We began standardized testing this week in our district. I enjoy this time of year since it’s the culminating event of our year of hard work. What I don’t enjoy is the stress other teachers and my students face during testing. I wish I could tell them—and you—that is everything is going to be okay….
How to Make Overwhelm Eat Your Dust
I write a lot about happiness and balance. But sometimes, no matter what, teaching can just be plain overwhelming. There have been moments when I’ve felt so overwhelmed I wanted to walk out the door and never come back. Fortunately, those days are far behind me. Luck has nothing to do with it though. Instead,…
The True Measure of Success–Kid Style
Every Wednesday we have morning meetings in my classroom. They are kid-facilitated, with topics ranging from their challenges to their compliments to anything involving other students. Now and then, I “take over” and steer our morning meetings toward topics pertinent at that moment. For example, the Wednesday we were to visit their respective middle schools,…
Top 5 Ways to Deal With Change
This past week our school’s fifth graders began their transition to sixth grade with a field trip to the local middle school. If you’ve been reading Being Teacher a while, you may remember that this time of year is bittersweet for me. I’m happy they’re growing. But I’m sad to see them leave. We all…
How to Be the Perfect Teacher
Every perfect teacher in the world is one who is completely herself, always. My son is that age when he wishes he were like everyone else. I remember exactly how that feels. At his age I believed three things about myself: 1) I would never have a boyfriend, 2) I would never make the high…