Apple Pie Ridge à la Mode

This week, I have a new found appreciation for elementary school teachers.  THANK YOU for your attention to detail to help students get ready for their next steps in middle school and high school. When I was in the classroom, I very rarely had to explain to students how to walk in the hallway, put their names on the top of the paper, or a myriad of other information that elementary school teachers are providing on a daily basis. I have learned with elementary students, teachers have to break down information to the smallest of details in order to help them be successful in school. Your strong foundation allowed me to focus on my content! First Impressions: Classroom Management Practices This past week, my focus has been in the younger grade levels to provide chromebook orientations, so that students could access their accounts.  I was really impressed with the classroom management practices in all the classes.  For example, the first grade teachers had great sayings t...

On the night before school, I could not sleep. I was too excited that all of the work we have been doing to prepare was going to have real purpose: the students.  When I was walking into the school building on the first day, many children greeted me with smiles and beaming faces. For those of you that don't know, this was QUITE a change from the days I spent in high school where the students are mostly ready to come back BUT not nearly as proud as the first grader who was praised for walking down the steps the proper way or the second grader sporting a brand new backpack. For those of you who have told me, secondary and primary areas are certainly different worlds; however, the feeling remains that we are all here for the right reasons. This is an ongoing blog series to highlight work that teachers are doing at Apple Pie Ridge to help students achieve great heights.  Naming it aptly "Apple Pie Ridge  à   la Mode," the blog is a play on the ice cream added to ...