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I LOVED this!!!
My favorite part was about differentiating leadership! I loved the idea about how differentiating lesson planning for teachers. Not using the same exact template! I liked how it talked about not everyone needs that accountability, but to hold those that need it to a deadline and trust the rest.

I also liked how they talked about the CHOICE PLs! It reminded me of when we used to do Wildcat University and got to choose which PL we were going to. I honestly am liking these choice boards that we get to do! We get to do PLs that we are interested in!

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I have actually never read the term "Executive Function Disorder" before I read this article.  Everyone is familiar with ADHD, and more than likely has taught, or know someone that suffers from it.  This article really puts in perspective what it is like to be in someone's shoes that goes through this daily.  I know we all struggle at times with focus, and can relate on a minor level, but it's important to know have difficult a child's struggle must really be living with this daily.  Of course there will be some children who are just not motivated and do not want to put any effort to complete their work, but it is important to identify if there is more going on, and if there are strategies or accommodations that could be made to help make a difference!

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I thought that this was a very interesting article because each of these five teaching practices are practices that were taught to me in college as being effective in the classroom. The strategy that came across as a bigger surprise to me was differentiating instruction by allowing advanced students to work with struggling students. I admit that I often did this in math. I felt as though students could really benefit from working at a center with peers that were understanding the content at a different pace than their own. In my head, struggling students benefited when hearing information being explained again by their peer, and advanced students also benefited because they are being pushed to teach what they know to someone else. This article discusses how this can sometimes be useful but it should not be considered differentiation. Instead, offer students the option to work on personal agendas with tiered assignments.

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I used to do round robin reading. From 1st grade on.  Here's a funny story.  I was in the  robin group and we all took turns reading aloud.  The boy before me was struggling with  blends.digraphs etc.....  The teacher kept saying" good job" You are doing great!"  I was next- so I copied what the boy before me did. LOL.  Hey- she told him he was doing great so I thought that he was the standard.   Also, Howard Gardner himself said that learning styles  have been misinterpreted by teachers.

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I am always interested in articles/blogs that discuss what teachers need to "kick to the curb."  This type of discussion is very personal for each and every teacher.  I think some methods can be labeled too hurtful and must be stopped... i.e. dunce caps.  No one should believe that is helpful, right??  But, most strategies depend on the teacher and kids.  What works for one group may/may not work for another.  That is why we are teachers.  We evaluate the needs of our kids and pull from the plethora of knowledge and methods that we know and continue to learn and grow in order to reach our students in the best ways possible.

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Executive Function is very in-depth in that you can see through this little guy's day, it negatively impacts him academically and socially, even at home. I can imagine that a child with this issue could either be the kind that we see demonstrating behaviors of acting out or withdrawal.

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Every single one of these is absolutely true for all teachers and educators in public education. I am sure an updated article will be published to include digital learning, delivering work and supplies, providing food, etc. I have often wondered what a "running record" of a normal school day, for me, would look like....actually, what is a normal day? No two days are alilke!

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As a kid, I always hated popcorn reading! I was never as good at reading as my peers, and I would go into a panic when I knew I had to read in front of my class. I had a college professor who consistently made us round robin read! I would count ahead the paragraphs and preread mine to make sure I was ready to read. I didn't listen to a single thing anyone else read. I totally missed out and had to reread after class. BUT even with my own experience, I still have had my kids do this in the past. Later, I had students only read if they wanted to. Of course, that limited the amount of reading the kids did even more.

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I thought that this article was spot on about co-teaching.  I liked how it compared co-teaching to a marriage and how communication and wanting the same goals was key in being successful.  Commitment to putting the needs of the students as a number one priority. When co-teaching the students are getting the benefits of more than one teaching style, perspective, and personality.

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I've struggled with class newsletters. But I think the ideas in this article are great ones! I love the idea of highlighting important new information and limiting long paragraphs. I also like the tip about incorporating a call to action. This is something I've tried to do in past newsletters, but it is something I can do more of to make sure parents know how to be involved at home.

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This article was a mirror.  I saw my reflection in several of these personalities. Some were flattering, while others left room for improvement.  I believe we cycle through many of these personalities throughout our teaching career. We are all at different places on our life journey, and we need different personalities to complete this journey.  Life would be very bland without different personalities.

