As a third-grade teacher, I’ve dealt with my fair share of reluctant writers. But when faced with one particularly resistant student, I decided it was time to step out of my comfort zone.

Over the years, I’ve developed the following steps to help myself remember the names of my students. These tips can be used by any type of teacher at any grade level.

The trick to not using all your personal days during the first month of school is to focus on stopping bad behavior before it starts, instead of punishing students after the fact.

In my Grade 10 Canadian History course, students explore LGBTQ+ history the same way they explore the stories of many different Canadians in the context of our history.

The child stepped closer and closer until she paused just two feet away, locking eyes with me. “I don’t like you,” she declared, then kicked me in the leg and casually strolled back to the playground.

I am a primary school teacher from East Oxford, and last year I crocheted a “mini-me” of each child in my class as an end-of-year gift.

I have lost count of the number of times I have been told that rules without relationships lead to rebellion. Yet today, relationships with students seem to be feared instead of embraced. Over the years, quite by accident, I have discovered that this precept from days gone by is critical to classroom rules and to learning itself. Relationships are an essential part of learning, especially relationships between teachers and students.

Starting to feel slightly worn out in my current role, I wanted to avoid burning out altogether, so decided that it was time for a change.

Students want to read stories that matter to them and, most of all, they want to see themselves reflected within the pages of their beloved comics.