This week's featured teacher is Marie of Once Upon a Classroom.
How long have you been teaching? 4 years
What grade levels have you taught? 2nd and 3rd (two years each)
What is your favourite part about teaching? My favorite part about being a teacher is having the honor and joy of spending my days inspiring children to learn and be the best that they can be. I love childhood and being a teacher is like being able to never leave childhood in a sense. I find a child’s perspective about the world to be so refreshing. Forming relationships with the children and creatively designing and implementing learning experiences that inspire them fuels my passion even further. The bond between a child and teacher is something special – Something that your heart can remember and feel again when you see that child, even years later. Being able to be there each day to love them and teach them is a perfect fit for my career.
What is your best advice for a beginning teacher? My goal every year is to have each student in my classroom love to be at school. One of the ways that I am able to achieve this goal is to gather resources and ideas and invest time into developing a strong classroom community. In the first six weeks of school, I read them one social-emotional book after another to foster discussions about the type of teamwork, problem-solving, and friendships we should have in our classroom. I teach them routines like I-Messages or calming routines to help them effectively deal with issues. The students grow closer to each other by using systems in the classroom to compliment/honor their peers for their greatness. We continue to develop our community throughout the year. The result is that the students have a home in your classroom, their own little world in which they see themselves as an important part. When they are happy and feel safe, so much more learning and fun can take place. Community-building and relationships are worth your time, energy, and creativity!
Marie would like to share her Trash Can Game from her TpT Store. You can download the file by clicking on the picture below.
If you download this freebie, don't forget to leave Marie some feedback for her generosity. You can do this by clicking on "My Purchases" and finding the download in your "Free Downloads" tab.
Don't forget to check out Marie's blog! She runs a weekly linky party called "Tech Tuesdays" where teachers link up ideas for classroom tech integration.
Thanks, Marie, for participating in this week's Feature Teacher!
Looking for classroom games to teach math and literacy skills? This week's linky party is all about games! Please free link up one or more freebies for every paid product.
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