The Opinionated Educator: a blog about all things teaching in today’s classroom
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Opinionated Educator Bids Farewell: Moving to Elm Tree Education & Lit Bits
Dear Readers, This is the final post of the Opinionated Educator blog. As much as I have enjoyed writing on this platform, I am excited to announce that I will be moving to blog on Elm Tree Education with Lit Bits – bite-sized professional development on topics around literacy instruction. Now that I’m trying to…
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Top 5 Techniques to Effectively Connect with Hard-to-Reach Students
–CHAOS TO CALM: NAVIGATING CLASSROOM MANAGEMENT SERIES This post on hard-to-reach students is the sixth and final in the “Chaos to Calm: Navigating Classroom Management” series. Check out the previous posts on classroom climate, classroom culture, teacher credibility and clarity, instructional practices that promote engagement, and restorative practices. When I think back to my time…
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Responding to Classroom Behavior with Restorative Practices
–CHAOS TO CALM: NAVIGATING CLASSROOM MANAGEMENT SERIES This post on responding to student behavior with restorative practices is the fifth in the “Chaos to Calm: Navigating Classroom Management” series. Check out the previous posts on classroom climate, classroom culture, teacher credibility and clarity, and instructional practices that promote engagement. I started teaching in the early…
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Striking the Right Chord: Boosting Student Engagement in the Classroom
–CHAOS TO CALM: NAVIGATING CLASSROOM MANAGEMENT SERIES This post on instructional practices for student engagement is the fourth in the “Chaos to Calm: Navigating Classroom Management” series. Check out the previous posts on classroom climate, classroom culture, and teacher credibility and clarity. If you have a high level of student engagement, classroom management will be…
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The Importance of Teacher Credibility and Clarity
–CHAOS TO CALM: NAVIGATING CLASSROOM MANAGEMENT SERIES This post on teacher credibility and teacher clarity is the third in the “Chaos to Calm: Navigating Classroom Management” series. Check out the two previous posts on classroom climate and classroom culture. I’m sure most of you have heard of John Hattie, but just in case, let me…
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Strategies for Building a Positive Classroom Culture
–CHAOS TO CALM: NAVIGATING CLASSROOM MANAGEMENT SERIES This post on classroom culture is the second in the “Chaos to Calm: Navigating Classroom Management” series. Check out last week’s post to learn more about classroom climate. To read more about the definition of classroom climate vs. classroom culture, read this blog post. When I had a…
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How to Create a Supportive Classroom Climate
–Chaos to Calm: Navigating Classroom Management Series Today marks the beginning of the 6-week series “Chaos to Calm: Navigating Classroom Management.” We will dive into a specific aspect addressing your classroom management struggles every week. This week focuses on creating a positive classroom climate to foster an optimal learning environment. Read more about the definition…
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There’s No Easy Button for Classroom Management
Hands down, one of the biggest challenges for novice teachers is classroom management. There has not been a single first-year teacher I’ve mentored who hasn’t needed at least some support around management. The hardest lesson new teachers struggling with classroom management must learn is that there is no silver bullet or quick fix. It takes…
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High-Fives & High Grades: Why Strong Teacher-Student Relationships Matter
By now, we’ve all seen the viral videos of teachers greeting their students daily at the door. While you don’t have to do some elaborate dance routine in your greetings, having some sort of greeting at the door process to start the day is encouraged. One of the greatest benefits of this practice is being…
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Empathy: Key Jedi Mind Trick for Effective Parent-Teacher Communication
During my early years as a young and single 20-something starting my teaching career, I frequently heard a cliché from fellow educators who were also parents: “I became a better teacher when I had my own kids.” Although I respected these teachers and their expertise, I couldn’t help but wonder if having children truly made…