Using Seating Arrangements in the Classroom I was speaking with a friend one day and we got into a discussion about her productivity levels. She is currently a graduate student and also teaches. She explained to me that classroom and study environments are tremendously impactful on student’s ability to focus and stay engaged in the […]
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Be- the Thanksgiving you Want to SeeWays to teach gratitude during the Thanksgiving Holiday The Thanksgiving holiday is a great way to teach and model gratitude to children. Thanksgiving should inspire us to stop and think about how we are all connected, and through connection, we all help each other to improve each other’s lives. […]
Read More Thanksgiving Day is not just a dinner Historically Thanksgiving Day is a National holiday in the United States that occurs in November. In 1621, the Plymouth colonists and Wampanoag Indians shared an autumn harvest feast that is recognized today as one of the first Thanksgiving celebrations in the colonies. In 1863, amid the Civil War, […]
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Many of my students love the show “Avatar: The Last Airbender” as much as I do! There’s a particular episode that truly stands out as a favorite of mine and it’s the episode where the main character and protagonist, Aang, is learning to Earth-bend: a technique that will allow him to have control over earthly […]
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Practical Advice on Encouraging Student Engagement “Miss T, I know we won’t put coconut milk in the soup?” One of my students slyly remarked as I read the recipe for the Chicken Tai soup, we were preparing to create in our Teen Chef Class. By now, I was very used to the students’ resistance to […]
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Let them Share: Helping Children Express their Feelings During a boys’ mentoring session, one of the quieter students shared his thoughts regarding attempting suicide. When the education coordinator shared this information with my colleague and I, we both were shocked. I would never have thought that this student might be experiencing suicidal thoughts or consider actions […]
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Using the Socratic Method to Teach Social-Emotional Learning Developing critical thought and questioning abilities in children is an excellent way for students to understand more about their habits, feelings, and behaviors. Often, educators tend to focus on the outwardly expressed actions of the learners rather than helping children to effectively understand the root of their […]
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In late 2018, the Connecticut After School Network released its 3rd edition of the Connecticut Quality Self-Assessment Tool (CT-QSAT) to help strengthen after school programs. A quality program is one that is reflective and willing to improve, change, and grow. It believes in successful outcomes for its participants. It understands that improving program quality is […]
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5 Tips to Kick off a New School Year with a Bang! The summer is ending, and we are quickly re-acclimating to another school year. As you plan for the 2019–2020 school year, I have a few tips that can help afterschool educators get their new students ready for up-coming school year. Introductions. One of the […]
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Three Great Movies that Teach Empathy for Middle School Students The right movie can provoke thought, stir our emotions, and spark our curiosity. When a child connects to a film, it can evoke the feeling of empathy better than any lesson ever could. In this blog post, I will provide you with three great movies […]
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