Teachers tips
Organize your room strategically
A preschool classroom can be quite chaotic, so the way you organize is important in that it can help ensure that effective learning is happening wherever children are stationed. There are certain tips and tricks that you can only learn from experience, according to Barbara Harvey, ECE professional and parenting educator. She’s learned to separate noisy areas of the classroom from the quiet ones. For example, the blocks and other activities should be on the opposite side of the room from the reading center. “There should be clearly demarcated areas in the room—like reading, timeout, play, food—and rules surrounding those areas,” says Adam Cole, co-director at Grant Park Academy. If the ‘boundaries’ of each space are clear, it facilitates the relationships in the room, Cole says. “Difficult situations occur less often and can be resolved more quickly.”
Don't buy individual whiteboards for a class set.
Instead, go to Home Depot. They will cut the wall size white board (96x48) into individual white boards for your class. I use a sock to store the markers and as cheap erasers for the students. I told the clerk it was for my classroom and she gave me 50% off so it only cost me about $7.00!edit: I thought I included a picture to go with the post. Here's what they look like: http://imgur.com/a/uGd5K
You can tell when a passage is C&p when the apostrophes are straight.
If it has been written in Word then they will appear curled. If it's been copied and pasted then they'll me straight like ' . It works as far as I can tell and there are obvious ways around it for students but most are unaware of it.
How to see if admin actually looks at the dumb s**t they make you turn in.
This year my administration has been asking us for a lot of “deliverables“, which I have had the suspicion they are not actually looking at… They are just trying to check boxes as usual. This strategy applies to Google docs, not sure what other people are using: make the document viewable only by you— if they actually try to access it, they will need to ask for permission.
If you don't want the endings of popular movies spoiled for you, don't teach in a middle school.
7th graders are the worst.
Let parents stay on the first day.
Kids whose parents stayed a few minutes and offered them words of encouragement did better when their parents left. (More tips for Pre-K separation anxiety at Pre-K Pages.)
Stock up on educational toys.
When choosing toys and games for preschoolers, less is definitely more. Simple, durable, and open-ended materials that invite kiddos to imagine, explore, create, and stretch their developing language and reasoning skills are the way to go. Check out our top toys and games for preschool and Pre-K.
Stock up on board games.
Whether they incorporate cards, dice, boards, spinners—or even an adorable cardboard monster and an oversized spoon—games have a host of benefits for young children. Check out our favorite games for the Pre-K set.
Cover your easel.
Cover your easel with wrapping paper and clear vinyl to create a surface that is easy to clean and fits into your classroom better than a bare wood frame. (Find more tips for Pre-K teachers on Prekinders.)
Gather reading buddies.
Pre-Kindergartners are learning how to read, and that includes “reading” to their favorite toys. Encourage kids to read aloud and practice what they know about reading with a stash of reading buddies (stuffed animals, dolls, and other toys) in the book corner.
