Bright Ideas for Teaching – Practical strategies and creative inspiration.

The above picture gives you an idea for bathroom passes that you can use when your school opens back up. The labels are just slapped on bottles of hand sanitizer. A lot of schools do not have good hot water and soap. Bathroom breaks. How many teachers fret over students asking and taking bathroom breaks? Guess what...it's no problem for even an inexperienced teacher if they realize one thing: Restroom breaks are a nonissue. Too many teachers stress out over small things. Restroom passes are one of those. So, if you are a teacher and wondering how to make restroom breaks go away, here are some tips. First, you really need to check with the school and district to see what their policy is. They may not even have one and leave it to the logic of the teacher. Logic. That's how to tackle the dreaded restroom break. If a child is under the age of 7, they should probably be allowed to go whenever they want. Why get some mad parent ranting at you for Johnny or Susie wett...

Top things teachers should never do. Remember, teaching is a profession. You are a professional. Many times, we tend to forget that. Here are some some of the worse things teachers can do. Scream and yell. If you want to look bad in front of your students and staff, then you will raise your voice. Sure way to shorten your teaching career. This is related to losing your temper in class. Don't do it. No matter what, keep your emotions under control. You are the teacher, boss, and leader. You can get respect without yelling. Also on this note, classroom teachers should not single out a student and belittle them. This includes chewing them out for doing something, or not doing something. You will never brow beat a student into behaving or learning. You will only look like a foolish teacher. And quite an ineffective one at that. This includes getting upset for every little thing. Little things happen in class. They do not all require punishment, referrals, calls to the principal,...

If a teacher is going to assign homework, sooner or later a student is going to turn it in late. Or not at all and ask for an extension. What is your late work policy? Do you make it up on the fly? Many teachers do, but this is not being fair to all students. Every teacher should have a stated, clear policy when it comes to turning in late assignments. First, check to see if your school or district has a policy about late assignments. Many do. Your homework policy cannot go against this. Here are some more tips for teachers and collecting homework. Collect it immediately when students enter class, or shortly thereafter. Do not collect it whenever the student wants to turn it in. Give some credit for incomplete work. You will save a lot of trouble if you do this. You need clear options for grading late work. Have a set policy. What penalty will it cost the student to turn in late work? How about students who are absent? Your district and school probably have clear policies a...