I was in the classroom for 26 years and I have to admit I fumbled many times. The good thing is I found what works and what doesn't work. Throughout those bumps in the road, there are lessons to be learned- even for teachers! Read on to find out what NOT to do in the classroom and alternative suggestions that will have your students begging to learn! 1.  DON'T USE A TEXTBOOK EXCLUSIVELY I'm not going to lie. When I first started teaching back in the dark ages, I thought the textbook was the best way. Who knew better than an already created source of information? I quickly learned that students weren't learning as much as I thought and guess what? They were bored reading one page after another. Look at a textbook as a guide, not the sole plan of your lesson. Think of Social Studies for example. When I was teaching American History in fourth grade, we had a textbook. My students were learning the bare minimum. There was so much information, that I didn......

Dyslexia is not going away. Research shows that 1 in every 5 students have some form of dyslexia. (learningally.org) Although there is not a cure, there are many strategies for parents, educators, and even curriculum designers to help children with dyslexia be successful scholars. Read on to find out the truth and myth about dyslexia, what it looks like in the upper elementary classroom, and what strategies work. What is dyslexia and the myth behind it? People who haven't had the correct education about dyslexia tend to think it is reversing letters and numbers in writing . That is far from the truth. So what is dyslexia? According to the International Dyslexia Association , " Dyslexia is a language-based learning disability. Dyslexia refers to a cluster of symptoms, which result in people having difficulties with specific language skills, particularly reading. Students with dyslexia usually experience difficulties with other language skills such as spelling, writin......

You probably know the main components of a lesson. You may even be required to write them all down in your lesson plans. Whether it's a lesson you've created from scratch or a plan laid out in your curriculum's teacher manual, whether it's a lesson you've done every year since the beginning of everything (you know, an oldie but a goodie), or one that is fresh and new, these four ideas can help you teach it more effectively. I'm not here to list the obvious. These ideas may not be generic, but they are rooted in solid, effective teaching practice. Ready to amp up the way you teach? STOP TALKING One day a few years ago I lost my voice. Woke up and it just wasn't there. Too much work to make sub plans, so I trudged into school, not sure how I was going to get anything done with my class when my throat was raw and I couldn't talk. It turned out to be one of the most productive days students had in awhile. And it wasn't because I gave them a......