Written by Casey Keyser, MSEA Second Grade Teacher
Having a welcoming space for your book center will help with your students falling in love with reading. My goal as a teacher is to have my students enjoy reading and to feel comfortable trying new books throughout the school year. My favorite item in my book center are these magnetic book holders (really a spice rake on Amazon).
I also grabbed these Big Joe bean bag chairs in teal and purple from Amazon, you can find all my favorite goodies for my book center here. I like to have some bookshelves, book bins, a rug, some comfy chairs, and a lamp. This gives your area a different vibe than the rest of your classroom.
Once the students love your book center and the books start to become worn, I have a tip on how to give your books a second life.
What happens when you have a well-loved book that falls apart and loses its binding?
My students loved the Captain Underpants series so much that half of the book fell out and went missing. I decided to take the other half and cut the pages into one-inch stripes to create a lot of paper bookmarks for the students to use. I love doing this with a graphic novel or chapter book with pictures so the students can look into the bookmarks to see a funny section. These are quick and easy to make and gives your book another life.
While we are talking about books on their last leg, I always try to save a book before I cut it to pieces. I recommend always having a Book Hospital basket in your book center so that books can be repaired by the teacher. I use library-grade tape and hot glue to mend my books that have started to fall apart.
After a student is done reading a book, I have them fill out a Tweet form to summarize the text and to recommend a book to their classmates. At the end of the week, I actually use our class Twitter and tweet out all the book recommendations from students. We follow the journey of lots of other classrooms from around the world and they are able to communicate with us as well. The students enjoy being connected to other students and sharing their love of reading.
In my book center, I like to have a digital or technology component to help with engagement and access. Students that have a difficult time reading or need good examples of books being read to them can access this through website and OR code books. To learn more about how to create your own QR code listening center, check out the blog post I have posted here.
My students love to listen to a good audio or animated book on websites such as Epic! Books, Flocabulary and Raz-Kids. Since each of these websites has a class code or password associated with it, I have this handy tech code and password cheat sheet available for all students to look at in the book center. You can add more than just your book websites, I do it for all of my online platforms.
Casey Keyser is a third-grade teacher at Butterfly Ridge Elementary in Frederick County, Maryland. She was recently recognized as the national winner of the NEA Foundation’s 2021 Teaching in Excellence Award. Casey is the proud owner of the Education Resource Blog, Fair Winds Teaching, and loves to connect with her education community through her TeacherPayTeacher’s business.
Going into your first year of teaching can be hectic. Even the most in-depth college education programs, might not prepare teachers for what their actual first year in the classroom may bring. First-year teachers can struggle with anything from lesson planning and classroom behavioral issues, to their own time management.
So, we’ve asked the best resource for first-year educators- our seasoned audience of teachers across the nation, to provide tips and advice to their new colleagues entering the field of education.
Here’s what they had to say.
Stay Calm
– If something doesn’t go the way you planned, it may feel like the walls are closing in and you have chosen the wrong profession, but it’s not. Getting into a new routine and feeling comfortable takes time (yes, even with teaching). You’ve got this!
Set Boundaries for Yourself
– Remember teaching is your job, not your whole life, try not to let a few late nights turn into months and years. Don’t feel guilty for separating yourself and your home life from your work life.
A Gallon of Coffee a Day
– Keeps the doctor away, right?
Brush up on Technology (especially Google classroom)
– Even if you are starting your first year in the classroom, it would be a good idea to get familiar with the technology your school is using for virtual learning- just in case. Plans change quickly and often, this way you will always be prepared.
Take Time for Yourself Every Day
– Moments of peace and quiet are few and far between. Find time in your day for yourself; whether that be before school, during your planning period, or when you get home at night.
Learn that it is Okay to Ask for Help
– You won’t have the solution to every problem and that’s okay. If you are struggling with something (even if it’s just the copier) learn that asking for advice from your peers is completely normal and usually encouraged.
Playing Can Be Learning
– If you have a class that reacts more to hands-on or interactive activities, don’t be afraid to adjust your lesson plans to help incorporate more activities like this. Learning can be fun!
