(Part 2) Top products from r/Teachers

My first thought was that is was a great idea, but then I thought about classifying students as slaves, it might be a bit of an issue.

One of my big things for student engagement was to design and build in game-like structures in class.

I hate, absolutely hated lecturing and if I needed to have a class lecture, I kept it to ten-fifteen minutes. Then students used the information from that to create a game, play a game, have a debate, something within the class. I found that games were the surefire way of holding student engagement.

Here is a good book about building in game structures into the classroom - http://www.amazon.com/The-Multiplayer-Classroom-Designing-Coursework/dp/1435458443. If you are a gamer, think about how games hold your attention, and your students' attention. Typically it's just a bit of work for a big payoff. You play for a while and you level up. If you can build your classroom along those lines. We learn/play for a bit, then we "level up" kids take pride in that.

Simulations are awesome for this as well:

http://www.amazon.com/Short-Role-playing-Simulations-History-Classrooms/dp/0983426732

Here is a good article on game-based classroom learning - http://www.edutopia.org/blog/short-happy-history-of-historia-rick-brennan

I had a lot of fun building and designing simulations and games for my students. Because I was having fun, they fed off of that energy and they had fun as well. Some games we built the rules together.

I think one of the most fun lessons was when we were studying the American West and Populism - High School. Students had to research a particular aspect of that time period and teach it to their classmates by playing a board game. So I had four board games where kids were playing in my room. They had four stations and one person from each team stayed each turn to teach their games to the other group members. At the end, we had board game designer awards. One won for Best Game Design. One won for "I learned the Most". Another won for Best Game Artwork, etc. Each game design team won something and each team learned something. It took about three-four days from start to finish in a one hour - fifteen minute class. Day 1 - Quick mini-lecture on the basics of the time period. Students chose their topics, etc. Day 2 - Build day. Day 3 - Play/Awards day.

When I gave them my end of year evaluation. How did Mr. NameIdeas do this year? Did you learn something? What lesson/activity did you like best/least? How can Mr. NameIdeas improve his teaching, his relationships with students, his music choice, etc? They all remembered the games and, more importantly, the information from the games.

I'm in the UK, so your mileage may vary on this, but personally I find comparing the US way with British methods quite interesting. We are definitely NOT allowed to just shout any more, and when I changed schools a few years ago I went from one that allowed it to one that absolutely didn't. Overnight, I found virtually all my classroom management techniques swept away from me and had to start from scratch.

I teach in a tough school in a deprived seaside town in the UK, with a high number of kids who have English as an additional language. It has the reputation as the hardest school to teach in in a 100-mile area. It's a comprehensive school in a selective area, which means the 25% brightest students go to a grammar school, leaving our kids - often with a sense of failure that they are "thick", and with a wealth of social problems - to come to us. There's a lot of poverty and drug use. Over here we merge Junior High and High School so the school is for 12-18 year olds (seven school years). There's a strong focus on vocational rather than academic subjects. I teach Modern Languages, which is on the National Curriculum (Common Core?) and therefore has to be taught even though it is an academic subject and most of the kids struggle with English in the first place. They don't want to learn my subject. I have to make them...

You've hit the nail on the head about engagement. Even my toughest classes get pulled in by presenting the right subject matter in the right way. I have a class of seventh-graders who I only see late in the afternoon - they're very low ability and disengaged. But by presenting the subject matter in the right way, especially at the start of the lesson, I can get them achieving what I want when I want it. Carefully structuring the activities, making sure there's a mixture of teacher-focussed activities with independent activities, and making sure you've differentiated appropriately, is absolutely critical. Looking at the material from left-field to see how you can introduce a difficult topic almost by stealth is the way I've managed to get this right so far.

Equally, giving regular feedback (and praise) to build up self-esteem works really well, even if it's going round with "well done" stamps or stickers, or using raffle tickets, or whatever. Works a treat.

Routines, as well - don't change up how you do things. If you want equipment out on the desk at the start, TELL THEM, get it right once (it might take a while) and then do that EVERY SINGLE TIME, EVERY LESSON. Hand signals, or a countdown, when you want them to be quiet and listen. That sort of thing.

