Posts by Gretchen Schultek Bridgers

During planning one day, my literacy coach proposed that my team engage students in a review of material in a manner similar to the game “Jeopardy.” However, why not have each student work on a device at their desk to answer instead of answering out loud as one large class? This was genius- why not?!…

I’m fired up!!! It’s been a while since I stepped foot on my soapbox, but it’s about that time again! I really wish our educational system was better. In fact, I wish our educational system was the best in the world. I wish our children had the promise of a better future because we prepared…

During one of our many staff meetings, my principal got up to speak. For whatever reason, she had quite the message to deliver that day and I raced to grab paper and pencil to capture her passionate, sage advice: You will make the school what it needs to be and we are here to support…

                Our educational system is ever-changing. We have many “new” ideas that turn out to be old ideas with a new name. If you stay in the profession long enough you will go through the cycle once or twice and think “is this Déjà vu?”  What is quite sad is that I have been teaching…

Students love to sit around the room to work independently. They often fight over who gets to sit where and run at light speed to the latest “hot spot.” With safety being at stake (and my sanity as well), I decided to allow students to remain in a secret spot for a length of time.…

Oh my gosh! The best assembly EVER came to my school the other day. My teammate Brooke (as you have heard me say multiple times, my former student teacher) had an idea to bring her soon-to-be- family member to school to teach about bullying, since it has been quite the hot topic around campus lately.…

I believe students should become as independent as possible. I would not be doing my job if I never encouraged them to take risks, step out of their comfort zone, or push them to problem solve before asking for help. During our Writing Workshop, I conference with students about their writing. This is heavily guided…

October 8th was my birthday! It was not just an ordinary birthday… I jumped into a new decade of life! Hello *30*!!! When I arrived at school, a teammate surprised me with this “Happy Birthday” sign to hang from my classroom door: They then surprised me with lunch!! Yum, a delicious surprise! My teammate Brooke…