So, You Have a Talkative Class?

One of the most frustrating feelings that any teacher can experience is the hopelessness that comes when students are so busy talking that they don't pay attention to directions or work productively. Unfortunately, having a class that is excessively talkative is one of the most frequent complaints that many teachers--experienced and novice alike-- share. It is disheartening at best to plan a wonderful lesson that no student can stop talking long enough to become interested in.

The problem of the talkative class is also one that is amazingly uniform across all grade levels and subjects. Large classes, small classes, very young students and sophisticated seniors can all be so talkative that little learning can occur.

Luckily, there are a few easy approaches that can help students take charge of their own talking patterns and learn to work well with each other and with you. Try some of these to help control the talking in your classroom.

·       Be emphatic with your students when you speak with them about this problem. You should make it very clear when it is okay for them to talk and when you want them to work silently. If you are clear in communicating your expectations to your students, they will not repeatedly test your tolerance.

·       Avoid the sound-wave effect of a loud class time followed by a quiet one followed by a loud one again. Be consistent in the way you enforce the rules in your class about excessive talking. Teachers who aren’t consistent spend their time getting a class quiet, allowing the noise level to build to an intolerable level, and then getting the class quiet again in an endless and ineffective cycle.

·       Sometimes you are the problem. When your students are working quietly and productively on an assignment, don’t keep talking to the class in general. When you repeatedly interrupt their work by distracting them with your own conversation, you make it harder for your students to work quietly.

·       Begin every class with an activity that will focus your students’ attention on the work they will be doing. This focusing activity will help them make a transition from the casual chatting they may have done on the way to your class to the purposeful work that you want them to begin.

·       Teach your students that they must be responsible for their talking if you do not want to spend all class period “shushing” them. Use positive peer pressure to help them monitor each other’s behavior so that your own monitoring efforts will be more effective.

·       Direct their conversation if you have a group that likes to talk. Get them talking productively about the lesson. If you are successful at doing this, their need to interact with each other and your need to have them master the material will both be satisfied.

·       Try to figure out why they are talking excessively so that you can turn this problem into an advantage. They may be talkative because they are excited, friendly, in need of more challenging work, unsure of the limits that you’ve set, or many other reasons.

·       If your students tend to talk when they have finished an assignment and are waiting for others to finish, sequence your instruction so that there is always an overlapping activity for your students to begin right away.

·       Sometimes when students are very excited, allow them to spend a minute or two talking about it to clear the air so that they can focus on their work. Be clear in setting time limits when you do this.

·       Stay on your feet when your class has a problem with talking. Eye contact, proximity, and other nonverbal cues will help. Persistent and careful monitoring will encourage students to stay focused on their work rather than on conversation.

·       During a movie or oral presentation when students may talk instead of listen, prevent this by giving them an activity to do. Students who are taking notes or filling out a worksheet will not have time for chatter.

·       If the noise level is too loud, give students quiet activities that require they write or read independently. These assignments should be designed to interest them, not just keep the class busy.

·       Shifting gears from one activity to another is difficult for many students. Make transition times as efficient as possible in your class to avoid this problem.

·       If the entire class persists in having a problem with excessive talking, chart their behavior for them to see tangible evidence of it. Create a bar graph each day where you rank their success at managing their problem with talking on a scale of 1 to 10. Sometimes students are not aware of the severity of a problem until they can see it in a format such as this.

·       Move students who talk too much away from each other. Placing one of them near where you spend most of your time will help your monitoring efforts.

CONNECT STUDENTS THROUGH SHARED EXPERIENCES AND SHARED TASKS

Few things can establish a sense of community in a classroom as quickly as shared experiences and shared tasks. Students who learn to see themselves as a united group working and playing together learn to be supportive of each other’s efforts and tolerant of each other’s idiosyncrasies. This is especially important for difficult students who can easily be isolated because of their disruptive behavior and attitudes. In the list below you will find several ways that you can encourage your students to be part of a supportive classroom.

Taking frequent photos will encourage students to see how they have progressed and grown throughout the school year. Display photographs of students doing various classroom tasks such as maintaining the classroom library or managing a classroom recycling center as well as participating in field trips and other class events.

Keep a scrapbook of major events and experiences throughout the year. The scrapbook does not have to be elaborate to be effective. Even photos clipped into a three-ring binder will show your students that they are important to you and to each other.

