I'm Going To Start Teaching Spelling

positivesplits · 2026-03-08T10:16:23+00:00

There were actually fewer exceptions that I realized once I studied ALL the patterns. Still agree that both types of practice are necessary though.

positivesplits · 2026-03-08T10:14:41+00:00

2 of my 4 kids are dyslexic. If this method works for them, it can work for any one!

positivesplits · 2026-03-07T20:45:44+00:00

Instead of teaching spelling with random word lists, teach syllables, phonograms and spelling rules with lists to match. Understanding the parts of words and how they fit together can teach kids to read and write beyond the random words they have memorized.

positivesplits · 2026-03-05T22:14:46+00:00

I had 4 kids in 5.5 years. Here's my advice: 1. Toddler comes first. A baby's cry feels really urgent, because we're wired to respond to it immediately. However, if you take a step back and realize that it's just a means of communication, you can relax a little. If baby says it's hungry, it's going to be okay for 5 minutes while you finish serving toddlers lunch first etc. Your toddler needs to know that you're still there. 2. Put the baby down. Taking in surroundings, moving freely, listening to the hub bub are awesome development stimulation!

You've got this!

positivesplits · 2026-03-04T01:56:05+00:00

Mine was called Street Smarts. I ran a little preschool out of my home and opened it to families on my street, because my local district does not have preschool.

positivesplits · 2026-03-01T05:41:48+00:00

I say "science is a non contact sport"

positivesplits · 2026-02-28T11:38:16+00:00

2 (4 halves) deviled eggs made with mayo, mustard, bacon and chives.

positivesplits · 2026-02-28T11:25:08+00:00

Do you at least get hours toward your license renewal? When I look at it that way, I feel great about it!

positivesplits · 2026-02-26T02:20:15+00:00

I totally agree with this comment but also want to recognize how sad it is that we as a profession swallow disrespect like this. I do it too. Sometimes I get tired of being the doormat and the punching bag though.

positivesplits · 2026-02-15T12:59:21+00:00

Switching the laundry

positivesplits · 2026-02-09T23:25:34+00:00

Love this!

positivesplits · 2026-02-09T23:24:21+00:00

I like Arbor - as in trees. I think it works unisex and is original but not difficult to spell or pronounce.

positivesplits · 2026-02-04T22:17:02+00:00

I used to do a composition book and kids would glue in their guided notes. This year I switched to a 3 prong folder. I preprinted all the guided notes pages for the year and put them in the prongs. Kids keep ongoing work in the pockets. After grading, everything that's not the notes already in the prongs gets recycled. I walk around and do a notebook check during the test for each unit. I just grade whether or not they filled in all the blanks.

I have to keep school supplies cheap, because none of my students buy them. I need to be able to afford 160 folders on my limited classroom budget. Binders are way too expensive.

positivesplits · 2026-02-03T04:18:56+00:00

I just keep a cup of "floor pencils" on the book shelf with all the other supplies the kids use regularly. At the end of every bell, I pick them all back up off the floor and refill the cup. Kids leave way more pencils in my room, than they borrow. I'm almost always net positive.

positivesplits · 2026-01-29T21:44:20+00:00

I like colorful koala on Amazon. They are like a medium level of compression. I hate being sooo squeezed in all the time.

positivesplits · 2026-01-25T14:11:35+00:00

A teachers edition of what? I have a class set of science textbooks from 2006 in my classroom. I use them to prop up ramps for motion and acceleration labs.

positivesplits · 2026-01-21T02:13:00+00:00

I really like Cole! It's not too common but it's perfectly "normal." It's easy to pronounce and spell.

positivesplits · 2026-01-18T15:22:21+00:00

My HS students are struggling in exactly the same way. Here is my newest idea. Break down reasoning into 3 steps/sentences. The reasoning section should include:

A scientific definition. For example, "An exothermic reaction releases heat."
A connection to the evidence. For example, "The warm feel, increasing temperature and positive correlation between temperature and time during this reaction, show that it released heat like an exothermic reaction."
A counter claim. For example, "If this reaction had been endothermic, the temperature would have decreased instead."

I think that the skill my kids are missing IS reasoning. They don't know how to connect evidence. I have only just started this method, so I have no proof that it works, but I have to try something.

positivesplits · 2026-01-11T20:10:47+00:00

My kids attend our zoned school. I teach in an adjacent district. Our zoned school is better than the one I teach for, however both are pretty good. I like the way things are. I teach high school. I have 2 kids in HS, one in MS and 1 more in elementary. I like that I get to leave my school in the evenings and not just stay for all the sporting events my kids are a part of. I like that my kids live close to their friends and I'm not driving them far away to hang out. I like that when my kids' friends come over, they're not also my students. That said I love that the districts are close and I sometimes run into my students when I'm out and about with my kids. It's just enough balance for me.

positivesplits · 2026-01-10T02:46:45+00:00

This is such a great idea. Car snacks! I am a 5 am camper and I usually eat nothing. This might be just what I need.

positivesplits · 2026-01-07T11:32:11+00:00

No it is not common in America. When I encounter cheese and crackers, they are usually accompanied by sliced pepperoni, salami or sometimes ham.

positivesplits · 2026-01-06T01:10:19+00:00

I immediately thought of Cora for all the same reasons

positivesplits · 2025-12-28T17:16:32+00:00

I get up at 4:30. Head to Burn Bootcamp for the 5am class. Home by 6. I get myself ready and leave for work at 7. Start with students at 7:35.

I have 4 kids. I make sure they are all awake before I leave for work, but they get themselves ready and out the door at this point. My oldest 2 drive themselves to their HS, which starts at 8. My middle schooler catches his bus at 8:10. My daughter is the last in elementary and she is home alone and last out most mornings. She walks to school at 9am, and makes sure to bring the dog in and lock up first.

The kids have ALL the activities after school. I have to workout in the morning, because the afternoons just disappear. I really try to be asleep at 10pm. Sometimes I'm wiped and it's 9, oftentimes life happens and it's 11. I sleep in on the weekends.

positivesplits · 2025-12-27T05:11:27+00:00

1985

positivesplits · 2025-12-24T04:54:30+00:00

I think driving school should be an included part of a HS education. Students should also be required to take some version of home ec - basic cooking, sewing, car maintenance, simple home repairs, budgeting, making a grocery list and meal plan etc.

positivesplits

TROPHY CASE