After my first week of being in a long-term occasional role, it became very clear to me that learning about being in the classroom is not the same as actually being in the classroom.

It is my job to motivate and mold my students, to keep them engaged, to build reading and writing confidence in all who enter my virtual classroom.

It is not uncommon for a student to struggle with newly learned material. The question we need to ask is when does it become problematic?

I avidly recall a second grade class that would excitedly huddle around my rocking chair for story time. Students scrambled around sliding chairs to the carpet where I read heartwarming and sometimes zany tales, they reminded me that story time was counted among the most meaningful and cherished moments of a child’s day. Story time is a child’s portal into endless worlds, kingdoms, and dimensions.

I was recently involved with an art exhibition in the Thanet District of Kent, England, that helped students see themselves as artists, advocates, and changemakers.

The first six weeks of a new school year are essential. In middle school classrooms, those weeks are not just a warm-up. Rather, they are the foundation on which the entire school year is built.

I am Teacher. I can wear fifteen different hats on my head and not one of them from the same shop.

As I stood in my empty classroom surrounded by piles of boxes, I couldn’t help but wonder: what was I going to do now?

Over the years, I’ve found one of the best ways to help kids understand how an economy works is to have them take an active role in managing their own money.