I’d like to think that it’s absolutely DEVASTATING for my students to miss a day of my class. I mean, how could they stand not being there for my jokes, random musings, and crazy faces? So when a student misses many school days, I really notice. I know I’m not alone, since most teachers who […]
Teaching Strategies
When students cheat – and why it’s hard to fix
Folks, we have a cheating problem on our hands. I know it’s naive to think that my students WON’T cheat, but that doesn’t make it any less disappointing. About two weeks ago I was helping one of my students email me an assignment from his iPad. Doing this required him to open his Gmail app […]
Making a case for standards-based grading
I received an email today at 7:09 AM from a parent: Mrs. Lepre, why aren’t you using the traditional grades in your class? What does a “3” mean? It’s easiest for me to look at A B C grades to keep up with how she’s doing. I never agreed with pretending WE ARE ALL DOING […]
Gamify Open House, Back-to-School Night, or Parent Night
Another Open House came and went (#13!), but this time with a twist. Since I’m looping with my students (this is my second year with them), I’m also looping with their parents! I couldn’t do the SAME thing I did last year for Back-To-School Night because THAT would be boring. So I decided to mix […]
An open letter to myself as a first year teacher
Dear Kim, Congratulations on making it through college and your credential program! I know that you’re going to be a fabulous teacher and really change the lives of kids in a positive way. Also, high five for landing your first teaching job! As your future self, I want to give you some friendly advice for […]
