How to Support LGBTQ+ Students

In today’s political climate, it can be hard to do what’s right. But regardless of your personal beliefs, LGBTQ+ students exist in every community and deserve to feel safe at school. Here are some ways you can help make this happen. Create a Safe and Inclusive Environment Display visible support to make sure students know

How to Teach Your Students the Right Way to Email a Teacher

Writing an email is a life skill. Students will use it throughout school, including college if they attend, and most likely throughout their career. I don’t know about you, but I’ve gotten my fair share of terrible (and sometimes funny) emails from middle and high school students. Truth is, many of them have just been

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3 Back-to-School Ideas for Middle School Math

The first days of school should be spent learning names, building relationships with students, and going over classroom expectations. Are you wondering how to sneak some math in there…just a little bit? If you’re looking to incorporate fun math activities into the first week of school, check out the ideas below. Math Icebreakers You know

How to Turn Weaknesses into Strengths When Writing an IEP

One of the first pages in an IEP is the Present Levels of Academic Achievement and Functional Performance page (often abbreviated as PLAAFP, PLOP, or PLP). Special education teachers disagree on best practices in the PLAAFP: some think the page should be strictly data-driven, while some teachers prefer to include some anecdotal information as well.

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How to Build and Maintain Relationships with Students

When you’re experiencing challenging behavior in the classroom, one piece of advice tends to circulate above all others: build relationships. But how do you build relationships with students when you barely have time during the day to do everything else? What if you didn’t start the year off on the right foot, and you’re trying

What is Executive Functioning? And how can I help my students who struggle with it?

We all have students who struggle academically. It’s likely you also have students who struggle with executive functioning. But what is it? You know the students. The ones that are smart but scatterbrained. The ones who shove loose papers into their backpack. The ones who save everything until the last minute, or take five minutes

Teaching Black History Month: Going Beyond Martin Luther King Jr. and Rosa Parks

It’s February, and that means Black History Month is upon us. Many schools and libraries acknowledge Black History Month with bulletin boards, book displays, door decorations, and more. But do students fully grasp the contributions of Black people to American history and beyond? With a recent focus on anti-racism efforts, many teachers are starting to

Twosday Celebration Ideas

What is Twosday? Twosday or Twos-Day is a once-in-a-lifetime occurrence that will happen on 2/22/2022. The last time a date like this happened was on 2/22/1922, which was a Wednesday. But this year, the date falls on a Tuesday. This means the date will be TUESday, 2/22/2022! Many teachers are planning to celebrate the special

5 Ways to Support Struggling Learners in Your Classroom

Chances are you have students in your classroom with a variety of learning needs. That may include students with disabilities, English language learners, or students who have gaps in their learning. And sometimes it includes students who just didn’t get enough sleep last night. Whether you are a special education teacher, general education teacher, or

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