tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26474624547230448482026-03-01T18:30:56.544-05:00Writing My Way Through the School Year!Lisa Mhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14289525703981289695noreply@blogger.comBlogger291125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2647462454723044848.post-17888919772149849622022-08-05T18:12:00.002-04:002022-08-08T14:38:52.478-04:00

There is a teacher shortage.And just to be sure you understand, it's not that teachers don't want to teach.It's not that there aren't enough teachers certified to teach.It's that teachers don't wish to teach among the horrible conditions that exist in the public school system in the United States.COVID, banning of books, restricting the teaching of American History, not "Black History","

Lisa Mhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14289525703981289695noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2647462454723044848.post-87601005661762104692021-12-23T17:27:00.004-05:002021-12-23T17:27:47.290-05:00

My teacher-friend hung a Black Santa in her room. One of her 4th graders asked her why Santa was burned. The other day, I received a presentation on the dangers inherent in social media. I scrolled through the slides, and then something made me scroll through the slides again.  There were 30 slides and there were no people of color. None. Are there no situations where people of color

Lisa Mhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14289525703981289695noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2647462454723044848.post-55969066363013662752021-12-12T18:47:00.005-05:002022-01-03T14:16:45.290-05:00

My first year teaching in a NYC public school I sat down with what would now be considered a "student advisor" for my post-observation session. He asked me how I felt the lesson went. I told him I thought it went pretty well.He replied snarkily, "You must think very highly of yourself."Well actually, yeah, I did. I was 24 and confident as hell, I still am.I knew I had room for improvement, but I

Lisa Mhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14289525703981289695noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2647462454723044848.post-77463890132772177252021-11-27T18:51:00.004-05:002021-12-31T21:05:10.467-05:00

I have watched videos, read letters, and listened to testimonies from educators who have quit. Media outlets relentlessly lament the fact that teachers are quitting in droves.I understand the "why" of quitting, except for the "no chance for advancement" part, as if being a classroom teacher is the bottom of the barrel and you have to work your way up from there. But let's leave that to another

Lisa Mhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14289525703981289695noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2647462454723044848.post-67247056708872281002021-06-28T16:36:00.003-04:002021-06-29T21:42:15.797-04:00

I hated virtual teaching.I said it. I hated it.You think it would have been easy because I am considered "tech-savvy." Integrating tech when I teach is second nature for me. So, this should have been easy. Right?Except, I hated it.We started our mornings with our 5 minute Waiting Room, then moved on to our Virtual Morning Meeting. We played games on Gimkit, Quizizz, 99Math, and all the new

Lisa Mhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14289525703981289695noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2647462454723044848.post-59410970724118894922021-06-15T11:55:00.000-04:002021-06-15T11:55:20.168-04:00

I wanted my virtual students to have a yearbook. As a 5th grade team, we created a 5th grade yearbook with Snapfish, but I wanted them to have a CLASS yearbook. It wouldn't be filled with pictures of all the wonderful things we did together, because...we were together on a computer, but I still wanted to put something together.What did I put in a yearbook for a virtual class, you

Lisa Mhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14289525703981289695noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2647462454723044848.post-45735805069812029282021-03-27T18:28:00.002-04:002021-03-27T18:28:39.920-04:00

I miss my class. :( I miss being with my class. I see them every day, cameras, on, cameras off. A glimpse here, a glimpse there.I saw them once, some of them, when they met me at the school to pick up their "gifts" I got from DonorsChoose. We saw each other in "real life!" So exciting!I miss getting up and going out the door, fighting traffic, road raging at those who wish to make

Lisa Mhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14289525703981289695noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2647462454723044848.post-58133789832700087152021-02-15T21:58:00.003-05:002021-02-15T21:58:52.587-05:00

It's funny how students take things you say every day and turn it into "a thing."Every morning I share the Morning Meeting slide with my class. (I tweaked someone else's template).I always try to connect the topic to the National Day or things that are going on in the world.  In order to give my class a chance to talk about what they want to talk about, I would say,"

Lisa Mhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14289525703981289695noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2647462454723044848.post-77841238464468593402021-01-23T16:44:00.014-05:002021-02-22T13:57:35.081-05:00