With a 105 minute lesson you've got your work cut out to keep focus going, but I always find with my double lessons which are similarly lengthy, if you approach it as a series of smaller lessons (roughly, say, 20 minutes) with a small learning outcome for each it keeps the pace up and allows clear progress to be made. That said, it also gives you an opportunity for extended independent work with you circulating to keep focus and motivation going. But I always feel roughly 30 minutes of independent work is more than enough before they all grind to a halt - I would always aim for smaller, more structured tasks to be worked through.

Talking regularly to parents works well - especially positive phone calls, but of course negative ones too.

And finally, absolutely being a stickler for the rules of your classroom, enforcing them clearly and fairly and building that crucial atmosphere of leadership and learning and collaboration that all administrators over here are looking for. Use a classroom seating plan to dictate who sits next to who and enforce that. Give out 100 detentions if you have to. It works, not because the sanction actually does much to modify their behaviour, but it takes the balance of power away from them and towards you, and they know you mean business.

One of the books I always recommend to any of my team (I'm a Head of Department) struggling with classroom management is Getting the Buggers to Behave and I warmly recommend it to you also. But, if you have a Head of Department (Maths?) who is supportive then get them to do an informal observation of you to see if they have anything they can offer. Also see if you can observe anyone else in your school to see how they do it.

Classroom management is one of the toughest things about this job, but get it right and you're 3/4s of the way there. Hope it works out for you.

I taught Title I my first year, and have moved to a more affluent school. There are a few constants that apply, regardless.

Break things down into MUCH smaller steps than you're used to. Their time management and organization need a LOT of coaching. Plan to have deadlines & collect work at every small stopping point of a major project.

Instructions have to be more explicit than you could have thought possible. Explain/instruct, MODEL, practice together, then have them work independently... but monitor, monitor, monitor. You'll get a good idea pretty quickly of which students are going to need more supervision.

Most of the kids are really sweet and eager and easily disciplined. They're much less cynical than 8th graders. They learn well from songs and games, and will actually take part.

Sixth graders are still on the cusp of being children. They still play with toys at home, and enjoy imaginary games. There's a little bit of the boy-girl thing with some of them, but for most of the kids I've worked with, it hasn't much entered the equation yet and they work GREAT in mixed-gender groups.

Parents really appreciate communication. To garner their involvement and support, send home a weekly newsletter or AT LEAST send an email w/ attached study guides (WITH ANSWER KEY!!) or rubrics attached before tests or when projects are assigned.

For discipline, I try to explain consequences and offer choices (with deadlines), the same as how I parent. I recommend reading some of the work of Adele Faber and Elaine Mazlish, particularly How to Talk so Kids Can Learn (Amazon.com link).

I don't really notice the B.O. so much. Sixth graders are MUCH less "pervy" than boys late in 7th grade and all through 8th. Maturity, as well, is FAR more of an issue in 7th grade than in 6th. Girls are typically hitting the hormonal wall in 6th grade, but the boys don't get there until the latter half of 7th and 8th... generally speaking.

Yes, we got some, including some specialist behaviour sessions from an expert! But the most numerous and useful tips I got are from the excellent "Getting The Buggers To Behave" by Sue Cowley. It should also be available from the US. In short, there's no one way to "do discipline", but there are certain things you can always be sure are not good ideas (e.g. humiliating a student in front of class), and some that are almost always the right thing to do (e.g. talking to them on their own after the lesson).

It is normal for new teachers, and especially subs, to feel like they have trouble. You don't know the systems, you don't know the kids and they don't know you. The best foundation for discipline as I've found it is a reputation, which takes time to build. If the kids know you aren't a soft touch, they won't try as much. Appearance is an issue at first, but stops being one once they know you. This doesn't help a sub much, sadly. Although this point from another comment is also excellent:

> I discovered pretty quickly though that it doesn't matter what you know or what skills you have, the students respond to your attitude and your display of confidence. They have no idea how old you are or how good at your job you are, so they essentially take you at your word the minute you open your mouth. You have exactly as much authority as you think you do, and as long as you stick with that you will be fine. Just imagine yourself as an actor on the stage playing the role of a master teacher. Being yourself is for going on dates, not teaching.

