Friday Five: Building Community Through Morning Meeting

Morning Meeting- Building Community One Morning At a Time One Good Morning, Sunshine! Morning meeting begins with a greeting. The greeting helps build community because it allows students to say hello to each other and to settle into the learning space for the day. We, as teachers at meetings, also like to have time to say hello to each other before we begin the work we have at meetings. Kids want the same opportunity, and it isn’t tough to facilitate it.   Greetings can be opportunities to get silly with your class. Just a few weeks ago, we did a greeting… View Post

Student Independence from Day One

The Big Goal Student Independence Student independence is key. In fact, my whole goal for my students is to be able to do whatever I teach them on their own. Without me. This independence applies to everything. I want them to connect mathematical ideas on their own. Those decoding skills I teach during conferring, I want them to do it once I walk away. I want them to know what to do when the fire alarm goes off. I want them to know what to do if they make a mistake or need to go to the bathroom. My goal… View Post

Brag Tags- I tried them and I didn’t love it

What’s a Brag Tag? Brag tags hit the world of teaching a few years ago. Although the concept, providing students with a token for doing something, wasn’t anything new, they were redesigned and better than ever. I was teaching second-grade and kept getting passive-aggressive feedback about how my teaching wasn’t cute. When I switched grade levels, I decided to become a cute teacher, and I hated it! 😂It’s just not my style. Here are a few examples of Brag Tags I handed out in my classroom. Of course, I purchased a few bundles from TPT, but in true Natasha fashion,… View Post

Weekly Wisdom

Masterpieces & Works IN Progress You are allowed to be both a masterpiece and a work in progress simultaneously.  -Sophia Bush Sometimes as teachers we don’t like to admit that we are works in progress. This Sophia Bush quote describes exactly what we are as teachers. We are both a masterpiece and also a work in progress. That’s what teaching is all about it. It’s about being a great teacher and looking to become even better at the same time.  Our students are the same. They are both a masterpiece and a work in progress simultaneously. That is what makes… View Post

How to Teach Abroad: Applying and Interviewing

How to Teach Abroad Start the Process Early Now that you’ve decided to teach internationally, you might be wondering how do I teach abroad? Where do I start? It’s time to apply for positions and interview with new schools. The process for applying and interviewing happens much earlier than it would in the US. You’ll find that not only is the timeline moved up the process will be slightly different as well.  When I was applying to teach internationally the first time, I worked on my resume in September, and I asked my principal for a letter of recommendation in October.… View Post