Use bulletin board space to show collages of the interests students have in common, their contributions to the class, and personal quotations or mottoes that are important to them.

Set goals as a class and work together to reach them:
The entire class earns a certain grade on an assessment
The class goes a certain number of days without tardies
The class earns a specified class average on a test
The class settles to work within a specified time limit
The class strives for perfect homework completion

Adopt a class mascot, secret sign, or catchphrase.

Celebrate class “in jokes,” traditions, or rituals such as group cheers when something good happens or pinning stars on the bulletin board to commemorate success.

You can also observe milestones such as the twentieth homework assignment or the tenth day with no tardies or the Hundredth Day. An excellent resource for Hundredth Day celebrations can be found at Enchanted Learning (http://www.enchantedlearning.com). Use “Hundredth Day” as a search term to access resources and lesson ideas to celebrate this occasion.

Stressed Out in December? Ten Suggestions.

December 11, 2017

     It's not secret that teachers are stressed in the days leading up to Winter Break. There is a lot going on in our personal lives as well as in our classrooms. The demands of the curriculum that must be covered and the looming standardized tests don't vanish just because a holiday season is approaching. Add excited students to the mix and the ingredients are all in place for serious teacher stress.
     Although there are many different ways to deal with stress in general, there are some that are particularly helpful for teachers and that don't involve chocolate and alcohol. Here goes:
1. Go to your school’s media center and escape into a good book or read a newspaper for 10-15 minutes.
2. Talk things over with a sympathetic colleague or mentor.
3. Take a brisk walk around the perimeter of your building.
4. Refuse to take it personally when students are rude or disruptive.
5. Find a quiet spot and practice deep breathing exercises.
6. Slowly count to one hundred before you speak in anger. Still stressed? Keep counting until you feel yourself relaxing.
7. Try to lighten your mood by changing your perspective. Find a way to laugh at yourself or the situation.
8. If you have too much to do, divide each task into manageable amounts and get busy.
9. Turn on some music to change your mood.
10. There are lots of free apps for mindfulness or meditation. If you would like to try one, a good place to start is with Calm (https://www.calm.com)

It's Not a Happy Holiday for All Students

December 7, 2017

               For many students, the contrast between their classmate’s lives and their own can be particularly painful during December. It’s important to keep in mind that not everyone in your class is going to have a merry holiday filled with presents and loving families. Children of poverty are not the only ones who struggle this time of year. You may have students whose home lives appear on the surface to be happy, but they may be dealing with family conflicts, family substance abuse, or any other of the perils of modern life that can be so difficult for all children.

               Of course, it is only natural that caring teachers would want to celebrate the joys of the season with their students, but thoughtful teachers will strive to keep the impact of the holidays on their classrooms as low key as possible. Here are some ways you can keep your students focused on school instead of the holidays in the days ahead.

·        When students veer into discussions of the holiday, gently steer them back to learning. You don’t have to be the Grinch to do this, just be gentle, pleasant, and firm.

·        When your students beg for a class party, offer a celebration after the holidays to commemorate classroom achievements instead.

·        If students bring you gifts, handle them tactfully and as privately as possible. Honor the giver with a sincere thank you card rather than making a big deal of the gift in front of students who were not able to give gifts.

·        Recognize that the distraction and excited buzz that many students feel is completely contagious.  If you are used to one or two students being off task, expect to see many students off task now. Add in activities that help students stay on task: use manipulatives, have them work in pairs, use checklists and choice boards...do whatever will appeal to your students’ interests so that they will want to work.

Overcoming the Dreaded February Funk

“Time is the coin of your life. It is the only coin you have, and only you can determine how it will be spent. Be careful lest you let other people spend it for you.” ~Carl Sandburg

The signs of February Funk are obvious: you find yourself flipping calendar pages counting the days until Spring Break, petty workday annoyances multiply, routine paperwork turns into overwhelming stacks, and each school day threatens to become drudgery.

If February finds you struggling with February Funk, you are not alone! Many teachers agree that even though the calendar may say differently, February is really the longest month of the year. Winter’s gloom seems to last forever as leaving your warm, snug bed each morning to face a chilly classroom becomes a harder-than-ever challenge.