What I would like from any subs is that they give the work to the students, think about what I've really asked the students to do, and help out as much as they can bearing in mind they're probably not experts in the subject. If there are any students who refuse to do the work, get their names and let us know. I don't expect you to be able to get Lazy McSleeperson in the back row to do his work if I can barely get him to do it anyway, but I've sometimes come back and asked "So did you do the work I sent you? Did they play the video?" and been told that all the teacher did was put the email I sent up on the board.

Good luck in your career! I really do recommend that book.

Taught Fifth for one year, first year as a teacher in my own right. It was an amazing experience and I learned a TON. Brace yourself, lots of text incoming! Please feel free to PM me if you want to talk more.

Get to know your students, particularly what they're interested in. It sounds like a no-brainer, but you'd be surprised what lessons you can generate if you use their interests as a spring-board. It shows them you care about them, too, which will go a long way toward keeping them invested.

Not sure if you like Minecraft, but don't underestimate it as a teaching tool! My fifth graders used it when we talked about Colonial America--built their own village with each of them doing different colonial jobs they'd researched. Minecraft could also lend itself well to math, though I didn't have a chance to utilize it that way.

Google Classroom is also an amazing tool to use with them, particularly if you're going to have them do any collaborative writing. Speaking of collaboration, don't be afraid to connect with the teachers on your team. See if you can tie what they're reading in someone else's class to what they're learning in social studies. Check if the science units have connections to Math. I was a one-woman show and the only teacher for my grade--I know for a fact that if I had other teachers on a team with me, the year would've been MUCH smoother.

Start strict, loosen up later. (I didn't and had to play catch-up with classroom management which wound up costing me lots of instructional time.) "Setting Limits in the Classroom" (amazon link here: https://www.amazon.com/Setting-Limits-Classroom-Revised-Discipline/dp/0761516751) was a life-saver and really helped me to shape up my classroom management. I'd HIGHLY recommend buying and reading it.

I know this is a lot of text...I'm happy to talk more if you want, just PM me!

> 1) I was in a school like that. I didn't join. No one hassled me. No one ever said anything to me. The really pro-union people kept to themselves and the vast majority did whatever and could actually care less.

That's good they didn't hassle you. Olof I decided to join a union I would lay back in the shadows and not be adamantly going on tangents why people should join. Glad you weren't harassed. During student teaching there was a teacher without fail that every Friday would wear her union shirt.

>2) Probably not, coming from a perspective of Power. Because it is so large and controls all of CPS, I doubt it would ever want to be split up -- even if those smaller unions are basically CPS lite.

Great point, probably.

>3) I know. Tell me about it. It did all across the state (WI). Most of the old teachers that were stuck in their ways were either asked not to come back by the district; felt like they had to retire or else they would lose all of their benefits (I'm still unclear where this hysteria came from); and, more district flexibility allowed districts to better craft budgets reflective of their priorities. It was a good 5-year window to get hired here.

I remember several years ago it had made news. Is hiring better now? I know you got a lot of flack as a state about the education stuff.

>4) There are many possible answers for this. One answer I've seen is that more conservative-minded people are in professions that typically pay more (accounting, business (management), etc.). Another answer is that that conservative ethos of conserving your wealth (being thrifty) is something harped on if you grow up in a conservative household and it is, therefore, something carried one through one's life. And there are other reasons but you should avoid blanket statements because, actually, if you (taking Republican and Democrat to be proxies for conservative-liberal, respectively) measure it, you'd see that Democrats have slightly, on average, a higher income. Believe it or not, wealth at the top quintile isn't a really good predictor of political ideology. It's actually pretty even split between R and D. In the lower quintile, you'd find a stronger correlation between income and D or R: the poorer one is, the more likely they are to vote D. Yet, a better way to examine that would be racial. There you'd see a clear split between black low income (D) and white low income (R). This whole idea of wealth impacting voting habits and ideology is something political scientists are trying to still better understand. One of the better books, written for the general public, on this subject is (still) (Red State, Blue State, Rich State, Poor State)[https://www.amazon.com/Red-State-Blue-Rich-Poor/dp/0691143935].