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I really liked this article. It made me think about the different situations I have been in with coworkers. Luckily, for the most part, it has been a great experience. I do agree that communication is key to making co-teaching work. It also helps if the two teachers get along and have the same focus and vision. I was blessed to have a great coworker last year and my students really benefited from it. We met and discussed student progress all the time and while she was in my room, she was able to teach and redirect. I felt confident in my teaching because we worked so well together and she would lift me up and I would lift her up. It was a great experience and I hope I get to work with her again.

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This article had some great points on co-teaching. It's a great article to keep as a reference for next year. I was fortunate this year to get to spend the year with some wonderful teachers. I feel that we checked lots of the boxes that were referenced in the article. Reading this article affirmed that we are heading in the right direction with co-teaching.

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Work together as a team with a united front so students respect BOTH teachers. Communication with each other is the key with the students' learning as the goal.

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It was interesting to see the strategies in this article that have been around for a while. Round Robin reading is one strategy that will resurface with a new name - popcorn reading, buzz reading, etc. I have been to many PL's that support this strategy. I have used it - more with some groups. Just as Ms. Lancaster mentioned, you have to evaluate your students and determine what works best for them. I have rarely punished my entire class. I do try to offer extra rewards/incentives for the entire class when the whole class receives complements.

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At times, during my career, I have heard of administrators (school, county, state) who led as if they were too far removed from the classroom with regards to some of their decision making.  I have been very fortunate in my career. One period of time that was eye opening to central office staff and administrators was when they were required (by the state) to substitute, I believe 5 days per year, in the schools. Of course, that didn't last but a year or two! Teachers are some of the hardest working people I know and they will keep doing everything that is expected - even through times of furlough - when days are cut, pay is cut, but the workload is not cut.
Lesson plan formats and the teacher's preference has changed many times over the years. Most of the time, in my experience, when we are required to use the same form, it is to ensure that specific components are included and to make it more uniform for the administration and has nothing to do with the teacher's preference or style.

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Co-teaching is as good as the two teachers working together. If the teachers work together, then the class will soar. I have been the push-in and the home room teacher. You have to know your part/role to this dynamic partnership. Communication is the number one tip! Great read!

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This article outlined things that are important to know about our ELL's.  I liked how it suggested we ask our ELL's what their personal goals are. The other information are things we are already doing with our students.

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I read, “5 Common Teaching Practices I’m Kicking to the Curb.”  As I read this article, it took me back to my childhood classroom. It’s funny to think that some teaching practices never die.  Especially the popcorn reading. Oh how I hated to read in front of people and I would sit there and read the paragraph I knew would be mine 8,000 times to make sure I knew all the words and that I didn’t stutter when it was my turn. I am not sure I actually heard my peers reading at all because I was consumed with my own paragraph.  I do believe that older students should learn how to properly take notes and it should be their style of notes and what works best for them to remember and recall information.  I guess I never really thought about using learning styles to teach.  It just always been my practice to show (visual), give oral instructions (auditory) and to manipulate or do (kinetic).  The author is right, I choose to teach this way because its comfortable for me and it gives me the best results.  I have never given much thought about which set of students learn better from a particular practice so I have always included them all.  I thought getting advanced students to help their peers had gone away with having your student helper grade papers.  True differentiation is something I think most teachers struggle with in a mixed ability class where kids are not being pulled out for services.  It’s a tall order for one person to be expected to teach 25 kids all needing differentiated instruction and believing that they are going to master it all day every day.  I know this is a struggle for me in the classroom.  I have to say though that I am guilty of using whole class punishments L. I have never done this until this year when we launched our PBIS incentives and I have to say it stopped almost all unnecessary interruptions.  I also never used any infractions for high flyers as a punishment for the class.  Those cases were always dealt with separately.

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I read,” What Teachers Want You to Know: A Note to School Administrators.”  This article had many great points but there were two that hit home for me.  One was to differentiate leadership much like you would differentiate in the classroom with your students.  This makes perfect sense to me because teachers respond differently to different styles of leadership and need varying degrees of support from administration.  Leadership should be different for different teachers or groups of teachers.  The other point that I think was important was to respect teachers time at all cost.  Reduce the amount of in person meetings, give teachers time to work alone, and if it can be said in an email put it in an email.  So often teachers feel overwhelmed because they can’t get anything done and every second of time that is free is eat up with meetings.  How do expect our teachers to be productive if they don’t have adequate time to learn something new, digest it, teach it, and reteach for better understanding.  It seems we jump from one learning tool or practice to another before one is fully implemented.  I truly believe that those vetted, good teachers need more time and flexibility whereas new teachers or those that don’t perform the way they are expected might need more guidance and supervision.  Lastly, I do believe there are many things that our administrators already do. For one you all have always been fully supportive of individualized professional learning.  You have more often than none let us choose or have a voice in what we need to learn.  Another thing is that I do feel supported and I think that you would have my back if I needed you and that you would fight for me.  I think that overall this article brings up important struggles that all teachers and administrators deal with and as a team we need to figure out what practices work best for our teachers, students, and for our school.

