J. showed up in my room today with a note from the teacher next door that said “Please keep him busy as long as you can.” This means that his constant stream of chatter (most of it inappropriate) had reached its peak and needed a reset. I reached in to the canyons of my Super…
M. has a cough. It is an obnoxious cough and quite distracting. M. comes to school anyway and does not have a ride home if he is sick. On such occasions it might be appropriate to serve hot tea. This caped teacher found some organic lime tea that comes, amazingly, in the form of a…
Teachers are like camels. We can hold our water all day if we need to. It is quite a hassle to orchestrate a trip to the ladies room, so some of us wait as long as possible. When I need to leave, I have to let the aide know, or I have to call someone…
I’ve read, reviewed, and discussed a wide variety of books and curricula on community building, the teaching of pro-social skills in at-risk teens, developing a classroom management system through the development of a community. What I’ve learned though, can be summarized by this photo. When I was putting together my classroom on the first days…
My school is in the middle of a pretty dicey part of town–next to the street names you hear most often on the police news. While the kids were getting on the bus after school, a man on a horse came by. That was odd, to say the least. But, joy-upon-joys,the students all said excitedly–“It’s…
Today’s story is not a silly one, it’s a method I use in class that is successful more often than it is not. A key to the success of any caped teacher is giving the students choices–enough choice to feel they are in control of their learning. I use these reading project cards to do…
When she was told her daughter had been acting disrespectfully in school, being sassy, and not following the agreements we had made at conferences, the parent said, “Oh. Well, you know, she HAS been eating a lot of chips lately.” This Super Teacher has no response to that.
Student–“Ms M.–how’s this?” (holds up what appears to be a pencil outline of California) Me: “Looks good!” (gives thumbs up sign) …a few minutes pass… Student: “Ms. M–how’s this? (holds what appears to be same pencil outline of California) Me: “Looks good! Is there anything on there you are showing me?” Student: “Nope!” …a…
“With great super powers, come great responsibility.” Yesterday, we had a minor heartbreak at school. One of our students has been expecting to see his dad soon. His dad has been in and out of rehab, and U. has moved in with his mom and step-dad this year as his dad is unable to take…
Wear The Cape 