Listen to Music in the Classroom
– It is YOUR classroom and you decide how it will be run. If you discover having your kids sit on exercise balls and listen to calming tunes while they’re working is conducive to their learning experience- then do it!
And the fan-favorite….
Stock up on Your Favorite Beverages!
– This one speaks for itself! However, if you’re solely a black coffee and water-only drinker, the important point here is that you should find a way (that works for you) to unwind and relax when you get home from school.
When that first day of school rolls around, don’t stress out. We’ve all been there! And if you’re having doubts, just remember why you went into the education field in the first place.
You can do this! Have a great first year.
This article is furnished by California Casualty, providing auto and home insurance to educators, law enforcement officers, firefighters, and nurses. Get a quote at 1.866.704.8614 or www.calcas.com.
If you’re not yet mentally prepared to return to school, you’re not alone. It was a tough year, and the summer seemed to fly by faster than usual. That’s where self-care can help get you back on track and ready for a new year in the classroom.
Here’s what you need to know so you can recharge your batteries for the year ahead.
What is teacher burnout?
The Mayo Clinic defines job burnout as “a special type of work-related stress – a state of physical or emotional exhaustion that also involves a sense of reduced accomplishment and loss of personal identity.” Causes for teacher burnout include too much work and not enough staff, difficult student behavior, inadequate administrator support, and not enough prep time. Add to that a global pandemic with additional stressors, and it’s easy to see why you may feel burned out.
Are you exhibiting these signs of burnout?
The warning signs of burnout can be subtle. They include being easily irritated or angered, disinterest in attending social gatherings, insomnia, and exhaustion. Over time, this can lead to anxiety and depression. Clearly, you’re not able to do your best work when you’re not feeling your best.
What is self-care?
Self-care is more than just treating yourself to a massage or a hot bath. It’s focusing on what you need to reboot your mental energy and restore your physical fortitude. With proper self-care, you can improve your mood and your productivity.
Why start practicing self-care?
Teachers are well-known for putting themselves last; it’s a habit we have to break. Just as the airlines tell us to position our oxygen masks before assisting our child, we need to put ourselves first before we can help others. Therefore, if you practice self-care, you’ll feel better, sleep better and be ready to tackle anything.
How do you practice self-care?
Practicing self-care is about taking care of your body and your mind: mental health and physical health. Developing good habits now can extend into the school year.
Nourish your body:
Drink plenty of water. Aim for half of your body weight in ounces daily. (During the school year, time your water consumption by bathroom breaks.)
Exercise 30 minutes a day. Walking, dancing, and movement of any kind counts.
Get 7-9 hours of sleep a night. Try going to bed and waking up at the same time every day.
Eat healthy foods. Enjoy the fresh produce that comes with summer and the time to experiment with new dishes before the school year starts.
Nourish your mind:
Unplug from technology. An easy way is to charge your devices in another room, as you relax and unwind from the day.
Enjoy 15 minutes of alone time daily. This will help your mental state.
Practice gratitude. Keep track of all the things in your life for which you are grateful.
Read a book that’s not related to work.
Play your favorite music.
How else do you prepare yourself for the new school year?
Returning to school in the fall is stressful. It’s also exciting. Being as organized as possible will help reduce the stress and allow you to tap into the excitement. Here are some tips.
Create a to-do list leading up to the beginning of school. Include things you want to accomplish this summer, and things needed to prepare for school. Revise as needed.
Get your body used to the school schedule. Go to sleep early the week prior to school.
Plan to do lunch with colleagues during professional development days. Cheer each other on for the start of a new year.
Schedule an early dinner with teacher friends the night before the first day of school.
Wear a shirt with a positive message for the first day. That’s the message you’re sending to yourself as well as your students.
How do you continue the focus on self-care throughout the year?
You can continue the momentum throughout the year with some simple adjustments.
Be present as much as possible. Interact with your students in the moment, rather than splitting your attention with technology or other concerns.
Know your triggers and what sends you over the edge. Take steps to avoid them.
If you feel frustrated, close your eyes, take a deep breath, and center yourself.
Take physical and mental breaks. Get outside and breathe the fresh air during the school day.
Reduce your workload, such as in the homework you have to grade.
