Assessment: gives an accurate picture of where the student is at academically and emotionally

Go-To's: quick, kid friendly, dial 4, APES

Work smarter not harder: think about the day in a linear perspective, creative routines, focus on the environment of the classroom

Be mindful and know your students well!

Best Advice: lean on your community!! Create relationships!

Book: "Easy to love, difficult to discipline"

Assessment: a procedure making inferences, and understand the validity of your assessments

Go-To's: whiteboards (high engagement)

Work smarter not harder: design assessments strategically, so that you can get detailed information from their assessments! Know the purpose behind your assessments

Greatest advice: teach to test (what do you want your students to know?)

Book recommendation: "Teacher Clarity Playbook", "Solo Taxonomy"

Assessment: Getting to know what the kids know, and using that information (show what you know, "what did I say?"

Go-To's: Exit tickets on everything, have students produce something to make sure that they understood the concept (write it or say it), quicker/simpler can be better

Work smarter, not harder: Have the kids do the work! You don't need to be grading everything! Using white boards is a good strategy!

Best advice: BUILD RELATIONSHIPS!!! Give nicknames, get to know something they do/like, greet at the door, reach out to families (things go more smoothly when you have those relationships). Have smooth procedures and routines, and keep those routines set throughout the whole year. Share about yourself and make connections.

Book recommendation: "Stuff you should know" (podcast), leadership books, "Ender's Game"

Why teach?: Open student's minds to something they have never thought about!! Make sure that these students become capable to be the future of America!!

Assessment: Observations: show what you know on a white board, sticky notes, etc. Assessment is constant! How are they feeling and where are they at? Make sure that each students grows!

Go-To's: Know that you have a standard tool to assess all students/based upon standards: learning continuum, small groups.

Work smarter not harder: Collaborate with your team and learn from them! You will get so much help and tools from those on your team!

Small groups are so important for students to grow! We need this to engage your students and give them a chance to show you!

Best advice: Don't walk alone! Allow your coworkers to help you and go into their classrooms to learn from them!

Book recommendation: Use Twitter to find new ideas, youtube, pinterest, CORE books, "How do you hug a porcupine"

Assessment: It is necessary! A tool to determine what your students know, and what they need to know next!

Go-To's: Hands on, fast and easy, look at standards, "show me", use a tool kit in their desks, she loves rules and routines, the first month of school is doing routines over and over!! Review expectations again and tell them again!

Work smarter, not harder: Have a good work-life balance, set boundaries, set a planning time, work ahead, work a lot with your team (divide and conquer!!)

Greatest advice: Be extra nice to the secretary and custodian (make friends with them!), listen to your team and coworkers, take risks, try something new, don't reinvent the wheel everyday, stay off of your phone!!!!! Your students need you, and they need to know that you are there for them. Don't take yourself too seriously because you will make mistakes! Leave your home problems at home!

Book recommendations: "Out of my Mind", represent all of your students in what you read, there is power in read aloud everyday (make accents and voices for the books)

What did you notice about their advice? I noticed that a lot of these teachers had their advice centered upon making connections and building relationships with students. They all talked about the importance in knowing your students and understanding their interests. This will cause them to respect you and creates an uplifting learning environment. Knowing where they are at allows you to be a great teacher, helping them to grow into a successful student!

The most common strategies that I heard talked a lot about assessing your students by using white boards. It is easy, quick, tangible, and easy for kids to show what they know.

A mentor that I connected with was Masha Reeves. I thought she had a lot of great advice and wisdom to hear from! I can tell that her years of experience has allowed her to be such a great teacher! I felt like I connected with her because she is a Kindergarten teacher and that is what age I would love to teach. I admired that she had so much practical advice and I can tell that she loves her students and is good at her job!

I was surprised just how simple assessments can be in an everyday routine with students. It doesn't have to be a big test or quiz that takes a lot of time to complete. Assessment is happening all of the time through observing your students. It can be done through quick activities or a "show what you know". I found this encouraging and less intimidating!

Two Questions: Is there a grade level that you feel is easier or harder to assess than others? What do you do when you assess that a lot of your student's don't understand a concept?