Leaning How to Say No and Set Boundaries with Parents
By: Jon Konen | Nov 21, 2022
How to increase your “NO!” toolbox!
No other time in my 23 years of education has it been harder to say “no” to people. We want to be pleasers and support our all stakeholders as much as possible, but sometimes there’s a limit to what we can do.
What I have found interesting is that now more than ever, the answer “no,” isn’t something a lot ...
The Things She Carried
By: Mary Hardin | Jun 6, 2016
Right now, I am the most popular teacher in my building. It’s not for any typical reason—no, I don’t give out tons of extra credit, and I certainly can’t be the prettiest or funniest. No, the reason is because I have a sizable box fort in my room. Am I ...
Teachers: Saints or Sinners
By: Mary Hardin | Jun 6, 2016
Yesterday a student asked me a seemly simple question: “Is teaching just your job or is it your life or something?” On the spot, I didn’t know exactly how to answer that question. I mean, I know that I probably should answer the question with a resounding, “Yes! Teaching is ...
Special Education and Family Involvement
By: Mary McLaughlin | Jun 6, 2016
One of my friends realized school had let out for the summer and asked me what were my plans for my “time off.” That always cracks me up. Teachers don’t have time off, but that’s a blog entry for another day. Anyway, this pal—a retired Special Education Teacher--also asked how ...
The “Double Scoop” – Student Emotions
By: Jon Konen | Jun 2, 2016
It's at this time of year we see behaviors in students that we may not have seen since the first days of school in the fall. We wonder what has changed in the student's life to warrant these behaviors. We have to keep the big picture in the forefront. Many times ...
Summer Reading: Friend or Foe?
By: Michelle Areaux | May 31, 2016
The idea of summer reading, as wonderful as it sounds to educators, is usually a dreaded phrase to students and parents alike. For kids, summer is supposed to be full of sunshine, fun, and freedom. Not reading some boring book their lame teachers selected. Right?
No! This is a mindset that ...
Can a Kindness Campaign Truly Change Your School?
By: Jon Konen | May 30, 2016
Back to the main Bully Prevention Guide.
PU#151 – Kindness Campaign
After trying many things to lessen discipline referrals in our school, we had to step out and think “inside the box.” What do you focus on, the discipline of a few naughty students or the kindness of the majority of students? That ...
The Big Send-Off
By: Mary McLaughlin | May 30, 2016
Today was our school’s last day of school.
My first day of class with this bunch was November 20, 2015; during the course of six months, my kids have worked very, very hard. Their IEP goals were at the forefront of all our activities, their learning styles were the root of my ...
The Fortune of Failure and Firsts
By: Tricia Koechig | May 26, 2016
Vincent Van Gogh is considered one of the most influential painters of all time. However, few know of his life outside of his famous painting, “A Starry Night.” Van Gogh’s parents gave birth to a still born son just a year prior to having Vincent. The Van Gogh’s had not ...
Veteran Status
By: Mary Hardin | May 26, 2016
I can’t believe it happened, but it finally did. I remember in my early days, covered in sweat and chalk dust, armpit deep in half-marked essays and desperately constructed lesson plans, that this day would never come. Oh, yes, people told me that it would, but I didn’t believe them. ...
School Year Alpha, Omicron, and Omega
By: Mary McLaughlin | May 26, 2016
The Alpha (beginning): school year...the beginning of a new year’s adventures in teaching and learning...it’s fresh. We’re rested. We’re renewed. We’re rejuvenated. We’re excited. We’re organized. We’re anxious. We’re professionally developed. We’re unpacked. We’re set up. We’re done reviewing I.E.P.’s, their accommodations and modifications. We’ve asked a million and nine ...