One of the best ways to overcome February Funk is to be proactive in how you spend your time at school. Gaining control of the time you spend on your school chores will enable you to be productive through the dreary winter days of February. When spring break finally arrives, you will be able to relax and fully enjoy your hard-earned vacation.


Tips for Managing Your Time at School

Overcome your February Funk with these tips for gaining control of the “coin of your life." (Most of them have been adapted from First-Year teacher’s Survival Guide.)

1. If a task will take less than three minutes, do it right away.

2. Plan how to manage routine tasks such as taking attendance or making lunch and other counts. While you may have to tweak your plan occasionally, routines will save time, increase accuracy, and decrease stress.

3. Keep you calendar or planner in an accessible spot so you can refer to it often. Use it to record tasks, appointments, and other information you’ll need to remember as you plan your workdays. Be diligent in writing down your tasks and you will soon be more efficient.

4. Use a “To Do” list to keep your days organized. If you would like a template of a list other teachers have found useful, please email Julia with your request.

5. When you plan a unit of study, make up the tests, quizzes, and other handouts as quickly as you can so that you can photocopy them well in advance of when they are needed.

6. Assign each student a number corresponding to the number on your class roster. Teach students to put this number beside their names when they head their papers. When you are ready to grade papers, just put them in numerical order so that recording grades is a simple task.

7. Remember to use your biological clock whenever you can. If you are not a morning person, don’t set aside time in the morning to accomplish detailed work. Do it later instead.

8. Create a template for parent contacts so that you can record the details of each contact right away. If you would like a template that other teachers have found useful, please email Julia with your request.

9. You don’t have to grade every single paper your students complete.

10. Deal efficiently with mail. Act immediately on items that require a written response. Throw away or recycle junk mail. File catalogues for later use.

11. Few things are as tempting and as time-consuming as checking email. Work out a schedule where you check email only at certain times of the day. Most teachers find that checking email three times a day is enough to stay informed without wasting time.

12. Set up equipment early just in case there are problems.

13. Share materials, handouts, tests, and other instructional resources. You don’t have to reinvent the wheel. Find instructional materials and lesson plans on the Web or talk with your colleagues about what they have used successfully.

14. When you need to distribute different types of materials, spend time before class begins filling containers (plastic bags, plastic cups, coffee cans…) with the materials so students can pick up a container with all the materials at once. They can then get started right away without fuss.

15. Be sure to use electronic files to save time and paper whenever you can. Being able to electronically edit and then reuse handouts and tests will save you hours of time.

16. Consider keeping a binder in which you store your hard copies of lesson plans, handouts, and other materials for each class. If you have this all together, you won’t have to waste time searching for missing papers among your scattered files.

17. If you have daily class routines that require verbal instructions, put the directions on a transparency so that you do not have to repeat them each day.

18. Delegate as much as you can. Even very young students can accomplish many routine tasks such as putting up posters, distributing materials, tidying the room, emptying pencil sharpeners, or keeping the supply area clean.

19. Use your planning time well. Group your tasks so that you do not have to make repeated trips to the copy room, office, media center, or other areas.

20. Reward yourself when you set and achieve your goals. Too often teachers are so busy taking care of their students that they overlook the importance of taking care of themselves. Celebrate your achievements!

If you have a time management tip that you would like to share with your colleagues everywhere, please feel free to submit it! Just click on the Discussion page to get started.


Use Small Blocks of Time Wisely

One of the frustrating aspects of a teacher’s life is that there is never enough time to accomplish everything. While the general shortage of extra time seems to be a problem, large blocks of time are in especially short supply. Interruptions and schedule changes fill a teacher’s days.

You can cope with this by learning to be an expert at accomplishing much in small moments. This is possible with determination, preparation, and practice. Those minutes add up.

Still not convinced? Here are just some of the things a focused teacher can accomplish in just a few minutes.

