Day 156: Students might not know it, but they love routines. Structure and schedule helps them know what’s expected of them. It helps them focus on learning. So, what happens when you try to teach on a Friday, when Tuesday and Thursday were high-stakes tests, Wednesday was a half-day, and Thursday afternoon was mostly recess and…

Day 155: Done with MCAS! If I were a Math or English teacher, I’d be excited because the finish line I’d been aiming toward all year had finally been crossed, and it would be time to do a project, or some sort of year-end activities. However, I teach a non-tested subject. So, what am I excited…

Day 154: Teaching is often an exercise in delayed gratification. You might struggle with a child for months, only to have him or her come around in June and say, “Thank you.” Given that, when the wins are big and obvious and staring you in the face, you embrace them. IEP meetings are not typically tons…

Day 153: Does compliance lead to buy-in, or is compliance the best it gets? Tuesday, we did a homeroom reset. Silent entrance, silent to desks, silent to the morning meeting circle. First warning = three minutes of recess. Second = ten minutes, plus sit in a fourth grade room. We got to the circle quickly and…

Day 152: My homeroom has been, on the whole, trending downward for months. They enter classrooms like they’re entering a party. They fail, consistently, to quiet down when asked. They throw balls around the room like it’s recess. For a while now, I’ve been letting a lot slide. Science class is going well, and giving certain…

Day 150: Often, when I finally remember on Sunday that I haven’t written about Friday yet, I can only remember a blur of exhaustion and frustration and please let me finish this day and get to the bar as fast as I can. As usual, I don’t remember many details. However, the ones I do remember…

Day 150: First of all, Happy Day #150 to me! Today wasn’t ideal. Thursdays always suck, thanks to the lack of a prep period to decompress. This one felt particularly arduous because I had to teach a mediocre lesson three times. I knew it wasn’t great when I taught it yesterday; it had too many notes,…

Day 149: Fourth period today was deeply unsatisfying, for two reasons. First, it was pretty much the most boring lesson I have taught all year. The Do Now was too complicated. There were too many guided notes. The guided practice was silent and low rigor. About 20 minutes in, I realized my kids hadn’t been released,…

Day 148: It’s teacher appreciation week, which is, all told, a pretty sweet week. Yesterday, one of our parents made a ton of Ethopian food, including beef and split lentils, and left a huge spread in the teacher’s lounge. I may or may not have had thirds. And I may or may not have had croissants…

Day 147: A wonderful thing happened on Monday. For months, my homeroom has been, let’s say, less than productive. We don’t have train wrecks, but we’re not exactly “moving with a mission.” This is due to a volatile mix of boys who can’t sit still, girls who are 12 going on 21, and a handful of…