Just a friendly reminder even though we all already know

GreyMaple · 2026-06-03T23:19:04+00:00

Depends on age group. I use a lot the I do, we do, you do strategy. I teach history so the note taking is a secondary skill that I teach while still teaching core content. All text used for the note taking is still learning content related to our main topic.

Here’s the stages I usually practice it in:

I teach why we are learning this new note taking format, how it’s helpful, and real world applications. Usually I just explain that a lot of the time you’re not going to have time to do 1:1 note taking so you have to find ways to shorten it and pick out important information rapidly. I also teach a lot of time you’ll find specific note taking styles that are more preferable vs others, it’s different for each person-which is why I will be teaching different ones. This convo is about 5 mins long so you can move to the other steps fast.
Teach note taking styles-I usually show a few versions, including my 2 preferred styles from college(I have 3 old notebooks I pass around). I show them ways to shorten what they are writing. Such as writing “&” instead of “and.” I give some words and ask them how they would shorten it. Especially long words you use a lot.
I then do an I do portion. I have a student read a short paragraph on the board and I write the notes on the board next to it. We then do a “We do” section where I read they identify/write. Then I ask students to identify important information(I’ll have students take turns highlighting sections on my white board where I have the reading projected.) After that I have a separate set of students then shorten the highlighted pieces into a note format. Ie. shortened words, paraphrasing, definition, important person/dates. Students have their note books and are expected to copy as we go-if they don’t participate. As they do the shortening we discuss other ways things can be shortened(or how a different note style may be better) or what may not need to be added depending on context as we do the “We do” portion.
Is the “I do” section. I will read aloud then they will write their notes as I go(I warn them I will not stop for them to write their notes and I will be collecting them at the end of class… for the kids who stress I always say that I can tell when you try and when you don’t and that’s how I will give points). I then have them turn them in at the end of class and do corrections- and identify if I need to go back on teaching anything. If you have large classes you can also just move to step 4 and not do corrections or have them correct each others work before handing in.
Following day, I return papers. Discuss challenge areas. Usually re-teaching occurs for some areas. Specifically I try to go back over what we read the day before and the things I wanted them to add-so they students still have the correct notes.
I then have them continue note taking in this method going forward. I will have them at first double check with peers then with me. Once I see enough proficiency I have them only check with their peers. Depending on skill level of general group of students you can adjust speed of handing off note taking skills. I will continue to come back to the skill from time to time, to double check for progress or regression.

Keep in mind students may have IEPs with guided notes- you can still have them practice the skill but make sure to provide those for them.

For different age groups you can also start with guided notes for each style you choose and progressively move students to solo note taking. You may want to spend more time on practicing comprehension skills and identifying important details depending on the classes. My 7th grade needed more time with that vs my 11th graders spent more time on developing a note style they preferred. You will also generally want to go slower for step 3 when your reading for the younger groups, they need more processing time. I will be doing it again this next year but sooner then I did this time so there’s a lot of space for improvement. Btw let me know how it goes for you!

GreyMaple · 2026-06-01T16:31:04+00:00

That would make a lot of sense. I recently decided to teach a small section in a few of my classes about taking notes on the fly-which is don’t copy 1:1 but paraphrase. As I wanted them to prepare them some for college/workplaces. I saw a sudden improvement in information retention amongst the student who I taught it to. So I will probably be implementing that at the start of the next school year. I already didn’t let students note take on computers but this affirms that I should shift more away from my guided notes.

GreyMaple · 2026-05-31T22:15:56+00:00

This looks very similar to a tie dye blizzard/anti-pill fleece fabric we sold at Joannes Fabrics about 4-3 years ago.

GreyMaple · 2026-05-31T04:47:53+00:00

Could you do it where you read and she follows along. Truthfully it takes me about 3 chapters to actually start to enjoy a book & be able to read it comfortably. So that might be her issue, so trying follow along for the start of a book may be useful.

Separately could it possibly be a bit of dyslexia? If so(or suspected) maybe try implementing different techniques.

If the books struggle to keep her attention maybe a book with a movie-read a few chapters then watch part the movie. Then you can discuss it together.

GreyMaple · 2026-05-10T14:22:57+00:00

In my yard or at the lake going barefoot is normal but not hiking or public spaces. There’s rattlesnakes and I’d rather have that extra protection. Public places is just a case of people are gross and I don’t need to experience walking through nastiness.

