Posts by Gretchen Schultek Bridgers
Tips to Teach During the Holiday Season without Sacrificing Instructional Rigor
As the holidays approach, excitement brews in and around the school. Students show signs of frequent distraction, off-task behaviors and increased energy levels. Teachers are excited too but oftentimes their holiday spirit takes a hit as they try to calm the chaos brewing in their classrooms. Stop swimming against the current. There is a way to…
Read Full Post127: Classroom Management like PB & J
Classroom management can be tricky when we react to student behavior instead of setting up procedures. Oftentimes, we let the heat of the moment control our brain and we end up making decisions that hinder student learning. Tune in to hear two scenarios of classroom management struggles where tips are shared so that the problem…
Listen to Episode126: Making Time for All the Parts of You
The work-life balance struggle is never more real than when you realize there’s more parts than just work and life that you need to balance. Life itself consists of numerous titles (mom, wife, daughter, friend, etc) that are getting put on the back burner. Tune in to hear 3 tips you can implement today to…
Listen to EpisodeEmpower Students with Feedback
Teachers should model a growth mindset for students on a daily basis so that they are continuously open to suggestions for improvement as they set personal goals. The consistency of daily growth is key to acquiring improved skill because learning is an ongoing process, not just a single event. It’s a simple equation: Lack of…
Read Full PostHow to Control Your Environment Before it Controls You
I recently had a guest on the podcast named Bill Cecil [check out the episode here], who inspired me to write a few more podcast episodes and this blog post specifically. Bill was talking about the dangers of allowing others in the profession to cloud your judgment. He referred to this unfortunate circumstance as ‘secondhand…
Read Full Post125: Refocus with Bill Cecil
Bill Cecil is a recently retired, 31-year veteran teacher for the Waverly Community Schools in Lansing, MI. Bill believes every teacher is a leader with a team to lead, and he has created a program called “Best Year Ever!” that provides teachers with a clear vision, blueprint, and proven strategies to create a positive, safe, and…
Listen to Episode124: It’s Not all Rainbows, But it Can Be
The teaching profession is not all rainbows. There are trying times and when teachers do not receive support from their leaders in how to navigate these rougher waters, the rainbows not only disappear but so do the teachers. We cannot risk losing more great teachers to other professions. Tune in to learn 4 steps in…
Listen to EpisodeA Roadblock to Learning: Code Switching in the Classroom
‘Code Switching’ refers to the act of changing the way you behave due to the rules, or code, of the current environment. Being a student is hard. But, being a student learning from multiple teachers is even harder. For every teacher’s classroom that a student enters, they must swap out their current code of operation before entering the new…
Read Full PostThrifty Thursday – 9th Edition
Thrifty Thursday Each week I bring to you helpful tips to become a more effective educator on the Always A Lesson fan page on Facebook. (Give it a quick like by clicking here!) I decided to start grouping my social media posts into a blog post incase you might have missed anything. Time to get caught up:…
Read Full Post123: Repairing Broken Relationships with Colleagues
Educators are not islands; we work with numerous people all day. There are times where relationships aren’t harmonious and it’s up to us educators to repair these connections so that the partnership can flourish and so can students. Tune in to hear how to repair a broken relationship with colleagues. Quotables You NEVER know what…
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