Be open, flexible, and adaptable. See the humor in the moment; it’s okay to laugh.
Remind yourself that the work you do matters. That’s why you became a teacher in the first place.
This article is furnished by California Casualty, providing auto and home insurance to educators, law enforcement officers, firefighters, and nurses. Get a quote at 1.866.704.8614 or www.calcas.com.
As students and educators head back to school, an uninvited visitor is joining them: summer heat. Much of the country is experiencing a late summer heatwave, sending temperatures to possible record highs. Teaching students in hot, uncomfortable classrooms is difficult, and many schools don’t have adequate air conditioning.
Minimize using overhead lights (instead, turn off the lights and use lamps or Christmas lights)
Close shades to block intense sunlight
Take cool-down breaks between lessons
Avoid excess movement during the hottest part of the day
Utilize a climate-controlled computer lab
Switch off unused electronics that produce heat even in standby mode
Invest in fans to cool the room
It’s also important for you and your students to stay hydrated. The Centers for Disease Control and Environment advises avoiding sugary and calorie-laden sports and soft drinks when the temperature rises. Water is the best way to hydrate the body, and it helps with cooling. Make sure your students always have easy access to water.
The American Academy of Pediatrics also warns against students engaging in physical exercise in extreme heat because they can overheat quicker than adults. However, if your students engage in physical activity, it is crucial to know the symptoms of heat stroke and heat exhaustion.
Heat Exhaustion
Heavy sweating
Weakness
Muscle cramps
Cold, pale and clammy skin
Fast, weak pulse
Nausea or vomiting
Fainting
Heatstroke
High body temperature (above 103 degrees)
Hot, red, dry or moist skin
Rapid and strong pulse
Possible unconsciousness
It’s important to note the key differences in treating each illness. Heat exhaustion can be treated by moving the victim to a cool location. Apply cool wet cloths and having them sip water. Heatstroke can be fatal and requires immediate medical attention.
Educators can beat the heat with these cool lesson plans for hot days:
Study the buoyancy of various objects in the water
Learn about water displacement of various objects
Create various devices that will float in water
Determine the best methods of keeping an ice cube frozen
Study cold weather areas like Iceland or Antarctica
This article is furnished by California Casualty, providing auto and home insurance to teachers, law enforcement officers, firefighters, and nurses. Get a quote at 1.800.800.9410 or www.calcas.com.
The typical college dorm room is pretty small. That makes it easy to keep clean, right? Not necessarily. With studying, classes, socializing, etc., it’s easy to neglect a room and let the mess pile up.
Since a clean room is easier to study (and live) in, you’ll want your college-bound child to know the right steps to keep it that way. Here are 6 tips to help them keep their dorm room looking its best all semester long.
Tip #1: Stock up on the right cleaning supplies
Whether you choose to clean before piling in the furniture of their new dorm, or not, a trip to the store for basic cleaning supplies on moving day is inevitable. They’ll need dishwashing liquid, a small tub, and a scrubber for dishes. Sponges, cleaning wipes, paper towels, a glass cleaner, and a general cleaner or disinfectant spray for wiping down surfaces. And for the floors, they’ll want a broom, dustpan, microfiber mop, and if you have carpet, a vacuum.
Money-saving solutions:
Coffee filters work well as lint-free cloths for dusting.
You can make your own cleaning solution of baking soda and vinegar. Mix one-part baking soda to two-parts vinegar (e.g. ¼ cup baking soda and ½ cup vinegar). Pour the mixture into a spray bottle.
Tip #2: Make room for storage
Having a place for everything, and making sure to return everything to its place, will help them keep things tidy. Before they head off to school, make sure your child has furniture that has enough storage for all of their things, or furniture/décor that can dual as storage. A cube organizer can easily become a place where towels and toiletries are kept, videos games and electronics can be placed in tubs, a desktop organizer can be used for papers and books, etc.
Money-saving solution:
College kids these days have more items worth more money than ever before. Protect those items through renter’s insurance. Surprisingly it’s very affordable; it even costs less than textbooks!