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I read,” A Day in the Life of a Child with Executive Functioning Issues.” This article did a good job of giving me glance into the life of child with executive functioning issues and telling what specific issues they might be dealing with.  I liked how the article gave ideas and suggestions on how to help them in the classroom. The thing I think I am the strongest at doing for these students in breaking down the material into small parts and scaffolding until we get the project done.  The things I need to work on to help make these students more successful are writing down step by step instructions and verbally checking in with them often. This coming school year I will have to be more conscious of these students and do better to support their needs.

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Waller - I liked this one because it gave great ideas that so many teachers need to hear again.  So often these kiddos are misunderstood and I feel that's one of the reasons to really get to know your children!  We have to so carefully watch and listen to them.  They definitely need and deserve the right support and it's our job to help provide that.  

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Waller - I liked this one because it gave great ideas that so many teachers need to hear again.  So often these kiddos are misunderstood and I feel that's one of the reasons to really get to know your children!  We have to so carefully watch and listen to them.  They definitely need and deserve the right support and it's our job to help provide that.  

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I found this article eye opening, particularly having a student that fit this child's example to the T. I always had that thought of "oh that's just so and so" without thinking of what those actions were really saying about his executive function. Now having read through this article, it made since in the way he processes things, and started me thinking about how I can continue to work with that child and build on the positives. Like it said these children are still intelligent and the awareness of EFD is benefitial to further support those students.

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I read the short article but also did the webinar. Although the free resources are no longer available the webinar is full of great ideas for teaching math with a growth mindset. There are website recommendations for daily math problems that focus on problem solving skills. One of the most interesting things I will use in my own classroom is the idea of how your brain grows every time you make a mistake. The example of crumpling a piece of paper and showing students how each line represents growth was amazing!

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I enjoyed this article because I have always enjoyed co-teaching. In most of my years at SES, I have had EIP Math, EIP Reading, and ESOL for Writing. This article pointed out the main reasons why I have always loved co-teaching so much! I have truly seen it benefit students, especially when that co-teaching time is sacred and well-run!

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This Article had a lot of good information, at times was technical but very good in talking about how to talk to ELL students, to be aware of their cultural language coming first and there were other attached articles that were good talking about how important a name is and how important it is to say their name correctly.

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Very interesting into the life of this student and how his day goes having this, insightful knowing how they think and struggle throughout the day.

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The practices that they talking about kicking to the curb was very interesting because they are mostly used at different times in teaching.

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I think this is a very helpful article if you are not a graphic designer you would not know this information. Basically less is more.

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Holy Cow...Nailed it! So true about no one seeing all the things teachers do! Especially document, document, document! Funniest was Jam and fix the copier! hahahahahaha

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This article makes sense but in a school environment there are a lot of assessments, too many in my opinion. I did like that they said to use assessments as a learning tool and talk to students about them and give them a second chance at them.

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I think educators have really started paying attention to the idea of using assessments to improve learning. The important point in the article was that the assessments that lead to improved learning are formative for the most part and must result in some type of reteaching. I also like Guskey's thoughts about how to analyze the items that were frequently missed - was it an item issue or a teaching issue? Great food for thought!

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I really do see the connection between executive function issues and true ADHD. Some kiddos that struggle with executive function issues really have a tough time getting through the day without lots of structure and support. Routine is really important for these kiddos!

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I enjoy learning about the multiple facets of executive functioning.  Executive functioning can be difficult for the average preteen who is expected to be able to "keep everything together" because they have demonstrated adequate intellectual capability.  An example is not only packing your soccer bag the night prior to a game with every part of both color kits possible, but also remembering to grab that bag and your water bottle as you walk out the door the next morning.  Children need support with executive functioning on into high school even if they don't have ADHD.  I like how the understood.org website provided links to further investigate different facets of executive functioning.  For example, I had not considered the links between self-regulation, flexible thinking, and executive functioning prior to reading this article.

