4 Things Teachers Should Do Before School Starts

by California Casualty | Educators | 1 comment

For many teachers, the beginning of the school year is both exciting and overwhelming. In the final few weeks of summer, their minds are racing with thoughts of lesson plans, class rosters, assessments, Back-To-School Night, and classroom set up. Before you dive into your classroom theme or your new reading corner, consider the following items as you prepare the upcoming school year:

1. Tackle Your Personal “To Do” List
Seemingly small tasks can become a burden during the hectic school year. Do yourself, and your family, a favor by taking care of these things before you head back to school. Get household affairs in order: make doctor/vet appointments for all members of the family, finish incomplete summer projects, and tackle any needed car or home maintenance. It would also be a good time to evaluate your personal finances – including your auto and home insurance. Check out the “Get a Quote” box to the right. You might be able to save some serious money!

Fewer items on your personal/family “To Do” list means more time to grade papers and plan lessons, right?

2. Plan Ahead for Professional Development
Once the school year has started, it may be difficult to switch from thinking about lesson plans, to thinking about your professional development. Many districts lack the funds to provide quality professional development opportunities to teachers. If this is true for you, check out the continuing education courses at your local university. Before the school year begins, enroll in coursework that will benefit you in your professional development. Some school districts may even have a tuition reimbursement program.

3. Re-establish Routines
Make it a point to re-introduce daily routines before the school year begins. Many of us get used to a more relaxed routine during the summer months: bedtimes are later, mornings are less hurried, and brains take a break.

A week or two before school begins, introduce your usual routine. You can start slowly, or all at once. Create (and stick to) bedtimes, set morning alarm clocks, practice bathroom routines, and eat a healthy breakfast. Don’t forget to incorporate some reading time into that routine! Having a routine in place before heading back to school, for both teachers and students, helps ease the transition from summer to the school year.

4. Take a Moment for Yourself
Take a day, a half-day, or even just an hour, before you head back to school for some “me” time. Lounge by the pool, give yourself a pedicure, get a haircut, watch a movie, or even have a spa day. Whatever your choice of leisure activity, squeeze in some time for yourself before diving into the new school year.

Cheers to a great new school year!

Erin Randolph has taught elementary school in Louisburg, Kansas for eight years. She lives in Olathe, KS with her husband, a three-year-old son, and a two-year-old daughter (and a seven-year-old border collie).

Making Education Fun: 10 Ways Teachers Use Technology in the Classroom

by California Casualty | Educators | 0 comments

Technology is capable of more than improving productivity at work and enhancing global commerce – it’s a powerful tool to help teachers engage their students. According to the National Center for Education Statistics, over 90% of classrooms are equipped with computers and/or internet access. As technology becomes more accessible and mobile, teachers are using it to breathe life into the learning process by making it fun and interactive.
Using Technology in the Classroom: 10 Innovative Ideas
From apps to handheld devices, teachers are using technology to create a memorable learning environment that encourages collaboration and conversation. Here are 10 unique ways you can use technology to transform learning:

• Digital challenges.Nothing is more exhilarating for a student than the feeling of being the first to find the correct answer. Some teachers are using technology to create digital scavenger hunts, which get students excited about learning new information while perfecting online search skills. Begin a lesson with a digital challenge to set the pace for an inspired learning experience and watch student engagement soar.

• Class blogs and forums.  Technology took classroom communication to a new level. Now, teachers can create class blogs or forums using free tools, like WordPress.com and Blogger, to publish student work. By encouraging comments and posting class news, teachers use familiar social media tactics to create education-focused communities and engage their students in academic discussions.

• Take learning outside. Technology-based innovation of the learning process doesn’t only apply to in-class projects. In fact, schools equipped with a wireless internet connection allow teachers to take the classroom outside. Even without a wireless connection, mobile devices pre-loaded with educational apps can enhance the learning process outside the classroom, especially for science classes.

• Experience art and music interactively. Whether you’re discussing Beethoven or Michelangelo, sometimes words don’t effectively convey the message. Between YouTube and mobile apps offering on-demand media, giving students the opportunity to experience the sounds of classical greats and admire the detail in a masterpiece is easier than ever before.

• Inspire healthy competition. With a variety of classroom management apps available, teachers can create virtual leaderboards, merits, and award systems accessible on any device. Because students are able to access and view their progress with peers, healthy competition is inspired while providing motivation to learn.

• Partner with other classrooms. When attempting to partner with other classrooms or invite guest speakers, teachers no longer have to spend additional time working out the logistics. Whether using a low cost communication tool, like Skype, or implementing a classroom-specific collaboration tool, educators are using technology to reach across physical walls and keep the classroom interesting.

• Get parents involved. While parents are working and children are in school, many moments throughout the day are not communicated to parents. From awards received to behavioral feedback, technology is simplifying communication between parents and teachers. As a bonus, digital classroom management tools reduce time spent completing paperwork and writing notes to parents.

• Track progress and goals.Viewing progress towards a goal is a good way to motivate students, identify concerns, and reward excellence. Online classroom management apps with syncing technology make goal tracking simple, transparent, and fast. Students and parents are able to view progress on classroom and student-specific goals.

• Encourage feedback from students. Survey and poll tools, such as Poll Everywhere, provide teachers with a quick, easy, and real-time method of obtaining student feedback. Students may respond to a poll question from class, their mobile phone, or any computer and teachers are able to review responses in real time.

• Keep students organized. As students graduate to higher levels of education, staying organized is paramount. Technology is making it easier for teachers to impart responsible study habits and organizational skills through the use of digital notebooks and student organizers. Accessible on any device, online notebooks help students keep track of subject-specific notes, record lectures, keep images, and archive online research.

