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I remember having a special Library class where the Author, Bernard Waber came to visit and do a Q & A in my second grade year. We were taught to do a boolean search on the three whole computers in the Library a for books about crocodiles and books authored by Waber. We then developed questions that we had on index cards that we had the chance to ask him. Looking back now, my Librarian was a rockstar! Just about every aspect of engagement was touched upon, as well as technology, given the limited amount we had! I read my children these books recently and was able to share my story!

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Growing up I always struggled with reading and I continue to be a slower reader to this day (I hate having to read passages during PD days and I feel like I'm always the last person done). I remember back in 3rd or 4th grade there was a chapter book that many of my friends were reading and I wanted to too. My teacher was able to find an audio version of the text so that I could listen and follow along with my book. Reflecting back I am thankful that my teacher was able to do this for me.

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Ok...all of you computer kids, I had to learn to type on a typewriter because we only had a couple Apple IIs in the school. I digress...I had a 4'10" English teacher in 7/8th grade that everyone was afraid of. She seemed to be about 90, but no one dared mess around. I will tell you that I learned so much from her, even though I hated it at the time. The thing I remember the most was having to go to the board and we would two teams going at the same time. You had to answer to her question or write a sentence before the other person did. I remember being fearful early on, but she never made you feel bad if you messed up and would not allow any negative talk from your team. Eventually I got to the point where I really focused on what she was teaching so when I got to the (chalk) board, I would know the answer. Had she not had us do that, I would not have listened as much. So I take parts of that to make sure all my students are engaged, either doing something on the Smartboard or Chromebooks. Getting them ALL involved is so important.

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When thinking back on my elementary school, I remember the special pull out groups for the advanced students (and low students) and how starting in 3rd grade each grade's classes where scrambled around based on skill level in that topic (math, English, social studies). At the time it was not super obvious why we were pulled out or how we where organized when we switched rooms, but looking back it made sense and I think it really helped that we were with students that we at a similar level.

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I thought back about elementary school but 3rd and 4th grade, I had already learned the multiplication tables with my older brother so when we started multiplying and long division I was ahead of everyone.  I always remember feeling left out because the teacher didn't spend time with me because I already knew the material.  I remember the teacher telling me to work ahead, but that wasn't the same as seating in a small group learning with others.  I wished that she had a plan for advanced students.  When my children started school I didn't want them to be ahead of their peers because of my experiences. However, my children were ahead of others but their school had a gifted and talented program in which they were able to participate and be challenged.
I do understand how difficult it is to differentiate for advanced as well as deficient students.

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Like Eli, I remember learning keyboarding in middle school.  I think we used both Mavis Beacon and another book/guide.  I remember thinking it was dumb that we would type random letter combinations instead of words (ex: fjfjfj, dkdkdkd, jnjnjn, etc).  I know now that this was to build muscle memory and train the fingers to go back to the same location when they have to move to type other letters.
I know that keyboarding is rarely taught in school now and some of my students type faster with two thumbs on a phone than they type on a full keyboard. As my school is switching to Chromebooks next year, it will be interesting to see if their typing skills improve.

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Timed tests and spelling tests really stand out for me from elementary school. I remember practicing almost nightly at home with my dad the weekly spelling words as well as having him set the timer on the microwave in the kitchen for my practice timed tests.
When I was in elementary school my spelling words always seemed to be a random list of words or vocabulary words from another content area. Now the district uses the Words Your Way curriculum where students learn a rule or a pattern every week. As a math teacher I don't have too much contact with students working on spelling words but my first year out of college I was a grade level para and taught a Words Your Way lesson every week. I am an awful speller now and I wish they used some kind of spelling curriculum when I was a student.

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I grew up in Hawaii and went to a K-8 grade school. The 7th grade tradition that we all looked forward in participating in was the Multicultural Fair (a school day event) where we had to pick one of our ethnicities and do a huge project on a country. It tied in all our core subjects. We had a 2" binder with all our research including a family tree, perform a game, dance, or song, create a Poster Board with a map and facts, dress up in traditional wear, AND give out food samples. It was a lot of work but so much fun to learn from our families, learn about other classmate cultures/ traditions, and integrate all the subjects. It's taught me that lessons should be meaningful to students and the importance of integrated learning.

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Along with Ann Marie and Annie. I remember the timed math tests. Loving math and being competitive, I actually loved those tests! I definitely see the significance and importance in those tests now as an adult and high school math teacher too. However, now that those are no longer completed in elementary school, my students struggle A LOT with their basic math facts. Some of my HS math students can't even tell me what 5 x 4 is without reaching for a calculator. Their excuse is that they'll always have a calculator, but I just always remind them how much extra time they spend using one instead of their great minds!

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Similar to Annie, my memory is of timed tests and memorization of math facts. I remember doing this in 3rd and 4th grade. At the time I did not understand the importance of this. Now that I am a Middle School Math teacher, and I know they do not do this as part of the curriculum anymore, I see the negative impact of eliminating this from the curriculum. So many of my students do not know simple math facts. Without knowing simple math facts, makes all levels of math extremely difficult!

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I had a Physics teacher in HS that was frustrating. She didn't take the time to build a relationship with anyone (she couldn't ever say my name right either), wasn't present at any HS functions, and in class, didn't have a clear plan of what we were doing day-to-day. She would start problems on the board, mess them up, restart, sometimes give up and see if we could figure it out. As a student, it seemed that she either didn't care to plan (and therefore, we weren't important) or that she just didn't know what she was doing. This has made me always make sure to A) LEARN MY STUDENTS NAMES, B) Communicate with students at the end of class what we will be doing the next day, or next few days, and C) Create curriculum maps before each school year so there is a plan and focus for each day.

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I was in grade school in the 1960's. We did differentiate with reading groups. We had something called SRA and had reading tests that placed us into our small groups. I remember this being the first time that kids called each other bad names based on the students who were in the lower groups. I became more socially acceptable because I was in the reading group with the "smart" kids. I remember this still when I differentiate kids into ability groups. I worry about students getting labeled and feeling like they are in the slow group. We also had cut out keys that hung on little clips on the door for every book we read. I think it must have been shaming for the struggling readers who had so few.

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In middle school, we used to have these vocabulary books with REALLY hard words in them. We would have to memorize the words, how to spell them and their definitions. I hated it! I didn't understand the purpose but now I know that I wouldn't have a larger vocabulary without it. It was very important even though it didn't really seem like it at the time.

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In elementary school, we learned how to type on computers in around 5th grade. I remember not being very good at acquiring this skill, but my teacher did her best to help me show some growth with it. I guess this memory sticks out to me now because I'm fairly certain that typing is not emphasized in elementary school curriculum as much anymore. I find middle schoolers all the time who are hunting and pecking around on their keyboards and have no understanding of the "home row" or any of the things I learned from good ol' Mavis Beacon.

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My memory is actually math-related, which is funny because I'm a Language Arts teacher. I distinctly remember when I had to memorize times tables, and I didn't understand why I had to do that. Now that I'm an adult (and a teacher), I understand the value in some memorization. It sure makes life easier to quickly call on math facts that you need on a daily basis. It would take a lot of time - and humility - to find a calculator every time I needed to multiply.

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For me, it was the chance to observe another kindergarten teacher's guided math classroom. I do guided math along with math work stations, but her way of doing it was a lot different. She used assessments in such a complex way (that I learned later how to do) but it was super powerful. It really got my wheels moving, and I immediately started doing it in my classroom.  I am a visual learner, so any chance I have to observe other teachers I find that I take more away from that experience.