The Educator's Lifeline

 As an elementary student back in the 1970s, math confused me. And the problem only got worse in high school. I was taught a series of algorithms, like "carry the one" and "divide, multiply, subtract and bring down" without really understanding why the algorithms worked. It wasn't until I took my first class in how to teach math that the light bulb 💡 finally came on for me. I learned the concepts behind the algorithms, and what the numbers actually represent. "Carrying the one" actually means taking a ten from the tens column and breaking it up into ten ones. "Punching up" to compare two fractions is actually shorthand for finding a common denominator by multiplying the two denominators together, as I explain in the video below. I know to many folks, the "common core" approach seems to waste time by laboriously walking students through the "long way" of doing things. But when introducing students to the foundational conc

Since ChatGPT burst onto the scene a few short months ago, there's been a lot of speculation about how artificial intelligence (AI) is going to change our lives. Is it coming for our jobs? Will there be any need for humans in this brave new world? I told a friend recently I think AI tools like ChatGPT will eventually become so commonplace, it'll just be assumed everyone is using them to automate the more mundane part of our lives, sort of how the leaf blower replaced the rake and the automobile replaced the horse and buggy. Sometimes I worry people will use it for the wrong things, but this just means the detection software will have to be as good as the tool itself. If you haven't given ChatGPT a whirl yet, I encourage you to go to the OpenAI website , create a free account, and try it out! Here's a list of some things teachers can get ChatGPT to do: Create Classroom Activities: If you're stuck trying to figure out some activities for your class associated with a c

This post is for all my teacher friends who also have a store on TPT. For the uninitiated, TPT refers to Teachers Pay Teachers , a massive collection of printable and digital resources teachers create and sell for other educators. You might be like me. I started my store years ago, posted a handful of freebies and a few paid products, and thought of the site as a fun hobby. Anytime I sold a product (about once a month) I thought, "Hey, that's neat! I'm glad another educator discovered that resource and is using it in their own classroom." Then I never gave it another thought, until the next sale. Weeks later. Fast-forward to January 2023. I decided to start taking my store seriously. Like a business. And one of the first things I noticed when I looked at other, more successful stores, was the cool, colorful animated banners many of them had on their storefronts. I thought: I want one of those! So, I did a simple TPT search , using the phrase " tpt store banners

 While it's true Google Forms has been around a while, it's only been in the past few years I've had the chance to teach myself how it works. For those of you still using paper and pencil for assessments, you are in for a treat! Google Forms will save you so much time. Really! And: it's surprisingly easy to use. There are so many ways you can use Google Forms to save time in your classroom. Did you know Google Forms supports the following question types?  Multiple Choice: Ask a question and let students choose the best answer out of several provided. In Google Forms, more than one answer choice can be correct. Short Answer: Students will type their brief answer in the blank. Should be no longer than a few words. Paragraph: Same as Short Answer, but allows students to type a lot more. Good for essay questions. Checkboxes: Similar to Multiple Choice, but allows students to select more than one. Use this for those "Choose all that apply" questions. Drop-down:

 I still remember the year I taught fourth grade. There was a lot to learn, as this was also my first year teaching. I spent most of the year in a daze, constantly thinking about creating lesson plans, homework assignments, grading assessments and of course, managing behavior issues. Every year teaching is challenging, but the first year is definitely a trial by fire! 🔥 By the time February rolled around, I was beginning to feel a little bit better, like I was just starting to figure it all out. I'd formed solid relationships with my students and their families. I knew where I wanted my lessons to go, was staying on top of grading, and I was even starting to hit my stride with managing behaviors (at least somewhat). Printable, instantly-available valentines would have been a lifesaver for overwhelmed first-year-teacher me. But on the evening before Valentine's Day that year, I realized that not only did I not have any Valentines ready for my own two elementary-aged kids, I als

 I have a confession to make. My graphing calculator comes with a bunch of powerful features I've never used. There, I said it! I feel better. The good news is, there are a bunch of resources online to help. The two heavyweights are Texas Instruments and Desmos , and both have amazing free resources for educators. Let's start with TI. In addition to an entire educational hub available on their website, they have downloadable activities for the classroom, professional development webinars, and electronic versions of their product manuals, all free. Because TI calculators are ubiquitous in most of the classrooms I've been in, these resources can really save time and help students focus on the calculator instead of other devices. Nice! Desmos has built their platform around a mission to improve mathematics education for everyone, and their commitment to equity shines through in everything they do. I love their teacher dashboard , where you can browse learning activities and