I tell you, Amanda Gorman, really inspired me. I haven't written a poem in years!We are not  Superheroes.We cannot leap Tall buildings in a single bound.But, we can leap over obstaclesplaced in the wayOf us "being best".We cannot run at the speed of light.But, watch how quickly we canPivot.Virtual, Hybrid, Face to Face.We do not have laser beams that shoot from our eyes.But,These eyes.&

Lisa Mhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14289525703981289695noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2647462454723044848.post-15457200493264069582020-12-27T19:21:00.007-05:002021-01-15T22:01:38.077-05:00

There was a post on Twitter about a mother who sent her kid to school knowing they had tested positive for COVID.As I am wont to do, I dived into the comments. A constant stream ran through the thread, noone should be upset with the adult. Instead we should blame society, the school, etc...., anyone but this adult who made the choice to send a kid to school with COVID.Have we gone too far

Lisa Mhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14289525703981289695noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2647462454723044848.post-6863996126015710222020-12-13T18:03:00.012-05:002022-12-18T18:40:13.644-05:00

Christmas is here! Or the holidays, the break, or whatever you wish to call it.But one thing is for sure, whatever you call it, the kids are excited, and you still have to teach!So I figured, why not use something that goes with the theme? Something the kids could get excited about? Something that involved Math, but not endless computation or word problems?The PNC Christmas Price Index 

Lisa Mhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14289525703981289695noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2647462454723044848.post-63779116478751001092020-11-28T16:30:00.000-05:002020-11-28T16:30:11.229-05:00

When I learned how to create a Bitmoji slide, it was a game-changer for me. When I learned how to add the slide to Schoology and post as an update, I was over the moon! Yes, it's the little things. 😎So, every week , I change my updates. I saved the template, so all I have to do is switch out the image.Ta-da! My updates include the message on the board, our "quote of the week"

Lisa Mhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14289525703981289695noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2647462454723044848.post-24336642286373226662020-10-29T21:46:00.004-04:002020-10-31T16:12:27.065-04:00

I know DESMOS was made  for Math , but I have been using it for my Morning Meeting activities. I try to switch up the things that I post for them to do.I found this list of "50 Icebreaker Questions for Kids" during my frantic search for ways to break the ice in September. The question that  most recently caught my eye was, "If it was raining meatballs, would you eat them?"&

Lisa Mhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14289525703981289695noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2647462454723044848.post-56412261815738972532020-10-05T20:45:00.005-04:002020-10-08T12:30:39.948-04:00

 I open my Zoom "door" at 8:40 a.m. every morning. Alexa helps me stay on track. My planning period is at 8 a.m., and sometimes, as you know, we get wrapped up in what we are doing and lose track of time.Any way, one day as I was immersed  in the Bitmoji  FB group, and I came across a digital "Waiting Room."("Sharing is caring!").  I was like, this is so cool, I want this

Lisa Mhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14289525703981289695noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2647462454723044848.post-74419662039100038412020-08-06T16:19:00.016-04:002020-08-09T17:48:30.091-04:00

It's time to go back to school.And whether you are face-to face or virtual, making connections with your students is vital.Here are a few digital  ideas for getting to know your students and/or letting your students get to know you. 1. BINGO.The great thing about BINGOBaker is that there are thousands of ready-made cards or you can create your own BINGO. You can post images, text,

Lisa Mhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14289525703981289695noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2647462454723044848.post-77702427747432812020-07-13T23:49:00.001-04:002020-07-13T23:49:46.296-04:00

Would I die for my students?  Probably. Teachers have placed themselves in harm's way for their students countless times. But, not like this. Not in a situation where decisions could be made that would keep our students and educators safe.  A 61 year old educator in Arizonza was infected with COVID19, along  with two other educators who were working in the same classroom.&

Lisa Mhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14289525703981289695noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2647462454723044848.post-2839639156478457792020-06-13T20:33:00.001-04:002020-06-19T18:14:16.129-04:00

This tweet. (See below)When I read it, someone else had retweeted it, the first thing that stood out to me was her use of the simile, "like wild animals." Hmmmm.....So she, and I am sure she is not the only one, has a problem, because educators aren't being silent about the issues America has with systemic racism. Educators had the audacity to bring what is happening in the world into #Edutwitter

