running the red light, but they caught me on camera, so apparently, I did. I made a mistake, […]
I love thinking about my purpose in life. I think that’s why I appreciate mission statements and mottos. Having words to live my life by always keeps me focused on my purpose. A personal mission statement is on the wall in my house to remind my family of what we stand for and what we […]
I vividly remember the day my mama let me shave my legs. Most girls may not remember this day, but it’s a day I will never forget. I came home from school crying and hurt because I was bullied at school. I now understand, as a parent you never want to see your child hurt […]
My classroom was always noisy. I was “the teacher” no one wanted to teach beside because they could guarantee one thing… NOISE! I loved the sound of students engaging with each other, talking out problems, and delving into the history of the past. As my students would say, Ms. Knox’s classroom would never hear […]
