A Simple Self-Regulation Trick
Struggling with disruptive classroom behaviors? Here’s one strategy we love – it’s always available, costs nothing, and easily accessible for all children. Read on to learn more…
Back to School
Articles
One Way to See Improvement This School Year
It’s easy to fall into the trap of seeing everything that’s going wrong. But sometimes we can spend so much time focused on what’s not working that we miss seeing success. Here’s one thing we like to keep in mind when it comes to behavior.
Managing Stress: A Guide for Teachers
If you’re in a classroom with children all day, you already know – there’s no stress like a teacher’s stress. As we enter a new school year, it’s time to start thinking about a stress management strategy. The more you prepare for it, the better off you’ll be at handling it when it does come up.
What we Call Students Matters
What you call your students is what you want to elicit in them. That's why I think certain terms should be avoided, and others added to your teacher vocabulary. Consider these options.
The Case for an SEL Curriculum
We are in a unique moment in education – an experience none of us have ever seen before. And yet, we know that we can’t take the foot off the gas. So what can we do? We must be explicit about social emotional learning.
What to Do on the First Day of School: Advice for New Teachers
If you’re a new teacher starting out, you may be wondering a very simple question: What do I actually DO on the first day of school? Read these tips.
Building Expectations for a Smooth School Year
Everyone wants to have a smooth school year, with minimal disruptions and lots of learning and fun. This is possible! But in order to achieve it, you must have clear expectations.
Back to Basics: Important Reminders for Students on How to Do School Again
It’s always a great idea to remind students of the basics. But this year, it’s essential. When we say basics, we mean BASICS. Consider these prompts to help get students prepared for this new year.
Building Relationships During the First Week of School
There is nothing – we repeat, nothing, more important to a successful school year than building safe relationships. Consider this first-week-of-school guide to setting the stage for safe relationships.
Setting Up Your Classroom, Part One: Guiding Principles
The setup and organization of a classroom is an essential part of learning. It’s so much more than just aesthetics – a classroom must be functional and support student’s learning. Here are a few guiding principles to setting up your classroom this year.
Setting Up Your Classroom, Part Two: What to Include
In part two of our classroom setup advice, we take a look at what the most important components of a classroom include.
Three Questions to Ask Yourself to Create a Healthy Work-Life Balance this School Year
A healthy work-life balance is essential for this new school year. Here are three questions to consider.
Two Children’s Books about Anxiety
Sometimes the easiest way to normalize and talk about a complex emotion is through stories. That’s why we like these two children’s books that can help kids navigate their anxieties and worries, one for younger kids and one for older kids.
Coaching with a Social Emotional Approach
Schools and districts must renew their focus on how to prioritize social and emotional support for adults through coaching and professional learning. Read more about how a strong social emotional lens can support coaching practices and improve outcomes.
We All Have Expectations: A Free Safe Relationships Lesson Plan
This free lesson plan, We All Have Expectations, introduces students to classroom expectations and guides students through established expectations for both the teacher and the students/classroom. The lesson can be adapted to fit any elementary or middle school classroom.
How to Build Relationships with Students this School Year
Every year it is important to get started on the right foot with building relationships with students, but never more than this year. As students return to school, they will need explicit focus on relationships to help build a classroom environment where every student feels a deep sense of belonging and safety.
Back-to-School Anxiety Tip: Worry One to Ten
In today's back-to-school anxiety tip, consider a worry chart where a child can track their worry on a scale of 1 to 10 and learn how to track and manage their anxiety.
Back-to-School Anxiety Tip: What Does the Worry Look Like?
In this back-to-school anxiety tip: one way to support children who have anxiety is to help the child identify what the worry looks like.
Back-to-School Anxiety Tip: Use Story Books
One simple way to help children manage anxiety is to read about it! In this back-to-school anxiety tip, learn how to use story books to help manage worries.
Six Ways to Build Emotional Safety this School Year
As students come back to classrooms this fall, safety will be on everyone’s mind. And while physical safety is very important, emotional safety must also be front of mind. Here are a couple ways to increase emotional safety for students this school year.
Back-to-School Anxiety Tip: Help Them Fill Their Own Toolbox
In this back-to-school anxiety tip, having children identify their own solutions to anxiety will be more effective than coming up with solutions for them.
How to Prepare for a Safe School Year
Safety is on everyone’s mind as we start this new school year. We want to ensure that every student, teacher, school personnel and family member stays healthy this year as most students return to school full time for the first full school year since the pandemic began.
Back to School Anxiety Tips: Draw Your Worry
In this back-to-school anxiety tip, you can help children manage their worry through a process called "externalization" to help them separate themselves from their anxiety.
Teachers: How to Prioritize Your Own Mental Health This School Year
There’s no way to effectively support students if you’re feeling run down, overwhelmed or maxed out. As you return to school this year, consider these tips to prioritize your own wellbeing and mental health.
Back-to-School Anxiety Tip: Visualize the First Few Days
In this back-to-school anxiety tip learn how parents can support kids in getting ready for the first few days of school by helping them visualize it.
Back-to-School Anxiety? Four Things to Know
After a year of shifts and adjustments, some kids may be feeling anxiety or worry about going back to school. These four things may be helpful to keep in mind.
It’s Okay to Not Be Ready for the School Year
Teachers: it is okay not to feel ready, or even motivated at all, to go back to school. Here are five ways to help prepare for the work ahead – and maybe even gain a little motivation – as you get ready for another school year.
How to Answer Kids’ Questions about COVID
As children head back to school this fall, many are asking questions that teachers may feel unprepared to answer. While we can’t provide a script for how to respond to each question a student may ask, here's some guidance on appropriate ways to handle these tough conversations.
This Fall, Consistency is Key
While we can’t create consistency in this unpredictable world, we can create it where we have control – in the classroom (or virtual classroom).
Learning at School or Home: How to Prioritize Children's Mental Health
Regardless of the circumstances, the decision between virtual learning and in-person learning can be surrounded with anxiety and uncertainty.
How We Created a Bitmoji Classroom
Momentous School 4th grade teachers share this back-to-school strategy designed to help teachers create a virtual classroom for distance learning.
How to Help Students Adapt to Wearing a Mask
Many states and schools require or encourage people to wear a mask to prevent the spread of COVID-19. Here are seven quick tips to help students adapt.
Partnering with Parents in the New Age of School
There’s never been a better opportunity for schools to capitalize on the partnership with parents as there is now.
Reminding Students (and Ourselves!) How to Do School Again
Students coming back into the classroom this fall, or students logging on to virtual platforms, will need an even more intentional refresher course on how school works. And frankly, teachers probably will, too!
How and Why to Start Each Day with a Classroom Morning Meeting this Fall
When students start back at school this fall, creating a sense of belonging must be top priority.
Behaviors You May See at the Start of This School Year
Here are some behaviors we may see in children as we head back into classrooms this fall.
Three Tricks to Master Students’ Names in a Virtual Back-to-School World
Here are a few tips to get started learning student’s names if the school year starts with remote learning.
Videos
Back to School: Six Ways to Build Emotional Safety this School Year
Here are a couple ways to increase emotional safety for students this school year.