Lisa Mhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14289525703981289695noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2647462454723044848.post-82568097705343616832020-05-02T21:17:00.000-04:002020-05-03T14:51:15.681-04:00

Just a hodgepodge of thoughts/opinions here! Thank goodness I have always been a fan of integrating tech in my classroom, that has made this remote teaching/learning situation a WHOLE lot less stressful for me! Whew! However, I feel for teachers who were not prepared for this, and find it very difficult to navigate this terrain. Especially when it just happened out of nowhere, there was no

Lisa Mhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14289525703981289695noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2647462454723044848.post-61667312373768017522020-02-17T18:36:00.001-05:002020-02-17T18:51:30.993-05:00

"I don't see color". This was a phrase that was used by a teacher in a Facebook discussion regarding an article about why more teachers of color are needed. The educator in the group took offense because she felt that she didn't see color in her classroom, therefore the race of the teacher should not matter. That's the part that resounded with me.  We all see color, it's

Lisa Mhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14289525703981289695noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2647462454723044848.post-29469566879009757922020-01-12T22:49:00.002-05:002020-01-16T21:44:17.373-05:00

Date: Monday, January 5, 2020 Place: My classroom Student: Mrs.Mims, could we start doing Read to Self again because I got this great book for Christmas and I just want to read it. Here's what's funny, and by funny, I mean ironic. During the break, I was thinking about how I had pretty much eliminated Read to Self from our daily schedule. (Don't worry, I did not spend my entire break

Lisa Mhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14289525703981289695noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2647462454723044848.post-7268207909955186932019-11-19T20:50:00.000-05:002019-11-19T20:50:35.436-05:00

I'm sitting here grading papers while I "watch" Deon Cole on Netflix. This blog post jumped into my head while I was doing that. Aaaaah, teachers, forever the multitaskers. I'm not 100% right now. I stayed in bed all day Saturday, and while I was in bed, I thought about the papers I had to grade. I thought about them Sunday too. Monday, I had a full day, part of which involved me doing

Lisa Mhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14289525703981289695noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2647462454723044848.post-27945926722930918432019-08-08T17:39:00.002-04:002019-08-25T19:27:33.273-04:00

What is the Pen Pals Who WRITE Project? I decided to create this project because of my wonderful experience exchanging letters with pen pals in another state. One year my class had two sets of pen pals, one in California, and one in New Jersey. In 2013-2014 school year, we were pen pals with a class in Spain, last year, Russia. While we had fun doing projects using tech, receiving

Lisa Mhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14289525703981289695noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2647462454723044848.post-5655320930024620922019-08-05T22:42:00.001-04:002021-08-27T16:47:36.676-04:00

TUESDAY, AUGUST 13, 2019 is a MATCH DAY! Many times people bemoan and lament about teacher salaries, how educators don't get paid enough, that no teacher should have to pay for anything out of their own pocket, and than they do nothing. Well, here's a way for those who can, to do. Put your money(💲)where your mouth is! DonorsChoose.org is an amazing non-profit whose sole purpose is to "

Lisa Mhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14289525703981289695noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2647462454723044848.post-33359578126122077712019-08-05T00:00:00.000-04:002019-08-05T22:54:55.030-04:00

This was a FB post and I had to share it. After being attacked online by some troll who thinks I only work 8-3, and always have 3 paid months off, and who thinks I request school supplies for myself and not for my students, I had to write this rant. I'm getting so sick and tired of how teachers are viewed and treated.  Teachers in all fifty states should stop using their own money

Lisa Mhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14289525703981289695noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2647462454723044848.post-48615069221981903512019-07-27T21:47:00.005-04:002019-08-05T00:41:53.845-04:00

If you listen to the late Rita Pierson's TED talk, you have a perfect example of the term, "Warm Demander".  As I was perusing the latest Edutopia articles, the title  "The Necessity of Having High Expectations" caught my eye. We, in the education field seem to have moved away from this mindset. The mindset of holding our students accountable, expecting the best, their best

Lisa Mhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14289525703981289695noreply@blogger.com0