Tip #3: Keep the air fresh and clean
Odors can easily overwhelm a dorm room because it’s such a small space. So, you should also stock up on freshening or purifying products and scented trash can liners before move-in day. Make sure they know to remove trash and food before it spoils. And if you do notice a smell, try to identify its source—or call maintenance.
Money-saving solution:
Put a container of baking soda out to absorb odors.
Tip #4: Make cleaning fun
We all know cleaning can be quite a chore, but now’s the time to change that mindset. Pass on these helpful cleaning tips to encourage your college student that cleaning doesn’t have to be boring. 1. Transform cleaning into a fun activity. 2. Play your favorite music or listen to a podcast. 3. Set a timer and see how much you can do. 4. Cleaning can be a workout, and you can track the calories that you burn. 5. Clean with your roommate for double the fun—and results. Before they know it, cleaning will become a habit!
Time-saving solution:
Clean and listen to a recording of a class lecture to kill two birds with one stone.
Tip #5: Negotiate with a messy roommate
Roommates could make or break your child’s college experience. And roommates may not be on the same page about cleaning. Encourage your child to talk to his/her roommate about some basic tasks, such as picking up clothes or taking out the trash. And even ask him/her to join in the cleaning fun, with music on a designated day.
Roommate solution:
Make a roommate contract when you move in together to set expectations about cleanliness, guests, etc.
Tip #6: Schedule time for cleaning
This is the most important part. If they remember anything, tell them to remember this. Schedule cleaning into their daily routine just as they do studying and classes. Just 15 minutes at the end of each day will make a big difference. Then, schedule time on the weekend to clean. Do a deeper clean once a month. Have them use the following list or put together their own list of cleaning hacks.
Cleaning schedule breakdown:
Daily cleaning
Make your bed.
Wash your dishes.
Tidy up. Put everything in its place.
Disinfect frequently touched surfaces such as doorknobs and light switches.
Check to see if the trash needs to be taken out.
Weekly cleaning
Do your laundry, including your bedding and towels.
Clean out your fridge of old food.
Wipe down the inside of the microwave.
Dust with a damp cloth or microfiber duster. Dust is especially attracted to electronics, computers, speakers, and televisions.
Sweep and mop or vacuum.
Clean the bathroom if you have one in your room.
Monthly cleaning
Clean the windows and mirrors.
Wipe down appliances.
Clean inside the refrigerator and microwave.
Dust the ceiling corners and get rid of cobwebs.
Dispose of any food supplies that are out of date.
End of semester cleaning
Clean underneath the refrigerator, other appliances, and under furniture.
Wash your trash cans.
Wipe down your walls and doors.
Vacuum your curtains.
This article is furnished by California Casualty, providing auto and home insurance to educators, law enforcement officers, firefighters, and nurses. Get a quote at 1.866.704.8614 or www.calcas.com.
The teacher world loves to have new “buzz words” as the educational pendulum swings from side to side. I know that a lot of people have heard the term social and emotional learning and/or SEL in the last couple of years. But this is not a new concept, it’s just now becoming more of a widely known term.
Thankfully, this has made educators, administrators, families, and the community more aware of the need our students have to be more mentally fit when it comes to learning about emotions and how to deal with social situations.
When you starting as a new teacher or if you are new to teaching SEL, remember that building relationships in the classroom are key! You must first teach a child they are loved before they can be ready to learn everything else. If a child knows they belong, they will be more receptive to learning academics, social skills, emotional regulation and everything you teach them.
What is something you do to build relationships with your students? The beginning of school is right around the corner, some closer than others, so this is a great time to start building classroom community and those connections with your students and families!
Before your students even step foot into your classroom, you have an opportunity to set up a warm and welcoming space for your students to learn in. The classroom environment is a great way to let your students know they belong in your classroom and it’s important they have the tools needed to help identify their emotions and how to regulate them when situations arise. I love these emotions posters from @creativeschooldaze are a great resource to hang up around your room and to use in a calming/peace corner.
When a student does show their emotions in school, it’s very important to be able to recognize and celebrate them (even the difficult emotions). We all have them and it’s important to teach them that every emotion is okay to have, but it is the way you react to those emotions that really matter.