Thanks for that in depth answer, I'll be sure to look into that more.

I'm having a very similar experience with both my emotional state and the classroom environment.

Most people wouldn't say this, but perhaps your instincts about discipline/punishment are worth listening to. In the short term, for the sake of your sanity, you may need to set them aside, because in my experience, they don't lead to quick fixes, and as you said, a structured environment is important for your students. However, I would posit that structure does not REQUIRE punishment, though that's certainly one way to get there.

I highly recommend these two books: Beyond Discipline and Lost at School. I think you would find them quite validating. Even if you (or any others reading this) are not willing to entirely give up punishment, I believe there is ample evidence out there that there is another way.

Feel free to message me if you are interested in discussing. This is an issue I feel very deeply about, even if I am currently not skilled enough to create the kind of environment I'd like to see.

Best of luck with the rest of your school year!

I have some books to recommend but only remember a couple at the moment, I'll update later when I can.

Two of the books I would read are Fred Jones' Tools for Teaching and Notching up - Nurtured Heart Approach. The Nurtured Heart book is to help implement the idea but a quick google showed another book you could check out too if you want more info.

1. I was in a school like that. I didn't join. No one hassled me. No one ever said anything to me. The really pro-union people kept to themselves and the vast majority did whatever and could actually care less.
   
   
2. Probably not, coming from a perspective of Power. Because it is so large and controls all of CPS, I doubt it would ever want to be split up -- even if those smaller unions are basically CPS lite.
   
   
3. I know. Tell me about it. It did all across the state (WI). Most of the old teachers that were stuck in their ways were either asked not to come back by the district; felt like they had to retire or else they would lose all of their benefits (I'm still unclear where this hysteria came from); and, more district flexibility allowed districts to better craft budgets reflective of their priorities. It was a good 5-year window to get hired here.
   
   
4. There are many possible answers for this. One answer I've seen is that more conservative-minded people are in professions that typically pay more (accounting, business (management), etc.). Another answer is that that conservative ethos of conserving your wealth (being thrifty) is something harped on if you grow up in a conservative household and it is, therefore, something carried one through one's life. And there are other reasons but you should avoid blanket statements because, actually, if you (taking Republican and Democrat to be proxies for conservative-liberal, respectively) measure it, you'd see that Democrats have slightly, on average, a higher income. Believe it or not, wealth at the top quintile isn't a really good predictor of political ideology. It's actually pretty even split between R and D. In the lower quintile, you'd find a stronger correlation between income and D or R: the poorer one is, the more likely they are to vote D. Yet, a better way to examine that would be racial. There you'd see a clear split between black low income (D) and white low income (R). This whole idea of wealth impacting voting habits and ideology is something political scientists are trying to still better understand. One of the better books, written for the general public, on this subject is (still) (Red State, Blue State, Rich State, Poor State)[https://www.amazon.com/Red-State-Blue-Rich-Poor/dp/0691143935].

I am in a similar position as you and will be teaching AP World History as a first year teacher next year. I have been prepping this summer by reading some books on the topic. I can fully recomend is this book and [this one] (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0988217600/ref=oh_details_o00_s00_i00?ie=UTF8&psc=1) is also worth reading though not specific to AP World History. Reading AP Test Prep books is probably also a good idea just to get brushed up on the essay stuff and outlines of the content. There are also alot of websites such as [World History Connected] (http://worldhistoryconnected.press.illinois.edu/) that have great resources. Hope this helps and if you want to exchange lesson ideas at any point I would be happy to work with you.

I am still looking for a community of AP World History teachers to share lesson plans and ideas with. If anyone knows where I can find a commuity like this please let me know.