Low Cost and Free Ways to Incorporate Technology

Between budgetary concerns and logistics, incorporating technology into the classroom can seem like an impossible task. Fortunately, there are numerous free and low cost options for teachers that help bring lessons to life:

• Google Classroom. Accessible on any device, Google Classroom is free, robust, and offers multiple classroom-specific features. Many time consuming tasks, such as providing custom feedback and responding to student questions, are simplified by using Google Classroom. From assigning projects and reviewing submissions to grading homework and discouraging academic dishonesty, Google Classroom efficiently digitizes classroom essentials.

• Science360 for iPad. Developed by the National Science Foundation, Science360 is a free app providing students and teachers with a vast library of images, audio files, and video covering numerous scientific topics. Content found in Science360 is published by scientists and researchers to enhance classroom learning. Using this app encourages students to remain informed about current science events.

• Likened to a social network for classrooms, Schoology is a learning management system that streamlines communication, organization, and collaboration. For students, Schoology provides a one-stop shop for assignments, course materials, and supplemental information while simplifying communication with the instructor. Teachers benefit from administrative functions, like the ability to create custom web pages and review class statistics, which save time and resources.

• Aiming to replace paper-filled 3-ring binders, LiveBinders is an online note taking and storage tool. While itsuse for students in the classroom is obvious, LiveBinders is also helpful for presenting parents with course materials and student reports, organizing educational tools and research, and keeping class-specific information in one easily accessible location.

• Featuring the ability to instantly sync and store information, Evernote offers robust capabilities and a generous storage allotment. Save, share, and sort information related to specific subjects. Users can take and save pictures, create audio recordings, and store media files in Evernote, which keeps important information in one place.

Liven Up Your Classroom with Technology

With so many tools to bring technology into the classroom, your options for customizing the learning process in your classroom are endless. Whether you need to help students get motivated about a “boring” subject or want to inspire collaboration in your class, use technology to add a twist to traditional education.

Working for Teachers

While you’re working hard to educate future generations, California Casualty is working hard for you. Offering auto insurance specifically for teachers, our company is dedicated to making your morning commute worry-free. Contact us today to learn more.

Resources (not all linked):

https://www.educationworld.com/a_tech/columnists/johnson/johnson033.shtml

https://www.edudemic.com/technology-in-their-classrooms/

https://www.teachhub.com/12-easy-ways-use-technology-your-classroom-even-technophobic-teachers

https://www.alicekeeler.com/teachertech/2014/09/07/20-things-you-can-do-with-google-classroom/

https://www.edutopia.org/stw-online-learning-free-virtual-lessons-projects

https://www.edutopia.org/tech-to-learn-classroom-technology-resources

https://www.educationworld.com/a_tech/archives/technology.shtml

https://www.teachthought.com/technology/6-tips-and-18-resources-to-extend-learning-beyond-the-classroom/

https://byoung4481.wordpress.com/

https://nces.ed.gov/fastfacts/display.asp?id

California Casualty Academic Award Winners: Then and Now

by California Casualty | Educators | 2 comments

$2,500 can go a long way, especially for educators. It’s no secret that teachers spend out-of-pocket money for their students; what might surprise many is how much. A recent study from the National School Supply and Equipment Association found 99 percent of instructors used an average of $500 of their own money to equip their classrooms. However, many educators report putting out much more than that for school necessities, with the amounts closer to $1,000 to $2,000 each year.

There are many great resources to help classroom instructors stretch their budget for classroom supplies. Edutopia compiled grassroots tips and links from educators around the nation on getting free supplies and organizations that help teachers get the goods they need. They include:

• Freecycle
• Adopt-A-Classroom
• A Gift for Teaching
• Kids in Need Foundation

Another is the California Casualty $2,500 Academic Award.

Ohio kindergarten teacher Holly Thomas is the most recent recipient. Holly says she routinely spends between $1,000 and $1,500 per year on her classroom and students. The grant has enabled her to buy bins and containers for the 500 children’s books and other materials she has accumulated in her 6 years as a teacher. She is also using her California Casualty Academic Award to augment the science center she has created in her classroom and will use some of the funds to build six garden boxes for her students to plant and enjoy. Holly is teaming up with the nonprofit ToledoGrows for the project.

Holly, who is paying off student loans and covering tuition for her Master’s degree in Instruction and Curriculum, says having extra resources to purchase classroom needs as they arise has taken a lot of pressure off her finances and added to her well-being.

“We are repeatedly told we have to do more with less. With what we are expected to accomplish, with the resources available and the demands being put on us; my job is becoming more and more stressful. I try very hard to remind myself daily that I am molding the lives of five and six year olds”

Holly, urges instructors to take advantage of grant programs like the California Casualty Academic Award. She can now fund new ideas to help inspire her students. “It feels good to be supported by such amazing organizations as the NEA and California Casualty,” she said.

Elaine Tam was the recipient of the California Casualty Academic Award in August 2013. Elaine is a California high school teacher who applied the grant towards a trip to the Monterey Bay Aquarium. Forty eight students were able to tour the aquarium and enjoy the beautiful coastline in the area; many of them had never been to the ocean before. Elaine said, “As always, recognizing educators isn’t done nearly enough in society so this award is undoubtedly welcome.” She too urges educators to take a moment and apply.

Whether your need is for new technology, electronic tablets or traditional supplies of books, snacks, pencils and paper, do what Elaine and Holly did and let California Casualty pick up the tab with the $2,500 Academic Award. There are restrictions and official rules and the application can be found at www.calcasacademicaward.com.

Resources for this article:

https://blogs.edweek.org/

https://teacherscount.org/teacher/grants.shtml

https://www.edutopia.org/free-school-supplies-fundraising-donation

https://www.k12grants4teachers.com/