The one trick that will help you last longer in the classroom

My good blogger friend Joel, of So You Want to Teach fame, has recently returned to the keyboard and is putting out great stuff once again!  He asked me if I'd like to write a guest post, and I told him, I don't have much, but how about this recent FB post I made?  He agreed, and so you can find the article about effective classroom clickbait here!

Here are a few samples: 

-With this one weird trick, you’ll never have problems with fractions again.
-18 secrets about Texas history your teachers never wanted you to know. 
-He destroyed the STAAR test. Now he’s speaking out.

I've certainly heard some interesting excuses for kids not doing their homework over the year.  Usually some variation of "I didn't have time" (certainly not with all that video game playing and tv watching!).

This week, one of my girls told me that she hadn't been able to do her homework because, quote, "I had to sleep last night."

So I thought it would be apt to report this list from a while back.  Enjoy, and feel free to add your own!

Keep those classrooms clean, people!

Today's guest post comes from Lauren Ray.  She writes with some suggestions for teachers on keeping their classrooms clean and neat throughout the year.

Please share your thoughts in the comments!

Classroom Maintenance For Teachers

Schools across the country have re-opened for a brand new year. Your classroom probably started clean as a whistle, but after a few weeks back, you've probably noticed that clutter has made its way back. As a teacher, there are a number of things you can do to maintain an organized, functional learning space throughout the school year. Make sure your classroom stays safe, stocked, and ready for learning with these tips!

·        Check your classroom furniture. Check your desk supply to ensure it stays stocked with plenty of paper and pens. Do weekly checks of your desk to ensure that all of the legs are intact, drawers work effortlessly, and there are no major scratches or dents on the surfaces. You should also check any shelving units that you have around the classroom to ensure they are properly anchored to walls, and that all screws and nails are in place. Also examine the construction of student's desks or tables throughout the school year. Anything out of the ordinary should be fixed so that students who enter the classroom avoid injury.

·        

      Check your classroom's safety. Similarly each week, you should check for any questions of classroom safety. Make sure than any cords, wires, and other tripping hazards are tucked away or taped down to the floor. Keep heavy books on low bookshelves to prevent them from toppling down onto a student. Most importantly, check that all of the outlets, lights, and other electrical components are working in your classroom.  If a bulb is missing or not working properly, or any wiring is exposed in your classroom, let the janitorial staff at your school know so they can have the problem fixed as soon as possible. Exposed wires and unprotected outlets can potentially be dangerous to students, so having these problems addressed should be a top priority.

·        Keep your classroom stocked for students. Before you head to the store, take an inventory of the supplies you already have. Check pens and markers to make sure they still have ink, and pencils and crayons to make sure there's still enough left of them to use! Toss any supplies that might be broken or too worn to use, as well as scraps of paper or dated assignments that are no longer relevant. Then, create a list of supplies you'll need to pick up at the store. Many office supply stores offer discounts to teachers, so be sure to ask about those types of loyalty programs when you shop. 

·        Give your classroom a quick clean. While your school probably has a custodial staff and cleaning systems set in place, you may want to give your classroom a quick dusting at the end of each week, just to freshen up the space. Clear away clutter from shelving units and desktops. Use a minimalistic approach when decorating your classroom. If you want to hang a recent assignment on the wall to boost classroom morale, hang it up! Consider using decorative pieces sparingly to avoid clogging the walls with too much distraction. Your desktop should be clear and ready for you to work at the following week, so toss any scraps of paper or past assignments that are no longer needed. -

Make sure your classroom is a safe, healthy learning environment throughout the entire year with these cleaning tips.

Win a LMG flash drive!

A few weeks ago, Jeff from USB Memory Direct, where they make custom flash drives, sent me several really awesome Learn Me Good flash drives, and now I'd like to give a few away!

These flash drives are cool, compact, and practical.  They fit on a key ring, and they hold up to 8 gigs!

Here's how you can win one of these limited edition Learn Me Good flash drives.  Beginning today, September 21st, and going through Friday, October 2nd, entries into the raffle can be earned as follows:

1 (ONE) entry earned by taking and posting a picture of yourself holding a copy of one of my books.  Be creative!

2 (TWO) entries earned by posting a video about Learn Me Good or Learn Me Gooder.

5 (FIVE) entries earned by posting a picture or video of a celebrity holding and/or talking about one of my books. *



* I reserve judgement on what constitutes a celebrity.

Pictures and videos can be posted directly to the Learn Me Good Facebook page, Learnmegood.com, or Youtube.  They can also be emailed directly to me - learnmegood2@yahoo.com.  By entering this contest, you agree to allow me to repost any pictures/videos/statements you submit.  Don't worry, I won't put your face on a pillow case. :)

The final day for entries will be Friday, October 2nd.  Sometime during that weekend, I will pull names from the raffle.  I will be giving away at least one and up to five flash drives, depending on the number of entries.

I wish you all good luck, and I can't wait to see what you come up with!

I don't think that's what she meant...

Yesterday in the cafeteria, a little girl punched a boy in the arm. I talked to her and she said she did it because the boy was being mean to her. I told her that telling a teacher was a better idea than punching someone. She shook her head and argued, "No, my teacher last year told me I needed to be a problem solver!"

Yeah, I doubt that's what she meant for you to do...

Some interesting thoughts on the population explosion

Friday, I was letting the kids explore a really cool website called worldometers that keeps rolling tallies of statistics like how many births and deaths were on that day, how many books were published on that day, how many emails had been sent on that day, and so on and so on. It's petty cool to see how quickly the numbers increase for each statistic. 

The top stat is world population, and I pointed out that it was well over 7 billion people. 

One of my girls remarked, "That's all because of Iraq and Israel, isn't it?"

I truly didn't know how to reply to that...

Not the kind of scaffolding I was hoping for

Two guys were up on a ladder directly outside my 2nd floor classroom window this morning doing some kind of "maintenance" that sounded like ritualistic animal sacrifice. 

Next time, I hope they have the decency to hold up math facts posters so the kids will learn something while they completely ignore their teacher.