Secondary ELA Archives -

Anxiety, Education, High School, Middle School, Secondary ELA, Secondary English, Teacher, Texas

Taming Summer Anxiety- What I Do During the Summer to Combat Teacher Guilt

June 12, 2019June 12, 2019 johnstonselagems

Being a teacher is great. I've always loved that I get summers off from going to school to be with my daughters. Notice I didn't say "I like having summer off from work" because as most teachers I know will tell you, they work during the summer. Even if they swear they aren't going to.… Continue reading Taming Summer Anxiety- What I Do During the Summer to Combat Teacher Guilt

Classroom, Classroom Library, Education, High School, Middle School, Secondary ELA, Secondary English, Teacher, Texas

Building Your Classroom Library- One Book at a Time

June 8, 2019June 7, 2019 johnstonselagems

Classroom libraries sometimes seem like an unattainable dream that only lucky teachers at wealthy schools get to even consider having. Some schools know the deal and provide funds for each teacher to build one. Most teachers know that having good books accessible to kids is always the best plan. But most teachers are on their… Continue reading Building Your Classroom Library- One Book at a Time

Classroom Management, Classroom Structure, Education, High School, Middle School, Secondary ELA, Secondary English, Teaching, Texas

How Do You Get Them To Do That?- Real Talk About Secondary Classroom Management

June 5, 2019June 4, 2019 johnstonselagems

At least once a school year a teacher will come into my classroom to deliver a message or ask a question, whatever. Then later, they will ask me, "Were your students in trouble?" "No." "Then why were they so quiet?" "Because I asked them to work silently." "That's it?" Yep. That's it. Until recently I… Continue reading How Do You Get Them To Do That?- Real Talk About Secondary Classroom Management

Education, Middle School, Secondary ELA, Secondary English, Teaching

Peace Out! Another School Year in the Books

June 1, 2019May 31, 2019 johnstonselagems

It's my last day, and I'm sitting in my room trying to find something to do. For some reason, the board decided to approve a calendar that had four work days after the last day of school. Yeah, FOUR. Now y'all know I'm a planner. I DO NOT procrastinate. So I started taking things down… Continue reading Peace Out! Another School Year in the Books

Assessments, Classroom, Education, High School, Lesson Planning, Literature Circles, Middle School, Secondary ELA, Secondary English, Teacher, Teachers Pay Teachers

Assessing Student Reading- Do they have to take a test?

May 29, 2019May 28, 2019 johnstonselagems

As a kid, I loved tests. I wouldn't do much in class, but then I'd ace the test. Yep, I was that kid. I have a photographic memory, so objective tests were my friends. As long as I'd actually read the material, I was fine. I didn't really have to think much about the concepts… Continue reading Assessing Student Reading- Do they have to take a test?