[Lost at School: Why Our Kids with Behavioral Challenges are Falling Through the Cracks and How We Can Help Them] (https://www.amazon.com/Lost-School-Behavioral-Challenges-Falling/dp/1501101498). I'm only 40 pages in, but it has already totally change my perception of my more behaviorally challenging students. Super interesting, and gives great ideas that can actually be implemented.

"Teach like a champ" is about compliance, and some of their methods don't really take into account child development. This book is clear, provides anecdotes and is supported by research. It is most helpful in establishing norms, routines, and maintaining expectations:
https://www.amazon.com/Middle-Secondary-Classroom-Management-Research/dp/0073378615/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&qid=1500150549&sr=8-5&keywords=secondary+classroom+management


Understanding by design is good, you might also find guided release of responsibility helpful:
https://www.amazon.com/Better-Learning-Through-Structured-Teaching/dp/1416616292/ref=sr_1_fkmr0_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1500150503&sr=8-1-fkmr0&keywords=guide+release+of+responsibility

One of classes this summer (also a student teacher) had us read The Trouble with Black Boys. Sounds like these students have experienced what they perceive as racism from previous or current teachers and now it's become the expectation. I wouldn't let this discourage you, but try to gain their trust and break that expectation. I am dealing with this at my own placement, with an African American student as well, and I have learned a great deal about patience.

Edit: Also this book by Ladson-Billings

I think you're looking for something like this. It is a collection of practical classroom-ready strategies for teaching high school (or middle school, really) english lit.

Here is a similar book that focuses more on grammar.

I've found them to be very useful. Hope this helps :)

Odd that your department chair couldn't give you any specific examples. Perhaps once you find some you think are useful, you could share them with her as well :)

Take a look at Common Core Curriculum Maps

It's not perfect, but it'll help you start wrapping your mind around how to build a thematic unit. You can also do genre based units (e.g. Reading Fiction, Persuasive Writing, etc.)

You can also look up a common core checklist on TeachersPayTeachers. There are a lot on there for free, and you can use that to plan the year and make sure you hit every standard. Hope this helps!

I'm using a book called Common Core Curriculum Maps: English Language Arts to guide my units this year. I'm hoping that it will help me make sure I am meeting all the standards.

I have found a lot of free lessons on TPT and what isn't free is very inexpensive.

Mskcpotter is a good blog and she has a TPT store as well.

Teach Like a Pirate by Dave Burgess. If you feel like you're getting into too much of a rut with your delivery, this book really has some simple but great ideas to make your class more engaging. There's a question I ask myself often that he poses: "if your students didn't have to be there, would they show up?"

I have this book, but there are plenty out there based on a google search which probably offer great tips too. Also, if you are likely going to be teaching in an inner-city urban school, this book might be helpful too!

This may be too narrow for your needs, but I found this book very useful; "The Dreamkeepers: Successful Teachers of African American Children"

I had to read a few chapters from this book as part of my credentialing and MA program.

http://www.amazon.com/The-Dreamkeepers-Successful-Teachers-American/dp/0470408154

Your actions will speak louder than your words in convincing your students you understand them. Show them through your actions that you care about and respect them as holistic people (not just consumers of your subject matter). Also, it may be possible to go too far in trying to convince the students you understand ... there are aspects of their experiences you may not be able to understand, even if you went to a Title 1 school.
https://www.amazon.com/White-Folks-Teach-Hood-Rest/dp/0807006408

When Borders was closing, I was studying for 5161. I picked up several books absurdly cheap. Most of them were crap, but the Cliff Notes one was so good that I actually kept it as a math resource. The topics were clear and well organized, and the practice tests were the most helpful of all the simulations that I took.

If you want to only teach middle school, do the middle school math Praxis. It might hinder your flexibility later if you want to move up later, but at least you'll get started. Additionally, as a math teacher, you shouldn't have as much difficulty finding a job.

However, I strongly encourage you master topics above the level that you teach. It'll give what you teach context, and you'll know what you're preparing your kids for. I didn't take that much calculus and no stats in college. You bet I had to study my ass off and practice to teach myself in preparation for 5161.