It is vital for all teachers to know that a child’s behavior is a form of communication. They might not have the vocabulary yet to express how they are feeling and a child may sometimes use unwanted behaviors to show you because they don’t know any other way. Behavior is communication. What are your students trying to tell you that you might be missing?
Make sure you are never asking a child at that moment, “What’s wrong?” Instead tell them, “I can see that you are upset and I want you to know that I am here for you when you are ready to talk.” This is the perfect time to ask them if they would like to visit the calming corner in your classroom.
Ways to promote a safe and welcoming classroom
Check-in with each and EVERY one of your students every day. Use their name. Greeting them when they walk through the door is a positive way to start off their school day. I like to have a “Morning Greeting” poster with each of my students to use during the morning meeting. They simply choose the greeting they would like as we walk around in a class circle and say, “Good Morning, __(name)___!” Here are some of the options I give:
High five
Secret Handshake
Chicken Wing
Dance move
Fist bump
Smile
Wave
Hug
Next up, I like to start my day with a restorative circle or morning meeting. The games or activities that I enjoy doing best to start the day off right are things that will wake up my student’s brains and get them talking with each other to build those relationships.
A must-have in every classroom is a place a student can go if they need a minute to be with their thoughts or time to process an emotion. This is NOT a timeout area. This is not somewhere you send kids if they aren’t displaying appropriate school behavior, this space should be a respected space in the classroom that is available when a child needs it.
Setting up a Calming Corner is easy and fun to create. Pick a spot around your classroom that has a little nook or space that is safe. I use it under my countertop, it is private up still open for me to be able to see the student. I found a couple of pillows and a soft blanket to lay on the ground. I bought a lap desk to hold all of the materials a student can use for their time there. Lastly, I place our breathing strategies and emotions posters on the wall next to the corner. This way they can refer to them while visiting the area. I will list the items I put in my calming center and you can find a longer list of links here as well.
Lap desk
Pillows
Calming ocean scene posters
Blanket
Fidgets
Calming timer light
5-minute sand timer
Digital timer
Playdoh
Bubbles
Coloring books & crayons
Sensory bin items (sandpaper, fabric, cotton balls, etc.)
Legos
Squishy plush toys
Seguin sliders
Calming music on an old iPod & headphones
Lava lamp bottles for shaking up and watching
I also make student bags to send home with each child so they can set up a corner in their own bedroom or home. I call it the “On the Go: Peaceful Practices” It is a little bag full of the same type of items. This year I am sending home a coloring book, crayons, playdoh minis, bubbles and a bubble breathing poster to hang on their wall. The students really love setting up their own spot in their houses and come back to school the next day and tell me all about it. I want them to use the same practices we use here in their real-life settings as well. If you would like this FREEBIE printable of the Peaceful Practice gift bag sign and one bubble breathing poster, check it out here. Be on the lookout for the Peaceful Practice Bundle coming soon!
Another great FREE resource to use is printing your own Zen doodling sheets for students to do when they need a moment to themselves or after they finish their classroom or an assessment.
Always remember… the best thing you can do for your student is to show up for them each and every day.
Lastly, I always want to share with you the love I have for books. I read my class a read-aloud each day of the school year and a lot of time I introduce SEL books. Here are eight of my favorites and you can find them on these linked lists!
Great Eight SEL Books to check out!
Bello the Cello By: Dennis Matthew
The Bad Seed By: Jory John
Our Class is a Family By: Shannon Olsen
What Should Darla Do? By: Adir Levy and Ganit Levy – These amazing authors also shared this amazing FREE resource with me to share with you all! Check it out here!
The Invisible Boy By: Trudy Ludwig
The Boy with the Big Big Feelings By: Britney Winn Lee
B is for Breathe By: Melissa Munro Boyd
Riley the Brave By: Jessica Sinarski
Casey Keyser is a third-grade teacher at Butterfly Ridge Elementary in Frederick County, Maryland. She was recently recognized as the national winner of the NEA Foundation’s 2021 Teaching in Excellence Award. Casey is the proud owner of the Education Resource Blog, Fair Winds Teaching, and loves to connect with her education community through her TeacherPayTeacher’s business.