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I thought it was a great letter the author wrote to Administrators and the perspective of a teacher to an Admin. I also, thought that it was a good way to approach issues by going directly to the individual to solve the issue. I think at Statham that is encouraged.

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This is something that interests me because when i was a kid I had trouble with problem solving. I believe it does lead to expansion of other skills when you can solve more complex problems. It was intriguing about how the brain grows through mistakes.

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I have done all of these at some point in my teaching career. I agree with the article that these practices aren't necessarily the best. I did appreciate how the writer wrote with such honesty that I didn't end the article feeling bad about myself as a teacher. Adding ideas of what to do instead was incredibly helpful and allows for practical take-a-ways. This would be a great article to have teachers read during a PL.

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I found this article to be a great "reminder" to be culturally sensitive with our ELL students.  I remember while student teaching, I was working with a small reading group of ELL students.  They chose a book about cooking a common meal with their Abuela.  The students were so engaged and loved telling me all about how they eat that meal at home and told me all about how their Abuela's made several dishes.  We then incorporated many Spanish words into the book.  Students would read the English word, then tell me the Spanish word and have me try to pronounce it. (there were several giggles).
Anyway, this article reminded me of the importance of being culturally aware, sensitive and inclusive.

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This is an area I've been following for a while.  It's apparently becoming the "New Hot Topic".   Working with students in the gifted program, these little friends don't have a problem understanding the material or proving mastery.  They have a problem with getting for point A to point B, working with other students, and understanding their emotions.  I have students who are being diagnosed and put on medicines, only to have parents confide that "they aren't getting better".   It's hard to lead parents to an understanding that they may have been misdiagnosed if they "aren't getting better".     Many times they just change the medicine or up the dosage.  There isn't a medicine for "Executive Function Disorder" (Did I just coin a new term?).

Earlier this year I read an article that the problem goes back to our public school curriculum.   We are pushing children too quickly into academics and have our 4 and 5 year olds reading and doing math instead of learning how to interact with others in social situations, manage their time, organize their thinking, and pay attention to details.  Children need direct instruction in Executive Functions, but are no longer getting it (even at home).  Executive Function Skills should be listed as standards in education and given the same priority as reading and math because these skills help children succeed as adults.

This article was an excellent look at these problems from the student's perspective.  The gifted curriculum includes components of self-awareness and self-regulation, which speaks directly to Executive Functions.  I think that may be a reason why I have taken on the banner for this issue.

Last year, I became more self-aware of my teaching practices and helping these students.  When I set up rotations in ELA, I give 5 minute warnings for students to start finding a stopping place, putting away one set of materials, and getting out the next set of materials.  At the rotation time, I say, "At this time, you should have transitioned to your next task.  If you haven't, you need to stop now and get out your materials for the next station."  I project the assignments on the Interactive TV (including steps for completion and materials needed) and have hard copies available for students to "self check off" as they complete them.  Some actually need and use the paper copies.  I give extra time to write homework in the agenda and have Team Captains who check everyone's agenda before they leave.   I also send Dojo messages to parents letting them know the assignments.  I scan and upload documents to a website for those students who forget to take the paper copies home.  I have allowed students an opportunity to complete homework online and submit it, for those that can't remember to bring it to school.  It helps me survive as a teacher and the students seem less anxious.

An Analogy: Expecting students to get from Point A to Point B without the means to get there would be like dropping me on the main street of a foreign country and telling me to find a certain store without a map. I would be frantically running all over the place, asking questions to which I wouldn't understand the answers, and then just giving up.

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I think it's funny that many of these strategies are used or discarded based on the actual teacher's experience with them as a student! i know I was a "rule follower" as a student and hated it when I got a consequence for someone else's poor choices. I even asked a teacher once, if her was ever in the car with someone when they got a ticket. He acknowledged this, and I asked if the policeman gave him a ticket, too. He shook his head (and we didn't get many whole class punishments after that). I don't do it because I hated it so much as a student! I loved popcorn reading because I was a fluent reader and liked showing off. As a teacher, it took me some time to let go of that one!

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This was a very simple but good advice. A good relationship and communication between co-teachers is very important and to remember the student is the focus.

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The author of this article provided some overarching good-practice principles to keep in mind when creating, using, and reflecting upon assessments. While the points were sound, I believe the main thing holding us back from perceiving assessments as a good thing is their lack of standardization. Imagine if you could win Fortnite differently each time you played, or if winner-boards were ranked differently depending on who saw the replays, or if some versions allowed players to play a much easier or harder version than other players competing for the same goal. No one would want to play, and the scores would soon lose any meaning.