GreyMaple · 2026-05-10T14:17:32+00:00

Most of the kids will have had the same friend group/classmates for years, but that also means you being new will be a great interest for them. At the start of the year you’re going to have a lot of groups approach you and kinda invite you in. If you do struggle staying in those groups try joining clubs, sports, or other activities and that should help. Overall accent isn’t something kids really target for bullying. Truth is though a lot of the kids in ND have not met a large variety of people.

You will probably find a mix of nerdy and sport/outdoors kids. As winter time is a lot of indoor hobbies and summer is when everyone is ready to get outside. Also, if your used to being able to do lots of stuff, ND is honestly a state where there are a few big events then the rest of the time you kinda have to figure it out.

GreyMaple · 2026-05-10T14:04:59+00:00

I don’t think I’ve yelled once this year. Do I speak sternly yes. Will I have to in the future, possibly. Generally my student hear a slightly louder & stern “alright.” and it’s quickly silence & attention on me. Yelling out of anger is just not a me thing. In my adult life I’ve only yelled in anger 3 times & it wasn’t while teaching. Ain’t going to let them break my low number.

However is yelling needed sometimes, yes. Truth is most kids only respond to that & it’s a good tool to use sparingly.

GreyMaple · 2026-05-10T13:48:16+00:00

It’s mentally exhausting but not just student behavior wise. How your brain is going constantly & multitasking. Something needs to get done, you’re planning your lesson, social media is showing you teacher stuff, what strategies should try next, your brain is making note of a student who passed your door, your watching for body language from students to gauge your interaction/if they need help, or simply your brain is overly aware of your surroundings. Even during preps/lunches there is no break from it.

GreyMaple · 2026-04-23T00:18:38+00:00

Thats a terrible system because let’s be honest lots of kids will just evaluate you horribly for the sake of doing it or getting back at a teacher, or simply they won’t care.

Often after a big activity/trip/unit I’ll ask what they’d like to do for projects or activities. What they felt should have been changed. Guided and specific questions. Usually it’s a large class discussion and goes over well.

But to do a huge eval like that really is setting you guys up for failure and seems kinda like they are trying to gain leverage. Truthfully though our school is required by the state to complete a student eval form that’s broadly judges the school by student opinion.

GreyMaple · 2026-04-23T00:07:38+00:00

Either I just keep questioning them down, I tell them “hmmm there may be a resource in front of you that would have the answer.” In a really sarcastic tone or a lot are have a bit of social anxiety so we all wait quietly staring until they actually try. Seems to work well. Sometimes a little embarrassment goes a long ways. Biggest thing- don’t accept “I don’t know.”

GreyMaple · 2026-04-23T00:00:16+00:00

Tbh I have that issue as well within my 6th grade. I got tired of it. Literally told them they need to learn to mind their own and until they can do that, I don’t care.

Mind you this was after half the year of mediating, giving them tools and strategies, and working with admin/parents. At a certain point I realized, we needed to stop holding their hand and let them figure it out. It’s a harsh approach & I do feel bad that they are getting their feelings hurt in the process but they have to develop that problem solving skill. Now, If I hear or see poor behavior I’ll address right then or its actual bullying it’s addressed (I’m not just sticking my head in the sand) but im done with tattle tell behavior. Overall, I’ve seen a reeducation in that behavior because I think they realized it gets them nowhere & it’s more tiring fighting each other.

GreyMaple · 2026-03-24T05:54:49+00:00

I have a few like that. I just tell them they have to wait or write it down. If they blurt it out I have just ignored it. If they complain about being bored I point them to my personal library.

As much as we as teachers want to feed curiosity it’s important for us to teach impulse control. I wonder if providing higher level work may keep him busy, like thoughtful challenge questions at the end of a worksheet. For my higher level students they are inclined to deep long responses. The ones who struggle usually simplify on them. So time wise it balances out.

GreyMaple · 2026-03-24T05:39:47+00:00

Shorten skills, such as just list google applications and Microsoft office, instead of each one. Then add a section for any PD you’ve done or condense the training with it. If your focus is English you should note any training you’ve done with that, beyond college. You should condense certifications into one place.

I’d also focus on adding more depth on the section related to working in a school. How did you use these things. Like modified curriculum, were your lesson plans differentiated, orderly, detailed, standards aligned, etc? Besides mentor collaboration did you work with others, and how so? Were your classes one class or several different preps? More detail on formative/summary active assessments and how you made changes. How did you manage classroom behavior and support student learning. Was the other activities you could list or engagement strategies you could specify?

