Avoiding DEVOLSON

We understand this time of year is stressful. The luster of the new school year may now be “lovingly” tarnished, and it is often the time of year that our work as teachers gets real. Students that were a little behind at the start of the year might suddenly feel panicked. The small stack of grading you’ve been trying to manage looks more like a leaning tower. Even Mother Nature seems to be toying with you: Oh look, it’s snowing! Wait, was it too soon to pack away those shorts? Can I wear a raincoat over a parka? And just when you start to get your teacher groove back for the year, daylight savings time ends and the world turns off the lights before you even leave school for the day. Yes, it can be a tough time of the year.

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3 cheers for PD days - precious time to build your teaching toolkit!

At Learners Edge, my team is full of professional development super fans. Granted, it’s our job - but we do consider ourselves lucky to actually believe in what we practice and preach. We’re also tuned-in to teaching enough to know that professional development (PD) opportunities are usually viewed from one of two lenses: 

1. Love it.
2. Hate it. 

PD is a necessary opportunity to focus on your instructional practice and consider new ideas for implementation. With the goal of supporting students and yourself, every educator has a million outcomes to meet!  It’s daunting, to say the least, but PD can be the key. So instead of preaching to the choir - I say we lift up the naysayers and the PD pessimists, to see if we can encourage a slight shift in mindset for the next round of required learning. And in order to truly reach the intended audience, I’ll keep it short and sweet!  Here are some insights on how to make the most of your next PD Day!

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 Communication is Key!

Editor's Note: This post was originally published on the Tchers' Voice Blog at our sister company, Teaching Channel.

Depending on when your school year started, you’ve probably made it through the initial sprint of setting up routines, establishing the foundation for your class culture, and everything in between. Now as you move into the fall, it’s time to evaluate and refine your communication with families.

• How are you letting them know about your classroom’s activities?

• How are they learning about the progress of their children?

• How are you getting families involved?

Check out these four tips for communicating with your students’ families throughout the school year.

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The parent phone call can often be a scary and intimidating situation for even the most experienced teacher. Below is a sample script designed to help make the most of the precious few minutes you have on the phone with parents, covering key concerns and communicating effectively.

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During the school year, we barely have enough time to eat lunch each day.  The afternoon bell rings and we make a mad dash to the fridge to grab either a well-constructed, thoughtful, nutritious lunch…or leftovers from the previous night.  Either way, the race is on.  We are competing against an opponent who has the upper hand throughout the school year and more often than not, wins:  time.

Isn’t this why summers are so cherished? It’s not the sun…. or the projects…or even the vacations:  It’s the time.  The school year is consumed with time-takers and the summer is a time-giver.  The school year leaves us asking “Where did the time go?” and the summer’s reply is “Don’t worry, you have plenty of time.”  If the school year was a meal during lunchtime, it would be fast food…The summer, however, is a sit-down restaurant with a full menu and most importantly, time to order, eat, and reflect on the meal before leaving.

As you think about your summer (or what’s left of your summer!), I’d like you to consider your “time menu” and what every teacher should order during their break away from school.  After looking through the summer menu, you’ll want to select a beverage, appetizer, salad, entrée, and of course, a dessert.

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