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Read rubric, feel Statham participates in a lot of this already.

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Hahahaha I loved this article and the persaonalities represented are so true!!!!!!!

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I learned some new information about Martin Luther King's speech I did not know before. Very inspiring!

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What I had for TKES 8 was different said: How to increase higher order thinking. I likes the ideas for promoting higher order thinking, although sometimes especially as a parent because "I said so" is easier when you are tired.

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I have sent Newsletters in the past. Sometimes they were useful. As a busy mom, I totally get not reading them every week! I like the 5 tips about how ro make them more helpful and more interesting for parents. The free download at the end was a nice bonus too!

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I'm always interested in these articles because it helps me think about my instruction, "Am I doing these things? How can I do or not do this in my instruction, etc." Of the 5 strategies that the author said they are kicking out there was one that surprised me,  Using Learning Styles to Plan Instruction. I always felt that you should try to curve your instruction towards your students' learning styles so that the students get the most out of the lesson.

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I find articles/ blogs like this very interesting.  While I tend to agree that we as teachers need to keep learning, reflecting and growing, we also need to evaluate and be in tune with what works best for our students that we work with EVERY day.  All groups of students are different.  Some work better with these strategies than others.   As a teacher, I would NEVER want to make a student uncomfortable or embarrassed in any way. I have always told me students that if they are not at ease with the way our small groups are going, they can have a  "pass".  I also strive to have different activities that engage all learning modalities so all students can feel successful.
While this article, and many others like this are interesting to read, I fear that "throwing the baby out with the bathwater" is not the best idea for educators. We need LOTS of different ways to reach the students and be intentional with our instructional practices.

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This article emphasizes one huge element of co-teaching, communication. Co-teachers must feel comfortable expressing their thoughts and ideas.  If not the relationship and class will suffer.  Kids know when people are on the same page. Effective co-teaching takes teamwork.

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Math can cause anxiety for a lot of people. The article points out some things to ponder when it comes to math. 'Some people were born with a gift for math, and others weren't." Though genetics play a big part in our abilities, we cannot let our students believe they can't be successful in math. We must help them find ways to be confident and successful.

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Co-teaching has been an important part of my teaching career every year. The past two years I've had had ESOL, EIP Math,  EIP reading co-teaching. Then also pull out for gifted/advanced content. Communication is so important as this article states. It really helps when you can build relationships and work with the same co-teachers for multiple years so that focus of conversations can be more on instruction and learning about teaching styles and such.

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I loved the visuals they included. It was helpful to see good ideas to help make newsletters more useful for parents. I'm definitely guilty of leaving information on there every week. I'm thinking of attaching my class website this year for these things.

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I am always looking for ways to improve my assessments, both formally and informally. Assessment is such an important part of the classroom. Most people think of "test" when they hear the word assessment, but tests are just a small part of the assessment that goes on in a classroom. Teachers should constantly be assessing student work and progress to help guide instruction. I took away two main ideas from this article. One, I need to do a better job of analyzing assessments I give. I need to tally how many students miss each question and really reflect on the results. Is the problem written poorly? Is it a student learning problem or a teaching problem? How can I reteach the concept to students in a different way? My second takeaway is that assessments should not be the end of learning. Corrective instruction must follow and then students should have a second chance to demonstrate their understanding. Only then can we as teachers truly know when students are still progressing towards standards or can consistently demonstrate mastery.

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I am going to put myself out there and be honest about this one. The section about teachers' time is a big one. Sometimes it feels like school systems are afraid to just let teachers work in their rooms when kids are not present. What do they think will happen? In my mind, a lot of great things could happen with more time. In thinking about the teachers at our school, I don't think there would be people taking naps under their desk. Instead, we could self reflect on the lesson from the week that needs to be retaught, or research new ways to help our struggling learners. We could use time at school for school work and have more time at home with our families. I'm not sure what school will look like next year, but if we have to eat lunch in our rooms everyday with our students, there will be three days a week with no break for ourselves because of PLs, RTI, and PLCs. Could PLCs be taken off the plate? I know they are a county thing, but don't you think teachers would still plan and collaborate with each other even if PLCs weren't a requirement? Time is a precious commodity for everyone and is something that once gone, can not be regained. Hopefully I will still have a job after this post :)