It depends on how old the students are. If they're young, simple redirection works well. If a child is too loud then I will get down to their level and speak in a softer voice and try to engage them. Whether it be in conversation or ask them what they need.

Older kids, I'm not as skilled but soft music can help. Instrumental, think Harry Potter or Star Wars music. The Marvel films are really big right now, they might respond well to hearing the familiar motifs. They're all on Spotify, maybe you could hook up a company laptop or your smart phone to some speakers. Not too loud though.

Language is really important. Kids don't respond well, or even know how to respond to negative directives. When a child hears "Don't yell" they can really only process the word yell. If someone wants a child to not run, they have to say "Walk" instead of "Don't run". "Don't run" keeps the word "run" in their head but without an alternative. A child might think "Can I skip/lay on the floor/hop/jump/etc." But if a child hears walk they are more likely to walk as they heard it in concrete terms. They may have trouble at first but it's all a part of the process.

I'm not a big fan of tangible rewards personally. If you're interested you can check out:

http://www.amazon.com/Punished-Rewards-Trouble-Incentive-Praise/dp/0618001816

I used to have a huge problems with classroom discipline/management. I would tell myself "For the love of GOD if I can just finish writing this sentence on the board I can take care of whatever is going on when I finish." It was about the worst way for me to go. The stress of dealing with it was draining me to no end. The best decision/thought that allowed me to get into a better frame of classroom discipline was "If I let it go on a little bit then it's the same as telling them it's ok to do it all the time". I will stop in the middle of writing a letter on the board, and slowly... painfully slowly turn around and stare at students who think it's ok to talk while we are doing note taking. By the time I'm staring at them for 3-8seconds the other students in the room are scolding them for me. Works great.

The Book I learned this from was this one by Fred Jones: https://www.amazon.com/Fred-Jones-Tools-Teaching-Instruction/dp/0965026329

The videos might come off as a little corny but 10 years later of using this stuff I still stand by it and recommend it to anybody.

Essentially it's the "I do, we do, you do (together) and you do (alone)" format of instruction.
In a nutshell: the GRR is a more purposeful and STRUCTURED way to plan and deliver instruction. You (as the teacher) really think about the steps as you move from one to the other and what the learner's (student) role is in each step. In my own instruction, following the scripted curriculum, I wasn't really affording students the opportunity to engage in the necessary practice to truly demonstrate learning. Based on my research, I have found that many reading programs don't adhere to the GRR model or follow the "recipe'' for literacy success (article linked below).

This book has become my teaching Bible and it has lesson plan templates to ensure that you tie your instruction to the model: https://www.amazon.com/Better-Learning-Through-Structured-Teaching/dp/1416616292/ref=pd_lpo_sbs_14_img_0/140-3275623-1048462?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=2AEA8CPNJZPQ4Q1TWPF0

These websites provide a nice synthesized visual to explain the GRR model:
https://themasterclassroom.com/2017/04/03/why-teachers-should-be-using-the-gradual-release-of-responsibility-model/

http://wildlifetrackingsouthwest.com/gradual-release-lesson-plan-template/gradual-release-lesson-plan-template-gradual-release-pd-english-intervention-printable/

This is an article in which the researchers analyze reading programs for the instructional methods used: http://readingbydesign.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2013/11/Core-Reading-Programs-RRQ.pdf

From the discussion: "Release of Responsibility
If the release-of-responsibility model (Pearson &
Gallagher, 1983) is the preferred manner of assisting
students to acquire and internalize strategies, then
none of the programs have employed this model with
any consistency and some not at all. The missing link
in most programs is the lack of guided practice and the
need for students to model the strategies. In Programs
A, B, D, and E the instructional design moves from direct explanation to questioning with very limited guided
practice. Students are not guided to acquire and try out
the strategies. Program C is the exception; it employs
explanations, modeling, and guided practice while students read in some, but not all, instructional units" (p.120).

😀🍎👩‍🏫🏫👨‍🏫📚

Did you know Amazon will donate a portion of every purchase if you shop by going to smile.amazon.com instead? Over $50,000,000 has been raised for charity - all you need to do is change the URL!

