Most elementary schools and some high schools have a "no phone" policy in class. So what do you do when a student is brazenly using their phone and refuses to put it away or give it to you? For...
Blog
Sign Up For Pembroke’s Free Workshop May 1! (It includes lunch!)
Menno Metselaar, manager of the Anne Frank House in Amsterdam and author of "All About Anne" will be speaking! I'm also speaking about de-escalation techniques teachers can use when students are...
Flourishing in an LTO
LTO = Long Term Occasional Job e.g. covering a maternity or sick leave. Congratulations! You are starting and LTO! Here are a few tips to help you flourish, thrive, crush it, swim and not sink and...
Things You Don’t Have to Do as an Occasional Teacher
In Ontario, there are many things a school cannot legally ask you to do as an Occasional Teacher, due to our collective agreement. They may ask you for a favour - to which you can say yes or no,...
Thriving as an Occasional Teacher – not just Surviving!
It is possible to thrive as a Substitute Teacher - to love the job, to have the students love you! I'm tired of all the talk of just surviving as a substitute teacher - as though making it through...
Giving Students a Choice Reduces Challenging Behaviour
"I'm not doing the stupid math!!" This statement is usually said in a loud voice, with defiance. And, it happens often if you are a teacher. Not only math but language, science, pretty much...
Do I Help Children with Toileting as a Teacher?
Johnny: *says the alphabet and leaves out the letter P* Teacher: What happened to the P? Johnny: It's running down my leg. This is an old joke, but a good one as it's so real! Young children often...
An Open Letter to New Teachers – You’re Doing Great! Don’t Worry!
Dear New Teacher, You are doing great! I know some days it really doesn’t feel like it – but I promise you, you are doing great! You care about the kids – even the ones that put worms on your desk....