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The first teaching practice it said to kick to the curb is Popcorn Reading. We don't do this in kindergarten simply because they cannot read YET. However, when I was in school - all of my teachers used this method. It was horrible, embarrassing, boring, and useless. Like the author says, there is no actual benefit to this method and it is not valuable instructional time. The third strategy the author said to kick to the curb is whole class punishments. I am guilty of doing this one however, I don't do it often. I agree that whole class punishments should not be our first form of punishment because what if you were that one kid who was working so hard to behave and some other kids goofs off and ruins the prize for you. Your fate is then in their hands and you realize you have no motive to act good because it is going to be ruined anyways. So, for my future classes - whole class punishment is something I will strip away unless the whole class is literally doing something not right.

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After many years, and many different doctors, we have come to the diagnosis that my daughter (Katherine Ann) had what doctors call "a pinpoint stroke" in utero. This is what cause her to have Speech Apraxia and other learning difficulties; which is now called: Executive Function Disorder. I knew my daughter was intelligent, capable and in my mama gut that It has been very frustrating, very challenging, very lonely and at time very discouraging to be my child's only advocate in the public school.

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Dang it - it posted before I was done! I knew my daughter was intelligent, and capable, but in my mama gut, I also knew that something wasn't right. I know now that all those little red flags are connected and educators are learning how to help such children.

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I liked the suggestions and even do some of them already. In the past, I struggled to get a news letter out each week. I did much better this last year and hope to do even better in the coming school year.

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As an EL support teacher, one of my major roles is that of co-teaching!  This was an excellent article... mostly because it was simply stated, yet right on target!  There is much truth in the fact that co-teaching is similar to marriage... in that... there must be open communication... and support must be present from both ends if it is to be effective.
The students' lives that are affected on a daily basis can truly reap the benefits of a co-teaching "TEAM" who is always striving to provide the best guidance and direction. The one part of the article that grabbed my attention the most was this statement:  "Make sure your students feel like both teachers are their teachers."  I have to say... this is probably the most truthful statement I've ever encountered.  I've been very fortunate to co-teach with some extraordinary classroom teachers in my educational career. It makes all the difference in the world when it's considered to be OUR classroom and each of OUR students realize and know that they can count on both of US!
Co-teaching ROCKS!

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This was actually HOTS-not math

I was struck with thinking about why students do not apply certain skills to other areas. For example, they can read sight words but cannot spell them correctly in writing. They can pass a spelling test, but not use these same words spelled correctly in writing. I think we need to go past mere memorization and involve higher order thinking for students to transfer this knowledge to other areas. I have so often wondered why students are missing that application and transfer of knowledge and I think it is how we train them to recognize and use the material.

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When I first started teaching, we would just assess students after we had taught a new skill and those that got it got it and those that didn't we would set on the back burner and hope to get back to reteaching them so they could get it. I believe we have come a long way as educators in how we assess and how we use the assessment data in order to drive our instruction. More and more teachers are using their assessments, along with their support teachers, to reteach the standards to students who do not "get it the first time." My hope is that we as a profession will be allowed to use our own experience to teach and assess and put aside high stakes testing that does not show the entire student.

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I found this article interesting! I agree that COMMUNICATION is key to any successful co-taught environment. I also liked how it said the teachers should plan together so that there is no question about how the lesson should go in the classroom.

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I read the co-teaching blog. I agree wholeheartedly to what this says. As a push in teacher I have worked with awesome teachers that fully embraced the co-teaching model and some teachers that still needed some work in that area. I feel that when the students know you are both or in some cases all teachers in the class there is more of a community feeling. The students can sense how the relationship between the teachers is and if they are all seen as equals in the room. I like the part where it says to play off each other's strengths. This is very important because we all have unique strengths and weaknesses and when we work together we can reach the students in the most efficient way. I love being in classrooms where the students know we are all of their teachers and they are OUR students not a mine or yours situation. I also like how it said both teachers bring their A game each day. In the past (not at our school) I would have teachers leave the room or take a break as soon as I came in. They thought that was their cue to have an extra planning or time to go make copies or whatever. I think communication is super important. You can’t work effectively if you don’t discuss what is expected for the students. This doesn’t mean either teacher dictates what the other is to do in the class, but that you both are aware of all the students needs and how to reach them together. It is like a marriage and we have to work on keeping the relationship growing so that we are doing what is best for the students.