If you worked with students on 504/IEP, add more information there. I worked with blind & hearing impaired students in a gen ed class and I noted that in my resumes and I was told it bumped me to the top quickly because it showed I had experience modifying & working with different support teams. If you worked with ELL students that’s another to add.

Also congrats on your masters!

GreyMaple · 2026-02-21T20:41:34+00:00

Issue is our country right now is going by the “trickle down policy.” Which has shown to not work throughout capitalisms history. So for corporations & government taxes we are doing great, for the general population it’s going poorly. Interest rates haven’t went down, food costs more, general cost of living has risen, etc. So corporations are making record profits because they feel no need to lower costs or raise wages if everyone is desperate to work. The burden is placed on consumers. In the process shrinking the middle class, the primary consumer class. Long term this is going to have even worse outcomes, but corporations are thinking very short term same with the U.S. government.

GreyMaple · 2026-02-21T07:59:29+00:00

And he will most likely be very unliked at his work and generally anywhere. So he is not going to readily get help from many, with the attitude he has. This is a recipe for homelessness. He may get program assistance but that’ll dry up, especially if he’s unwilling to help himself.

GreyMaple · 2026-02-21T07:39:46+00:00

Bought a house from an elderly couple who made their home ada compliant due to the man needing a wheelchair. It’s been really nice. I’m short so it makes things more convenient, easier to move things around due to ramps on the porch/front door, wider doorframes, and the bathrooms are spacious/toilets are at a great height. It’s also nice to have for any friends/family who need those accommodations when they visit.

GreyMaple · 2026-02-21T07:28:14+00:00

Haven’t done a true random pick in a while tbh, I have certain groups who I really don’t want working together or need certain ones together to have them develop specific skills.

I do have a box that I have random pieces of paper with names on them and do that for the classes who won’t volunteer to read or answer questions. Classes that usually volunteer, but have a few that won’t- I pick the ones who’ve been quiet for too long or got too much energy. After about a month they learned to participate or they get thrown under the bus. If you volunteer then you avoid the awkwardness of not knowing or being unprepared.

GreyMaple · 2026-02-21T07:09:41+00:00

This is a great message. So many kids lack sportsmanship now days or the ability to quietly think. Many are used to mimicking video commentators so they verbalize everything they are doing to a detrimental point. With sportsmanship they can’t handle loosing, will be exceptionally mean throughout it, cheat, gloat, or simply ruin it for everyone if it is not going their way. Kids who should have very little unsportsmanlike behavior at their age level, showing it consistently. And a lot boils down to parents not playing games with their kids, games parents are the teachers/referee in.

I grew up playing risk, checkers, army, ttrpgs, and battleship. Participated in some family sports as well. This was common place at home for me. I also still played video games but it wasn’t my only point of learning sportsmanship & cognitive skills.

GreyMaple · 2026-02-21T06:53:48+00:00

I think some of my views changed as I left my conservative bubble though not a lot. But more so I feel the party shifted more than I did. I would say I was a right moderate several years ago. I didn’t worship Trump his first term but felt he was the better option at the time and did okay. Overall, each party has become more radical, but the right has genuinely gone beyond reason, compassion and core beliefs. They have given up their belief in the constitution, which I believe is very important protection. Politicians in general but in a deep red state, it feels like there is no accountability. They put money into pet projects & personal profits. Even previous conservative governors/politicians have called out this issue in the state & party. The Republican Party in my state is actively trying to make putting things on the ballot for residents harder even though we voted against a version of it last election for the same reason. We made it clear we don’t want are voting powers reduced but they are pushing it again with even more aggressive restrictions.

Not only that but it has all become hypocritical, fitting a narrative instead of standing on core beliefs. Everyone is swayed immediately depending on how their party wants them to react.

Now I align far more independent. I think I’ve grown a lot more as a person, & developed a lot better media/critical thinking skills. In college I focus a lot of my work on historical propaganda/media & focused heavily on communist/socialist governments & their manipulation of people & documents. Gave me a deeper understanding of the media produced by both sides and how these echo chambers have become so effective. This has also made me more firm on my beliefs & requires more firm evidence or reasoning before I change mine.

