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3 Smart Shifts for More Purposeful Peer Dialogue

6 Low-Cost, Low-Stress, Family Events Your Community Will Love

Suspensions are a big problem.This challenging reality underscores why it's crucial for educators and administrators to delve into the complexities of student suspensions and collaborate on effective solutions, especially when the current situation feels overwhelming.

Across the country, schools are making a powerful shift from punitive discipline to restorative practices and the results are transformative. Research shows that schools using restorative approaches see fewer behavioral issues, stronger relationships, and improved school climate. But the true power of this shift lies in what students are learning: how to communicate, resolve conflicts, build empathy, and take ownership of their actions.

Restorative practices only work when adults lead by example first. If we want schools to be spaces where students feel safe, connected, and accountable, we must first build that same culture among the adults. 

Creating effective classroom behavior expectations can feel overwhelming. While most educators understand the importance of solid classroom management, establishing rules that actually work requires a strategic approach. Here are six proven steps to transform your classroom management experience.

With the right tools and strategies, you can harness data to personalize instruction without adding hours to your workload. Here’s how to make student data work for you—not the other way around.

Student behavior is one of the most pressing challenges faced by schools and youth-serving organizations today. From preschoolers to high school seniors, behavior concerns can disrupt learning, overwhelm staff, and prevent students from reaching their full potential.

To prepare students for this modern world, we must shift away from passive, "sit-and-get" instruction and focus on cultivating active learne

Why educators must embrace AI, how it can be used ethically & effectively, & what steps we should take to prepare students for a AI.

Just when we thought education was one of the most stressful jobs on the planet, BOOM, it got more stressful. Educators are reporting record high levels of job dissatisfaction and we are experiencing the effects of a large number of teachers leaving the classroom. Teachers seem to be scrutinized more than ever before (And that’s saying something!). Of course, there are factors that we cannot control that take place outside of the classroom. However, there are 5 things you ca

Conflict resolution is an important skill to teach students. It’s important to teach children how to communicate effectively, how to problem solve, and how to manage their emotions when they have a disagreement. There are many strategies that can help with this. One strategy is to have students brainstorm a list of conflict resolution steps. This can help them become aware of the options they have when they are dealing with a disagreement.

Employability skills are a set of skills outside of technical or academic competencies that are desired by potential employers and considered imperative to being a successful employee and team member. This set of skills might include things like: communication, teamwork, initiative, problem solving, planning and organizing, self-management, and more. You may have heard them referred to as “soft-skills.”   Personally, I believe they are as important as anything else we teach,

My family moved from Michigan to Indiana in April of 1988, the end of my 2nd grade year. Upon joining my new class, my teacher did an...

Right now, teaching, and basically any job in education, can seem overwhelming. There are so many things we could be doing. It is very easy to lose sight of the big picture and not see the forest for the trees. One of the best ways to keep everything in perspective is to self-evaluate and set goals.    You need to write some Professional Goals and some Personal Goals . Yes, it is important to have both professional and personal goals. Professional goals improve you as a teac

Last December I wrote about prioritizing our adult mental wellness during times of stress and uncertainty. I was hopeful at the time that...

Stress is a part of life and it can even be helpful! We perform better under some level of stress, it can motivate us to reach our goals...

My guess is if I ask teachers who have taught for more than one year, they can name a student they know who will come to class without any materials like a pen, pencil, paper, or book. Teachers can name a student they know who will ask to go to their locker or use the restroom during class. I’m also willing to bet teachers can name a student who will stay silent when they are asked to answer any questions in class. Knowing teachers can name students who do these actions, I as

In an ideal setting, a classroom should have a teacher facilitating lessons, while the students are carefully listening, learning, and collaborating about a particular subject. But in reality, that scenario may be different from what’s happening in many classrooms. Usually, teachers have students with difficult behavior problems in their classrooms. These students engage in behaviors that can be disruptive to the whole class. It can set off a chain reaction, affecting not onl

What is Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports? Also known as PBIS, it is a program that schools use to improve student behavior....