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I enjoyed this article. It was a great refresher on practices that were used by my teachers throughout my school career that are now proven to be unsuccessful and unbeneficial for students. I dreaded being in a class and the teacher would announce that we were going to take turns reading. Then she would follow that up by saying, "...and make sure you're keeping up with where we are because you never know when I might call on you to read next!" And she would say it with the biggest smile on her face, and a slight giggle, like she was the most clever person in the world. Ugh! I was horrible at reading aloud, and even worse at reading comprehension. I was so focused on every single word and making sure that I was saying it correctly that I wasn't paying attention to the actual content and purpose of the reading assignment in the first place. It caused so much anxiety. I never wanted to cause that kind of stress and anxiety on my students. I vowed to NEVER implement that in my own classroom. I was surprised at one of the practices that it mentioned: The one about paired more advanced students with struggling students. Although I never thought of this practice as differentiation, I thought it was still a good practice. I thought it was a good way to help boost the struggling student's confidence and make the assignment seem less overwhelming and daunting for them. In my experience, students tend to be more open and willing to voice their thoughts with just one other peer, rather than a small group, or the whole class. The perspective and research that was shared in the article was very interesting and makes me second guess the effectiveness of that practice within my classroom.

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I enjoyed reading this article, because although we know what we do each and every day, seeing our daily tasks written out in black and white really spelled it out! I printed the article and shared it with those folks who do not completely understand what we teachers have to juggle on a daily basis. I think the list needs to include more than 21 items! I'm sure each of us could add so many more. We need to be proud of ourselves and all that we do to help our school, students, and each other every day of the year.

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This article highlights the key points for successful co-teaching. In my opinion, Kay, Lari, Beth, and I did a great job working together this year to meet the needs of all the students. We demonstrated many of the strategies described in the article.

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5 Common Teaching Practices Im kicking to the Curb

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5 Common Teaching Practices Im kicking to the Curb

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I could identify with some of these practices and may have used them in the past ex: popcorn reading. But, we do have proper differentiation now for reading and that punish everyone because of one, I never did that, How ridiculous.

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Well that was pretty spot on. You guys are the very cream of the crop. I believe with my whole heart that we have the most caring staff ever. I have seen first hand how eager you all are to help families in need. I was telling one of my friends how incredible our faculty and staff is just the other day. I literally send an email out about something a student needs and by the next day I have what I asked for plus more. You are a blessing to me and to all the children in your care.

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Poor Josh must be exhausted all the time. This article made me think of children in our school who might be struggling with this. It was good for me to read this so I can put myself in their shoes.

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I always thought number 5 was a good idea. I would have thought that an advanced student helping a struggling student would be beneficial to both. I can totally see the other side of this argument.

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I'm pretty sure this is the first time I've heard of the term "Executive Function Disorder". I felt empathy for Josh in the article as I sometimes struggle with focus and organization. I can see the direct correlation between ADD/ADHA and EFD. Seems like some calm re-direction and assistance for children with EFD will go a long way for them. Good read.

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This is a great read! I totally agree with it. Communication is the key. I've worked with some teachers where everything clicked and we played off each others' strength. It is hard when the other teacher sees this as her class and isn't open to your ideas.

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While a large focus in assessing is on the state testing that determines school and student rankings, as discussed in this article, I felt as though this article really put into prospective the benefits of quality, informative classroom assessments. The idea that teachers need to change their approach to assessment to be more beneficial is something that has always interested me.  This article provided 3 concrete ways that I can use better assessments in my classroom.  Making and using assessments that are useful to students and teachers to gain information to better instruct students, see what has been mastered or what needs reteaching - or as this article put it corrective instruction - , and then giving opportunity to students to try again.  Through providing authentic assessment opportunities in the classroom, I can then provide better differentiated instruction in flexible small groups to target skills that need reteaching through consistent and quality assessments.  It would be nice to have and create quick formative common assessments across the grade level for standards to receive the “most powerful benefits” of assessment in kindergarten.

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Jennifer Gonzalez is so right about we teach they we were taught. I have used these strategies at some point as a lead teacher. I am glad to know that there are other strategies that are more effective for students' learning.

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This article hits close to home as a child of a first generation American. So much of who we are is wrapped up in the unique aspects of our individual cultures. It's important to recognize this by having a holistic approach to getting to know our students: from pronouncing their names correctly to learning about their specific culture. This approach will not only pay dividends academically, but personally as well.

