July 2025

Keeping Student Accountable to Finish Classwork with Friday Folders

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One of my favorite systems for teaching accountability, responsibility, and time-management is also one of the simplest: Friday Folders. I started using Friday Folders after noticing something that will probably sound familiar: some students just weren’t finishing their work. It wasn’t always about ability—it was about priorities. For some, there wasn’t much motivation to use

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First Week of School Routines, Procedures and Helpful Teacher Strategies

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A new year and new start. The first week of school brings so many opportunities and in the midst of planning fun icebreakers and getting-to-know-you games, this is also your golden opportunity to set up the expectations, routines, and systems that will shape your classroom all year long. Students thrive when they know what to

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First Year Teaching the PYP: What I Wish I’d Known at the Start

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So, You’re New to the PYP? If this is your first year teaching the PYP, let me start by saying: you’ve got this. I’m genuinely excited for you—because while the IB Primary Years Programme (PYP) can feel like a whirlwind of new acronyms, planning templates, and philosophical quotes from Dewey and Piaget, it’s also one

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First Year of Teaching: 11 Practical Tips for a Smoother Start

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Starting your first year of teaching is like stepping onto a rollercoaster that’s already moving. You’re excited, nervous, hopeful, overwhelmed—and somehow still eager to do it all perfectly. I’ve been there. I had just come out of a fantastic teacher prep program in university, ready to change lives… and then I stepped into my very

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Back-to-school checklist for teachers with colorful planning pages, to-do lists, and weekly calendars to feel calm and classroom ready.

Your Back-to-School Teacher Checklist: Calm, Collected, and First-Day-Ready

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The Joy (and Stress) of the Back-to-School Season It feels like summer break just started, and yet—somehow—you’re already staring down a to-do list a mile long to kick off a brand-new school year. It’s wild, right? A new year always brings excitement, possibility…and yes, a whole lot of pressure. That is where this Back-to-School Teacher

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