Posts by Gretchen Schultek Bridgers
Field Day
At the end of every school year most schools host some sort of “Field Day” where their students compete in games learned throughout the year in P.E. class. Our school makes the event similar to a mini Olympics. Each classroom chooses a country and makes a banner. We begin our Field Day with a procession…
Read Full PostA Change in Leadership
Have you ever experienced a change in leadership at your school? It creates a lot of anxiety as most changes do. I recently left my first job at a title-one school for the past 5 years to join a team of teachers at a high performing school in town. I knew I needed to gain…
Read Full PostRemember When…
This school year was fantastic! There are so many wonderful memories to cherish. So many in fact, I may have forgotten them! I asked my students to place their heads down on their desk and visualize the year from beginning to end. They brainstormed a few of their favorite moments from this year and chose…
Read Full PostStudent to Student Appreciation
At the end of every school year I do the same activity with my class. It’s a way to say “thank you” and celebrate individual attributes. I got the idea from a story I read while I was in college. I apologize to the author as I cannot remember the source. I also apologize that…
Read Full PostA Teacher's Must-Haves
Over the years, I have collected materials that have honed my teaching style. Looking back, I can’t imagine I ever taught without them at some point. Below is a list of items I cannot teach without and what I use each one for. Bell– Used during small group workshop times to signal transition to a…
Read Full PostA Great Teacher Is…
As I continue on my journey as an educator of young minds, I always reflect on how I can inspire my students. I want them energized and engaged in their learning, so much so that they yearn for more each passing day. But….how do I do that? So I thought about what made me as…
Read Full PostReading Test Strategies
State testing is officially underway- 1 day down, 2 more to go! I am so excited for my kids this year. Not only did we have 100% attendance today, but every single child used their strategies. Wahoo!!! I’m sure some of you teachers out there can relate to this stress of standardized testing. Students have…
Read Full PostMy (favorite) Class
Okay, okay you caught me! I am making a confession that I love my class this year. For whatever reason, the combination of students has made for an easy year. We not only get our work done, but we have a blast together. Years prior, I have enjoyed my classes too. But, there was often…
Read Full PostPaideia Seminar
I was just recently trained in utilizing Paideia seminars as a teaching strategy during my Literacy block. It was quite an intensive in-service, full of information, examples, and brainstorming sessions. As most things in my life, I learn by doing. So, planning everything out in detail was becoming too frustrating. I had a general outline I…
Read Full PostGuided Reading
My teaching has evolved over the years, especially in my instructional methods for Literacy. Six years ago when I began teaching, my district adopted a reading program comprised of various stories based on a theme. For example, Unit 1 contained six stories about animals and their habitats. Grouping stories this way helped students understand the unit’s…
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