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I will say, that the PLC where assessments were a large part of what was discussed and developed, was a very good use of time. Really thinking about what the standards were saying, and how to test for exactly that helped guide our instruction. Then, after the assessments, it really gave me an accurate picture of if my students did or did not master those standards. I have found in the past, that the assessments still made it difficult for me to determine what a student's report card score would be, but when you think about all the pieces before instruction begins, then the assessments can really tell you the right thing. It helped us focus on what was the most important for students and it shaped the way I will look at assessments in the future. And like the article says, if the assessment is good, it can really help pinpoint exactly what areas students need more work, which will make learning more meaningful for everyone.

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Co-teaching = differentiating

I agree with the article that, "Students get a richer classroom experience."  But more than just an experience they get differentiated instruction that will benefit them educationally. I LOVE all my co teachers I have worked with in the past. Each one of us respected each other and put students first. I love planning together math or reading. But I have also co-taught with EIP, SPED, & ESOL all in one classroom for one subject. Students were able to get the extra support if they needed it right away.

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I enjoyed reading this article. I believe that communication is such an important part of a successful co-taught environment. I agree that planning together is also a very important component so each teacher knows what the purpose of the lesson is and what we expect our children to learn.

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I have never heard of the term "Executive Function Disorder." I am very aware of the struggles that students have to focus and get their work done. I am also very familiar with students that struggle due to their ADHD. It is important as teachers after reading this article that we focus on strategies that might be helpful in giving these struggling students extra resources they may need to be successful in the classroom.

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This article contained practical tips on how to create a newsletter that is easily read and valued by the parents. The part of NL being loaded with recycled content made a lot of sense to me, as both a receiver and creater of NL. I also liked the "Call to Action" part which adds to the parent-teacher partnership.

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This article title intrigued me, so I chose it first. I think she is spot on with things she said. I especially liked the part where the author said that we, as teachers, do not know everything about the administrators job. I often say that I would never want the position of administrator due to the fact that you get more negative than positive and that you can never please everyone.
I think she has some points from the teacher side also. I have worked under numerous principals/APs and some lead by example and others did not. I think we are fortunate at SES with leaders that have common sense and do not do things just for "looks". I feel supported and not micromanaged. I have felt the opposite in the past and know what that feels like.

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I love this article. I really enjoy designing posters, newsletters and websites. While reading this article I kept saying "Yes, totally!" Your newsletters need to be parent friendly and we need to keep in mind what parents need to do with the information.

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I agree with everything this article said about co-teaching. I enjoy co-teaching and the benefits that it gives to the students. I love that my students are able to hear concepts/math strategies explained in different ways rather than just from me. We all learn differently, so it's so nice to hear the same concept explained in a different way. Communication, putting the needs of the students first and everyone bringing their A game each day are all equally important to me. I have been very blessed to work with great co-teachers at SES!

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I am a mindset believer. I have bought in. I used to struggle with seeing the "glass" as half empty instead of half full. Now I'm just thankful to have water in the "glass." I truly try to look and learning and teaching this way.

1. Problem solving strategies should be taught before giving students problems to solve.

AGREE. In fact we need MORE teaching on strategies before giving students problems.

1. Drawing solutions and counting on fingers should only be encouraged for young children and struggling students.

HARD DISAGREE. Run, limp, or crawl, whichever gets you there.

1. Students should only use calculators in math after they can perform the computations by hand.

NA - NO CALCULATORS in ES!

1. Mistakes are only beneficial when we learn from them.

2. Some people were born with a gift for math, and others weren’t.

AGREE (somewhat). I believe both of these statements, but neither decide your fate as a mathematics master.

1. The best way to meet the needs of all students is through ability grouping and differentiation.

Differentiation is where it's at. A nice base level where all students can work with lots of differentiated assignments served on a student-by- student basis.

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This article speaks volumes to what we do as teachers. And a lot of it is not apart of our job description, yet we do it anyway out of love for the students and respect for the profession. What I think an update of this article should include are things 22-24 that teachers do but never get credit for #22 explain numerous times to a student/and or parent how to join a google meeting or zoom meeting #23 explain numerous times how to turn in assignments on google classroom and #24 how to practice safe social distancing .

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This is a wonderful read! It is so important that co-teachers communicate with each other. There also has to be a level of respect. A room will not be a success for the students or the teachers if it is an “I” situation instead of a “we.” You have to present a United front and truly work together at all times.