by California Casualty | Educators |
The National Education Association’s Read Across America Day is celebrated annually on March 2, Dr. Seuss’s Birthday. Schools, libraries, and communities encourage students to read using children’s author Dr. Seuss as inspiration.
Each year, my elementary school building hosts a day-long celebration. A schoolwide read-a-thon kicks off the day. Throughout the day, students visit stations featuring a different Dr. Seuss book and accompanying activity. Faculty and staff prepare and lead the activities while parent volunteers help guide students around to the different stations. Many times, the day culminates with a viewing of a Dr. Seuss themed movie, like “Horton Hears a Who” or “The Cat in the Hat,” complete with popcorn and drinks.
Looking for lesson ideas and other Seuss resources for your March 2nd celebration? My favorite go-to spot for everything Seuss is Seussville.com. Seussville.com offers a variety of free lessons and activities. Geared toward primary and upper elementary, the Read Across America Classroom Activity Guide contains 5 activities, each based on a beloved Dr. Seuss book. The Battle of the Books allows teachers to create their own bracket-style competition or tournament. You can even print Read Across America bookmarks. Check out Seussville.com for many more lessons plans, printables, activities, and projects.
Scholastic.com has collection of Dr. Seuss author study articles, activities, lesson plans, and unit plans. Find Dr. Seuss unit activities, lessons, and printables at A to Z Teacher Stuff. Discover many lesson plans, craft ideas, printables, and teaching idea at Apples4theTeacher. Explore reading and Seuss-themed resources at Edutopia.com.
It’s time to start planning your Read Across America celebration! Your district, school, or class can take the Read Across Pledge here and share your plans for March 2nd.
by California Casualty | Educators |
According to Money magazine, teachers spend an average of $500 per year on school supplies for their classrooms. Teachers are also spending their hard-earned money on other items for students like clothing, food, bus fare, etc. If this rings true for you, then you might benefit from these educator discounts. Happy saving!
Auto and Home
GM Educator Discount – Finance, Cash Allowance, and Lease Specials for Chevrolet, Buick, and GMC vehicles
Arts and Crafts
Jo-Ann – Save 15% on every purchase with Jo-Ann Teacher Rewards Discount Card
Michaels – 15% entire purchase every day
Books
Barnes & Noble – 20% off all purchases for classroom use, Up to 25% off during Educator Appreciation Days
Half-Price Books – 10% off year round
Book Warehouse – 15% off year round
Organization
The Container Store – The Organized Teacher discount program offers educators special discounts throughout the year
Clothing
Ann Taylor Loft – Loft Loves Teachers program gets educators 15% off full-price purchases every day
Aerosoles – bring a teacher ID and save 15% on items priced $39.99 and up
New York and Co. – Educators save 15% on full-priced items purchased in-store. Simply show your school ID at the register
J. Crew – 15% off in-store purchase with school ID
Madewell – 15% off in-store purchase with school ID
Eddie Bauer – 10% off in-store purchase with school ID
Talbots – 15% any full-price, in-store purchase with school ID
Banana Republic – 15% any full-price, in-store purchase with school ID
Easy Spirit – 15% any full-price, in-store purchase with school ID
Kate Spade – 15% any in-store purchase with school ID
Supplies
Office Depot/Office Max – Rewards+ program offers 10% back and exclusive weekly member discounts
Staples – with Teacher Rewards, get up to 5% back in rewards, plus enrolled teachers get 10% back in rewards on teaching and art supplies
Lakeshore Learning – Teacher’s Club Members receive 15% off many in-store items and special offers every month
by California Casualty | Educators |
What is Random Acts of Kindness Week?
Random Acts of Kindness Week is a time when people are challenged to be kind to another for no reason other than to be thoughtful. The hope is that a person on the receiving end of an act of kindness will turn around and be the giver of an act of kindness. This perpetual chain of kindness is celebrated by individuals, groups, businesses, and schools.
