As a child, I loved worms. I remember collecting them off my driveway after a good rain, and digging for them in the mud at other times during the year. There was something so wonderful about holding that wiggling worm on your hand and watching it transform into...
One of my favourite things to do on the weekend is to go out for brunch, especially with family members or friends. It often becomes the perfect time to connect with people. After my subitizing learning focus over a year ago now, brunch outings also offer new...
The more that you learn about Self-Reg, the more that it seems to govern your views of everything in your life. Sometimes I’m sure that Stuart Shanker‘s questions of, “Why?” and “Why now?” never leave my head. And yet, no matter how much we’ve learned about Self-Reg,...
Usually when I contribute a post to The MEHRIT Centre blog, I do so as a way to share reflections, celebrate a success, and discuss some possible next steps. My posts are always about what I know to be true. This doesn’t mean that I don’t make mistakes along the way,...
It’s the start of cold and flu season in Ontario. I often joked that I was “immune to getting sick,” having spent so many years around kids and germs, but this year, it got me. I’ve been balancing more than usual this year between teaching, my work at The MEHRIT...
I am currently enrolled in a Teacher Leadership course through our Board. This is the second face-to-face course that I’ve taken, and in both cases, I’ve struggled with the same thing: those initial social interactions. If I know you, I’m very social, but I struggle...
My teaching partner, Paula, and I have been spending a lot of time in the past few weeks observing how our students use the classroom. Sometimes we just stand back and observe the room, and other times, we record a quick tour of the classroom to capture a moment in...
While school didn’t start for students until today, educators across Ontario have been back in classrooms since on August 27th to get ready. I was lucky enough to meet up with my teaching partner, Paula, at a professional development opportunity a couple weeks ago,...
Today I went for a pedicure. I love pedicures! There’s something so wonderful about getting your feet massaged, feeling the warm water on your toes, and then leaving with a beautiful new nail colour. When my mom asked me if I wanted to join her for a morning nail...
Sometimes I realize how quickly things can change. Everything is going well, until it’s not. Before I took the Foundations 1 Course, I remember having many conversations with educators and administrators about students in my classroom. I often made comments, such...
Countdowns. As we’re approaching the middle of June, there’s no doubt about it that year-end countdowns will start soon. The warmer weather doesn’t help with this. I often say that the weather puts children into “summer mode,” and maybe it does the same for adults....
My teaching partner, Paula, and I spend a lot of time discussing Self-Reg. We often talk about our students, and what we’re noticing in the classroom. Is their behaviour changing? Why might it be changing?What might be causing problems?How can we support our students...
As a Kindergarten teacher, I understand the value of dramatic play. I know that students communicate much of their thinking and learning in this way. There are so many opportunities for oral language, including the development of new vocabulary, as part of...
Today was a Day 4, which means that I have a prep period at the end of the day: it’s music. Since we don’t have a separate music room at our school, our music teacher comes to our classroom with a large cart of instruments and a traveling stereo to support many...
For the past 1 1/2 years, our Kindergarten classroom has been used for a Kindergarten After Care Program. As somebody that likes organization in the classroom, and the ability to come in early and stay late (if I want), the idea of sharing our classroom terrified me....
The snowfall over the winter holidays led to lots of amazing snow structures at our school. One morning, when we made our way out to the forest to play, students saw this structure that a group of junior students had made on the playground. They were eager to go over...
I’m very lucky! I work with amazing and talented people on the Kindergarten team at our school. But when one of these great people suggested that we put on a Kindergarten Musical for the holidays, I was beyond stressed. Yes,it was my suggestion to maybe do something...
I remember many years ago when I taught Grade 6. There were a couple of students that I probably worked with more than others. I wasn’t the only one. Prep coverage teachers also worked with them a lot. The Learning Resource Teacher often supported them....