In fifteen minutes you can:

• Grade the objective portion of a set of test papers
• Create a quiz
• Create a review sheet
• Answer e-mail
• Create anticipatory sets for the entire week

In ten minutes you can:

• Call a parent
• Write a lesson plan
• Grade some essay questions
• Average grades
• Check homework papers

In five minutes you can:

• Create a dynamic closing exercise
• Write a positive note and send it home
• Use the hole punch on a set of papers
• Write a positive comment on at least five papers
• Review key points in a lesson

In three minutes you can:

• Record grades
• Drill your students with flashcards
• Put stickers on a set of papers
• Praise a class for good behavior
• Have students write an evaluation of the day’s lesson

In one minute you can:

• Erase the board
• Display a cartoon about the day’s lesson
• Have students tidy the room
• Select the student of the day or week
• Write an inspirational message on the board

Change Your Classroom with Random Acts of Kindness

“Don’t write in the margins.”

“Don’t sharpen your pencil while I am talking.”

“Don’t distract your neighbors.”

 

It is all too easy for an educator’s day to become filled with well-intentioned negatives. Instead of a constant barrage of negative directives, though, consider the positive environment you could create if you could 1. Help students learn to be considerate of others, 2. Build community in your classroom, and 3. Encourage self-motivation.

 

How?

 

It’s easy: encourage your students to perform frequent random acts of kindness.

Because classes vary so widely not just in age, maturity, ability levels, and general class chemistry, you will have to spend a little time determining how you want to unleash this powerful classroom tool.

 

Start by thinking about your students’ strengths and about the areas that you would like to see improved. Next, think about your students and the things that you know they enjoy. Just one or two simple actions would make a positive difference and is a great way to begin. Perhaps you could ask students to bring in extra pencils to share or write thank you notes to the cafeteria workers.

 

Small things can make a big difference in helping students think about how they can make their world a better place just by being kind. Here are a few more ideas for random acts of kindness written for students to follow that you can adapt for your own classroom.

 

• Compliment two of your classmates this week on something that they have done well.

• Bring in a book to donate to the school or classroom library.

• Help pass out papers that need to be returned.

• Make a study guide for a quiz or test and share it with classmates.

• Clean up your area of the room at the end of class and encourage others to do the same.

• Put a sticky note with an encouraging message on someone’s desk on in a book.

• Make sure that everyone is included in a conversation.

• If there is a new student in your class, be a buddy.

• Tell the bus drivers how much you appreciate them.

• Be on time to class and follow the rules so that you help everyone learn.
• Be willing to share materials when other students need them.

• If a classmate is absent, volunteer to get the handouts for the day and make sure that person knows how to make up work.

• Check with your teacher first, but offer to bring in healthy treats for the entire class to share.

• Pick up litter in the hall or around the school whenever you see it.

• Tutor a younger student.

• Play a charity game at www.gamesforchange.org to help those less fortunate.

• Donate rice to the World Food Programme by playing Free Rice at www.freerice.com.

• Make inspirational bookmarks and share them with classmates.

• Bring in classroom supplies such as paper towels, tissues, or hand sanitizer.

•  Write the custodians a thank you note and be sure to leave the classroom clean.

For more ideas about how to encourage your students, check out. www.randomactsofkindness.org.

Redirecting Off-Task Students: Ten Tried and True Suggestions

Redirecting students skillfully is not an easy task. There is often a delicate balance between trying to gently redirect a student whose attention has wandered and disturbing the entire class. Many of us wonder just when to redirect—at the start of a problem when it is confined to just one person or when a group of students seem to be off task? As a rule of thumb, most experienced educators will agree that it is best to act fairly early and with the least intrusive methods.

 When you notice students off task, try these tried and true suggestions for gently redirecting without raising your voice or embarrassing students.