Random Acts of Kindness Day originated in New Zealand. In the United States, Random Acts of Kindness Week is observed February 12th through 18th and National Random Act of Kindness Day is February 17th. When posting about kinds acts on Social Media, use #RandomActsOfKindnessDay or #RAK.
Health Benefits of Being Kind
People who are kind:
- have less stress
- age more slowly
- have lower blood pressure
- are happier
- have more energy
- have better relationships
Resources for Educators
The Random Acts of Kindness Foundation provides a number of RAK resources for educators on its website. From Kindness Projects to games to posters, this site is a comprehensive guide to everything RAK. For schoolwide ideas, check out 13 Free Ways To Create a School Culture of Kindness and 10 Kindness Week Ideas For Schools.
Kindness.org offers a variety of “kindness initiatives” to join, carry out, and share with others. This is great way for students, and adults, to become involved in the movement.
Videos for Students
Color Your World With Kindness by A Better World
How Good Spreads by Kid President + Glad To Give
All About Kindness song (Primary/Elementary) by Harry Kindergarten Music
Kindness Matters by The Great Kindness Challenge
Kindness Quotes
“We need more kindness, more compassion, more joy, more laughter. I definitely want to
contribute to that.” – Ellen DeGeneres
“Kindness is a language which the deaf can hear and the blind can see.” – Mark Twain
“Carry out a random act of kindness, with no expectation of reward, safe in the knowledge that
one day someone might do the same for you.” – Princess Diana
“No act of kindness, no matter how small, is ever wasted.” – Aesop
by California Casualty | Educators |
As a teacher, you know throughout the day the hunger cravings can pop up and sometimes the most convenient option is to pop into the teacher’s lounge for a vending machine snack. We have the tips to help educators keep energy and eat healthy throughout the day.
- Drink plenty of water. According to the CDC, staying hydrated can improve cognitive function. Keep a reusable water bottle around to refill throughout the day. Add a lemon or lime wedge for extra flavor!
- Skip the carbs. These may give you a short burst of energy, but are not a good food source for prolonged energy.
- Eat breakfast. Eating a nutrient-rich breakfast will keep your energy level steady until lunch. No time to eat breakfast at home? Try these Grab-and-Go Breakfast Ideas from WeAreTeachers.com
- Avoid coffee. Coffee can cause dehydration. It can also trigger blood sugar issues, leading to that afternoon decline in energy. Try drinking less coffee or trying herbal tea instead.
- Be aware of serving size. Sometimes we consume far more than one serving size. Check nutrition information before eating.
- Control portions. Pack your food the night before using the serving size as your guide; use measuring tools if needed. This way, you are limited to only the amount of food you brought with you. You can accurately keep track of how much you have eaten.
- Eat snacks. Protein-heavy snacks are a good source of lasting energy. Try nuts, cheese, or beef jerky to satisfy your snack cravings. Check out this list of Healthy Snack Ideas from FannetasticFood.com
- Prepare your food the night before. Take the time the night before to pack your lunch and snacks so you don’t make poor, last-minute food decisions during the morning rush to get out of the house. 50 Healthy Lunch Ideas from ReallyGoodStuff.com asked teachers to share their favorite healthy lunches.
- Eat that birthday treat! Elementary teachers know this battle all too well. Treats seem to appear on your desk out of nowhere! They’re hard to resist, but sometimes we just need to indulge ourselves after a long day. Try not to make it a regular habit, but you don’t have to avoid treats every time. You can also take home the treats you don’t eat or can’t finish (sometimes I share them with my family if I’m feeling generous).
- Be an active participant in student Brain Breaks. A recommendation by the CDC says “physical activity breaks in the classroom to help keep students focused and well-behaved.” That means teachers, too. My favorite FREE brain breaks are from GoNoodle.com. Don’t do brain breaks in the classroom? Take a quick walk around the building during plan time.
by California Casualty | Educators |
Parent-Teacher Conferences are an opportunity for teachers and families to connect. During conferences, teachers engage with the parents of our 21st Century Learners. However, the “traditional” conference is becoming outdated. Isn’t it time we give parent-teacher conferences a 21st Century makeover?