Here are your smile-ified links:

This book is fantastic and has actual concrete things you can do in class

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^^i'm ^^a ^^friendly bot

My colleague (suburban high school) does this and it seems really fun and successful. She mainly relies on this book.

No articles, but For White Folks Who Teach in the Hood by Christopher Emdin is a great read.

I recommend the book:

Setting Limits in the Classroom, Revised: How to Move Beyond the Dance of Discipline in Today's Classrooms https://www.amazon.com/dp/0761516751/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_BE6MybT9YSYG1

Long story short: set CLEAR simple expectations (no mode than 4-5 rules that could apply to many situations) and be incredibly, INCREDIBLY consistent about consequences with ALL students.

This book is fantastic and has actual concrete things you can do in class

There's a book for that.
https://www.amazon.com/How-Talk-Kids-Will-Listen/dp/1451663889

Sometimes the language is a bit awkward because the kids in the book might not sound like the kids we have, but the underlying principles still apply. I think it strikes a good balance between giving specific strategies and explaining principles. It's not too gimmicky, yet it gives you enough detail to implement ideas.

Ruby Payne's PD on understanding poverty. It's a bit controversial for some, but I thought it was really worthwhile.

As for advice, I would mention it in class briefly something like, (ah guys, I’m sorry about the computers, we can’t use them today, something happened to the cords. I’m disappointed (either a) because I won’t be able to replace them (or b) but they’re replaceable.

I would keep it at that! No need to go further since there is no proof!

Since you think you know who it is I would recommend the 2 x 10 principle .

If you’re really looking for some change in the classroom I’d recommend The book How to Talk so Kids Can Learn it truly changed my practice.

Lastly, the kid already ruined your kits, don’t let them ruin your night and weekend too!! Try not to take it personally...it’s almost never about you, and even if it is, oh well.

Take care!

Marzano isn't a terrible place to start

I'm partial to the work of Alfie Kohn

https://www.amazon.com/CliffsNotes-Praxis-Mathematics-Content-Knowledge/dp/0544628268/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1536453143&sr=8-2&keywords=praxis+5161 try this. Go through Khan Academy on areas you're weak in for a quick refresher. There are plenty of youtube videos on specific problems in regards to praxis 5161. YOU CAN DO THIS! good luck!

Bridging English and The Lively Art of Writing are two books I swear by.

I must be the only person ever who found The First Days of School patronizing and dull.

Mechaniclly inclined by Jeff Anderson.

Changed the way I read.

http://www.amazon.com/Mechanically-Inclined-Building-Grammar-Workshop/dp/1571104127

This might not quite be your speed, but How Children Fail and How Children Learn by John Holt both have had a profound influence on my career choices and approach as a teacher.

Also, while technically a parenting book, How to Talk so Kids Will Listen, and Listen so Kids Will Talk is the backbone of my classroom management approach.

The whole "Black kids need more discipline rhetoric" leads to Black children being unfairly disciplined (which includes suspensions), excluded from instruction and otherwise harmful methods of "dealing" with them. As a Black teacher who went to the types of schools you all are describing and has spent nearly all of my time in them, I find it highly offensive for you to suggest that Black students are incapable of any management strategies besides yelling. My Black students perform well for me because they know I love them and I love them all, especially my Black boys because they remind of my baby brothers (who will always be my babies even if one of them towers over me at over 6ft), my father, and husband. As the only Black voice in this conversation, I pray that you heed my advice and if you still can't get over the idea that students needto be yelled at than this is not the job for you. point blank. And I don't care how many years you have been doing it. You have spent 23 years damaging your student's psyche.

I suggest two books: https://www.theatlantic.com/education/archive/2017/05/the-power-of-the-troublemaker/525159/ and https://www.amazon.com/White-Folks-Teach-Hood-Rest/dp/0807028029

Are they economically disadvantaged? I read this book early in my career and I highly recommend it to anyone working with lower socioeconomic students. A true eye-opener.

A Framework for Understanding Poverty 4th Edition https://www.amazon.com/dp/1929229488/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_c0sSCbYXYT435