1. Matter-of-factly remind all students of the behavior you would like to see from them. The key idea here is that you have already made the expectations clear for every student. All you need to do most of the time is just to calmly remind students of what the expectations are.
2. Praise students who are on task. Be explicit and direct so that any student who is off task knows what is expected and, even more importantly, how to accomplish the expected behavior.
3. Put reminders on students’ desks. You could use one color of sticky note with a smiley face on it for students who are behaving well and another color with a frownie face for those students who are not on task. Another reminder that some teachers have found useful is to walk around placing stickers on the papers of students who are on task. If you announced that you only had five stickers and were going to give them to the first five on-task students that you see, then you can expect that your students will generally rush to earn them.
4. Count 1, 2, 3 and then wait for everyone to pay attention to your directions.  Calm wait time is crucial to getting every student to pay attention to your directions and then to attend to them. Instead of a flurry of directions, count slowly and wait expectantly.
5. Often students need redirection when their attention spans have reached their outer limits. Set a timer and give everyone a two minute wiggle break. When the timer buzzes, students can go back to work refreshed.
6. Ask students if they would like help from a classmate or if they would like to help a classmate. This will often give students confidence as well as a shift in the lesson delivery that just might be effective at keeping them focused.
7. Use your “teacher look” to remind students to keep working. Often just an inquisitive glance is all that it takes to remind a student to focus on learning instead of misbehavior.
8. Ask students to restate the directions. If you notice a student off task, first move near that student. Then quietly ask for a restatement of the directions. If you then see that there is a larger issue, you could remind the whole class of the directions. If the problem is confined to one student, then it is easy just to clarify the directions and move on.  
9. Ask students who are struggling with an assignment if they could use a little help. Often all it takes is a brief moment or two and students are able to go right back to work.
10. Proximity is effective. Move to stand near the students who are off task. While you are near, smilingly glance at misbehaving students. This will almost always serve to keep them settle to work and stay engaged in the lesson.

 

 

 

 

Thirty-three Simple Ways to Be a More Compassionate Teacher

One of the things they don’t teach us in education courses is how important it is to treat your students with compassion. Yet, this is one of the most significant hallmarks of a great teacher—someone who is able to see the spark of goodness and capability in even the most challenging student. Here is a quick list of thirty-three simple ways that we can treat our students with the compassion and care that will make a positive difference in their lives.

1. Smile at your students. Make a point of being glad to see them.

2. At the end of class, take the time to speak to them as they leave. Quickly tell them what they did well during class as they leave to guarantee a positive attitude about class and about themselves.

3. Show that you value and celebrate the diversity in your classroom and encourage your students to do the same.

4. Arrange a plan for students who are missing work to turn it in late. Being generous with accepting late work is one of the most positive actions a teacher can choose to take.

5. Make it easy for students who have missed class to get caught up. Have their handouts ready for a quick pick up and assign a classmate to fill them in on what happened while they were out.

6. Pay attention when your students talk to you. Really listen to all of your students without interrupting. Encourage them to share their ideas and opinions.

7. Maintain a birthday calendar for your students. Celebrate birthdays with birthday messages on the board. You don’t have to throw parties, but an acknowledgement of a special day goes a long way to making a child feel important.

8. If your students play a sport, participate in an after-school event, or perform in a concert, go and watch them to show your appreciation for their hard work.

9. Use good manners when you deal with your students and insist that they do the same.

10. When students confide in you, follow up. For example, if students have told you that they were worried about a test in another class, take the time to ask about how they did.

11. Make it very clear to your students that their dreams are important that you want to help them achieve those dreams.

12. Differentiate instruction whenever you can so that students can learn in a way that best fits their learning styles.

13. Have extra textbooks on hand or create a shared materials area where students who need pencils or paper can quickly borrow some without embarrassment or a hassle.

14. Ask about students’ families or others who play a significant role in their lives. If you know someone is ill, show your concern.

15. Speak to every student each day. Leave no one out of class discussions.

16. Teach students to be courteous to each other.

17. Write notes to your students. Use plenty of stickers and write positive comments on their papers.

18. Write more positive comments on your students’ papers than negative ones. If nothing else, change the color of ink that you use for the positive comments so that they are easy for students to find and read.

19. Pay attention to your students’ health. If students need to go to the clinic, send them. When students have to miss several days because of illness, call to see how they are doing, or send a get-well card. Be prompt in sending work to the student’s home if appropriate.

20. Be sensitive to the economic problems that your students and their families may face. Don’t embarrass a student by publicly asking about free or reduced lunch, for example.

21. Use this sentence to convey your concern: “What can I do to help you?”

22. Offer frequent progress reports so that students don’t need to feel uncertain about their grades.

23. Encourage kindness among your students. Notice and reinforce those acts of kindness that students show each other.

24. Talk with students when you notice a change in their behavior. For example, if a normally serious student is neglecting his or her work, find out why.

25. Pay attention to the needs that your students may be ashamed of such as a lack of food at home, no warm winter clothing, or a lack of school supplies. Contact the personnel at your school who can best help your students with these needs.

26. Help students connect to each other so that they can have a support system to help them navigate school life.

27. When a new student appears, help that student by assigning school buddies or class partners. You can also ask students to write quick bits of advice or welcome notes.