Group Conference
Harvard Family Research Project highlights this successful method:
Teachers and parents meet as a group three times per year. Each parent receives a folder with his or her child’s data and learns how to interpret individual benchmark assessment data and quarterly assessments, understand the child’s standing in relation to the entire class, and set academic goals to be attained by their child. Parents also participate in one individual parent–teacher meeting to review performance data.
Student Showcase
Reed Gillespie, a principal, explains the advantages of a Student Showcase on his blog Mr. Gillespie’s Office:
– An annual event where families, community members and others are invited
– An experience that highlights student work, creativity, discovery, ingenuity, research, innovation, 21st– century skills, and more
– A forum that engages students, families and community
– A means of communicating all the wonderful work our students/children and teachers do
– Opportunities for students to present their work, interact with the public and gain valuable experiences that extend beyond the classroom
– A way for students to connect with members of the community, potentially leading to jobs or other opportunities
Grade-Level Dialogues
This unique approach is outlined on TeachingForChange.org:
Grade level dialogues are structured conversations between parents and teachers regarding students’ academic success. In this format, teachers across a grade level host a communal meeting to exchange information with parents and find ways to support each other. Teachers share what the children are learning, how they are learning the content, and what strategies parents can use at home to encourage their child’s academic success.
Student-Led Conference
This was shared by Alain Jehlen at NEA.org:
Ask students to write a letter inviting their parents to the conference. Students prepare folders of work, comments, etc. for each of their core classes, with documentation from band, special education, standardized testing, their grade and attendance report, etc. They are taught how to share this information with parents and how to seek teacher help during the conference if needed.
Off-Campus Conference
What about those parents who never show up? Maybe they can’t take time off work, or they don’t have transportation. Offer to meet them at a convenient location like the public library, a restaurant, or their place of employment. There’s even the good ol’ phone conference, or its more modern cousin, the video conference.
by California Casualty | Educators |
Communication with the parents of students is one of the most important, if not THE most important components of student success. However, in between grading, paperwork, planning, copying, instructing, meetings, and tackling academic and behavior difficulties of students, I find it difficult to even squeeze in a restroom break! So where on Earth am I supposed to find the time to contact parents?
Communication with parents does not have to be formal or time consuming. It can be meaningful without you spending an entire plan period composing a perfectly-worded email or having a lengthy phone conversation.
Keep it brief. In many instances, parents are inundated with communication from teachers, school, and the school district. In my experience, for general school and classroom information, parents appreciate succinct messages from teachers. Get to the point and do it quickly. KISS (keep it simple stupid).
Printable, easy-to-fill-out forms are one of my favorite ways to communicate with parents when a phone call or email isn’t necessary. When a student has a minor behavior issue, consider using a form like this Behavior Alert from Floating Down the River. My favorite part of parent communication is when I can send a positive note home about a student. This editable positive note home from Classroom Freebies is easy to fill out. A Note From My Teacher from The Brown Bag Teacher can be used to communicate student accomplishments or struggles.
If you must contact parents by email or phone, keep the conversation focused on the area in which the student has the greatest need for improvement. Discussing multiple areas of need in one conversation can overwhelm parents and the teacher. Some questions to use when deciding what to say to parents: In what area do I want the student to improve? What am I doing in class to help the student improve? What are some resources I can share with parents to help the student at home? If you have additional concerns, you can save them for another conversation. Update parents as needed with concise messages.
Preparing templates for written notes or emails can speed up the process. Throughout the months of September and January I send home detailed, positive messages to the parents of each of my students. These are composed using a template of my own creation. I spend less than 10 minutes per student composing meaningful letters to parents. If this sounds like too much work, choose students worthy of praise.
Effective and efficient parent communication can be a powerful tool in achieving student success. How do you communicate efficiently with parents?
Author: Erin Randolph has taught elementary school for ten years. She lives in Olathe, KS with her husband, four-year-old son, and two-year-old daughter.