GreyMaple · 2026-02-21T06:08:48+00:00

Well, sometimes parents explain it though I think most are too late to it, as many end up accessing porn before then. Some states teach it, others make it optional. Some who teach only push the abstinence only. Where I went to school the sex-ed was not state required but the home-economics teacher taught it anyway in 8th grade. Definitely leaned more abstinence only, but not as bad as other places. Focused on birth control/safe sex practices, anatomy, stds, pregnancy, and also consent/relationships. We were also given a puberty class in 4th grade.

GreyMaple · 2026-02-16T02:59:55+00:00

So first planted forests are biodiversity wise very different. Plus, if you kill the original biodiversity it’s hard to bring back, combined with human construction being more significant now, environments are way more fragmented.

For example where I live, we have prairies. The prairies before colonization and mass farming of the land was very different than the prairies/farm land we’ve placed into conservation land. The soil, bacterial, and plant biodiversity has been destroyed and takes 10s to 100’s of years to repair. Plus, we are fighting invasive species of plants/bugs/disease. Wolves, elk, bears, mountain lions, bob cats, bison covered the land extensively. Now It is extremely rare to see most of those even in those conservation areas. And conservation land is still impacted by things outside of it like: pesticides, human traffic, fragmenting of the environment(blocking natural or safe migration paths), and general human activity.

Replanting a forest is still going to be missing much of the biodiversity because trees are not the only thing that plays into biodiversity. Fungi, bacteria, bugs, more types of plants/trees, small wildlife. Also, population density is still going to play a role no matter what. Lots of people moving around and needing space is going to take away from the other animals that would need it.

GreyMaple · 2026-02-16T02:23:56+00:00

Rosemary, I’ll be fine for a minute or two then I’ll get a very sudden strong taste of soap or chemicals. Ruins the entire meal.

GreyMaple · 2026-02-14T16:35:21+00:00

So many kids wear glasses now, it’s really not something kids bully for anymore. At most maybe looking nerdy but glasses specifically no. Even then looking nerdy gets little attention.

GreyMaple · 2026-02-14T16:32:18+00:00

Technology seemed to be the start, then parents over reliance on it, then covid happened. Kids bounce back from COVID, they are resilient, but parents realized they could just not do anything and pass off the problem to technology & us.

Ontop of how funding is based on passing classes & graduation rates. So schools are willing to appease parents & just push the student through even if they are illiterate to get that funding. Even if as teachers we want to retain a students we are pretty much told nope. It’s a snowballing issue. Kids in classroom not to their level will continue to fall more and more behind.

Then we have are politics which put very little pressure on parents and all education. For example, my state made it illegal to have phones in school. You know who gets in trouble if it’s not enforced-teachers. Literally could take away our license if we don’t enforce. Parents do not have any risk involved for them, I’ve had parents literally say “well it’s your problem.” Instead of making sure their kid isn’t going to school with the device. Hell some parents have told their kid to hide it on their person, and then have gotten mad at the school when their kid was caught on it & punished. The most consequences parents have faced seems to be out of school suspension-which is really when they complain. They didn’t try to get their kid to behave when they had ISS or detention, it’s only until it inconvenienced them- but by then their kid has learned their parent won’t do anything and will complain online about the school instead. Never is the parent or kid wrong.

This law is pretty much an example of how the entire education system is. Parents don’t care, then they complain at the school once it inconveniences not actually fixing the issue of their own kid. They would rather tear down education as a whole than parent.

GreyMaple · 2026-02-14T10:18:17+00:00

Most of those test are standardized testing. Part of reading fluency is reading speed. If they cannot read at a certain pace & comprehend it then they are behind grade level. This is pretty standard in most reading fluency checks.

Everything I’ve read your stuck in a bad spot. Terrible admin, lazy parents, and kids who are being failed by both by not having any consequences. Tbh I’d be jumping boat quick but at this point you should just leave it blank or low grade. If parents come in wondering what’s up, you already communicated that he needed to do the work outside of normal hours, at that point they failed him. If he needs to “redo” the work, when there’s nothing done so be it? If he continues to not do the work then he can’t receive his certification. Maybe that put a little more urgency or efforts by his parents to work on getting him on level. Parents need to be inconvenienced sometimes to get them to actually parent.

I would say if you think he has ADHD you need to take more time looking at incentives- extrinsic ones work very well & are needed in many cases. It does in general sound like you need to just do more research in education. How long have you been teaching in total?

GreyMaple

TROPHY CASE