Teacher Tips

**you know you’re a teacher when you can tell it’s a full moon just by the behavior of your kids**

Okay so little by little I will posting some tips and general things I’ve learned throughout my teaching profession.  Things I wished I had been taught, warned about or just plain learned earlier.  So here goes!

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1. * Take  a “mental health” day. The class won’t fall apart while your gone. Go shopping, go to the beach, get a manicure do whatever calms your spirit. You’ll come back refreshed and energized. 

2.*Laugh with your students.  

3. *Be organized. Organize even if its organized chaos. If you know where all your go to items are you’ll be all set.

4. * Eat lunch with your class every now and then. It excites them to no end to break bread with their teacher and have fun conversations that have nothing to do with curriculum.

5.  * Play!

6.  * Read a favorite classic to your class (I.e Charlotte’s Web).

7. * Teach from on the rug or other gathering space instead of always having your students sitting at their desks.

8. * Take time out to play community building games (“Who am I?”, “Concentration”).

9. * Play with your students at recess. (Even when you’re not on yard duty)

10. * Teach outside. Find a tree, shady spot or make your own space. The fresh air is great and it gets YOU out of the tiny trailer classrooms for a spell.

11. *Make a class quilt. Each student designs a square and it can hang in your classroom all year. You can usually find it on amazon or Oriental Trading.

12. *Keep baby wipes by the door so when your students come back from recess they can clean their hands before the get back to work. Nobody wants blacktop smudges on their nicely written report.

13. *Always have treats like freshly baked cookies and a pitcher of water with lemon or an orange slice for Parent/teacher conferences. I mean, it’s hard not to be pleasant when there are cookies. 

14. *Teaching isn’t just abc and 123. Teaching is learning, growing, discovering and wondering right along with your students. Everyday.