28. Educate yourself about the agencies that can offer assistance and support to the various student populations in your school. Refer students who need help when it’s appropriate.

29. Ask your students for feedback whenever you can. It makes anyone feel valued and included when their opinions are sought.

30. Spend time encouraging your students to succeed. Praise and encouragement are effective antidotes to some of the biggest problems that many students face.

31. Help your students save face when they have made an embarrassing mistake. Helping a student avoid embarrassment in front of peers is one of the kindest acts any teacher can perform.

32. Assign the groups and arrange the seats in your class so that the students who may be left out can be comfortably included.

33. Treat your students as you would have wanted to be treated as a student.

 

Classroom Problem Solved: Did We Do Anything While I Was Out?

It's tempting to respond sarcastically when a student who has been absent from class innocently asks, "Did we do anything while I was out?"  Unless there is a plan in place to help students find out what happened and what work they need to make up, everyone feels frustrated. One way to manage this is to create a class log book where students take turns keeping a record of the day's events. You can have individuals, pairs, or even small groups do this. Sharing the responsibility for helping their classmates stay on track is also a good way to build community in a class.

Begin by printing several copies of a form similar to the one below. File the blank forms in a large three ring binder. When class starts, the student or students who are responsible for keeping the log that day simply turn to the first blank page and fill it out as class progresses. Soon, the logs add up to a complete record of what has happened  in class.

When absent students return to class, they first check the class log to see what happened in class and then can check with you ask clarifying questions and to pick up missing assignments, handouts, or returned papers.

Class Log

Day of the Week and Date____________________________________________________________
Student Reporter___________________________________________________________________
Homework Assignments and Due Dates
__________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________
Handouts
__________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________
Class Activities
__________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________
Work Turned In
__________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________
Advice
__________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________

Summertime Thoughts about School

Like most other teachers, I find it impossible to completely be on vacation during the summer. I think about school. I think about what I could have done better last year, and I look ahead to the things that I know I can improve in the upcoming year. In doing some research, I found these three helpful documents stored away on my computer. They are from the DVD professional development kit that accompanies the First-Year Teacher's Survival Guide.  I found them helpful in guiding my thinking about school and the ways that I can be a better teacher. Feel free to use them to inform your summertime school thoughts as well.



Teacher Worksheet 7.6: How to Create a Useful Teacher Binder

Although a teacher’s binder is a very personal set of documents, dependent on the needs of the teacher and the types of courses and student that teacher has to manage; there are some items that are almost indispensible in any teacher binder.

·        Your professional goals

·        A to-do list for your professional life

·        A list of positive labels about students

·        Lists of activities to refer to energize your instruction

·        Copy of Bloom’s Taxonomy

·        List of Gardner’s multiple intelligences

·        Tips for teaching study skills

·        Grading reminders such as due dates or grading scales

·        A school year calendar

·        An outline of the instructional plan for the year, semester, or grading period

·        Personally inspiring items such as uplifting quotations or notes from students

·        Seating charts

·        List of classroom chores for students to manage

·        Ideas for integrating technology

·        Class rosters

·        Techniques for managing various classroom problems

·        Lists of Internet resources to explore

·        Stress management techniques

 

Teacher Self-Assessment 7.7: My Professional Goals This Year

Goal	Semester 1 Progress	Semester 2 Progress

 

Teacher Worksheet 7.8: A Teacher’s To-Do List

 

Phone Calls Concerning Students

Student:_______________________________________________________________________    

Parent or Guardian: Name and Number:_____________________________________________      

Date and Time:_________________________________________________________________

Reason:___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Outcome:_____________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________

Other Phone Calls

_____________________________________________________________________________________Emails to Send

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Parent Conferences

Student:______________________________________________________________________________              

Parent’s Name and Number:______________________________________________________________         

Date and Time:_________________________________________________________________________

Reason:______________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________

Outcome:_____________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________

Other Meetings

_____________________________________________________________________________________

After-School/Extra Duty Responsibilities

_____________________________________________________________________________________

Items to Duplicate

_____________________________________________________________________________________

Lesson Plans or Projects to Complete

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Great Websites or Other Resources to Explore

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Notes/Reminders/Errands

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________