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What is the Ruler Program? Do we need Social Emotional Learning in Schools?

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Over the last several years I've been hearing so much about the Ruler program in schools and wondered what it was all about. I knew it was a program to incorporate social emotional learning into the classroom but I wasn't familiar with the components. I see posters of the Mood Meter on classroom walls and students placing their picture on the appropriate square quite often throughout the school day. Is teaching social emotional learning helping our students and the school community? What is Social Emotional Learning ?   According to National University , It is a methodology that helps students understand their emotions. These learned behaviors can help students be responsible, make positive choices, and build positive relationships with others. What are the Components ? How Can it Help Students ? Having self awareness can positively affect behavior  It helps with setting goals and a plan for how to achieve them To help act empathetically within the school and community Maintai...
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Restorative Justice

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                                         Justice Served!         D awn Forgione      The restorative justice room at my school was, for the most part, a mystery to me. I knew that it was a place for students who were either fighting or had gotten into trouble, but never gave it much thought beyond that. Eventually, my curiosity got the better of me, and I decided to find out really what was going on behind those closed doors. Turns out, a lot!      Typically schools use outdated discipline models that focus on punitive measures that don't address the core of the problem. Detention and suspension are disciplinary consequences that are meant to deter a student from not repeating the infraction, however, suspension causes students to lose valuable learning time and detentions don't address the actual problem. (We Are Teachers)  ...
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Self Care Isn't Selfish

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  Stacey Pierce Does your day begin as soon as your alarm goes off? Does your day end with a mindless TV show to relax for the first time all day?  If you are anything like me, the second your feet hit the floor your day begins. In our house our motto seems to be, we hit the ground running! Both my husband and I have full time jobs, our daughter is in Kindergarten and goes to before and after school care, and my son goes to daycare. There is breakfast to be made and eaten, lunches to be packed, and we are all out of the house by 7:20am. Like most of you, my school day begins before the bell rings and the students arrive. Is my classroom ready for 20 second graders? Did I make all the photocopies I need? Are my anchor charts ready and easily accessible? A teachers day is packed with laughs and discipline, applying band-aids and applying rigor, keeping students moving and keeping students calm, and everything in between. When the bell rings at the end of school day our day is no...
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Kids are on the move! Or at least need to be!

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  Kids are on the move! Or at least need to be! We’ve all seen the fidgeting students who have been sitting in their seats all class, or we hear the students who are calling out or chatting with their friends, or been faced with the bored stares of kids slouched in their chairs. We’ve all been there.  Students (and adults) have a hard time staying focused for long periods of time. And that period of time seems to be getting shorter and shorter. Especially now in the age where everything seems to be a distraction. Giving students the opportunity to move can support them to “maintain concentration and attention, regulate energy levels, and expand their toolkit of self-regulation strategies” ( NCSE ). Physical activity increases the amount of oxygen getting to the brain. This in turn, helps with stimulating the hippocampus (the center of learning and memory in the brain), which then leads to “improved attention and memory, increased brain activity and cognitive function, and enha...
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A Step Back In Time

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  A Step Back In Time…How have our classrooms changed over the years? October 24, 2022 Teachers are professionals but we are always learning Andrew Ryczek Looking back to when I was in school to now teaching in a classroom (soon to be anyway) it’s crazy to see how much our educational technology and the tools available for us and our students within the classroom has changed in the last twenty years.  As a student I disliked chalk boards and to this day I dislike seeing them in classrooms. I always picture the moving JAWS when the captain takes his nails and makes the scratchy noise to gather the audience's attention.  It wasn’t until high school when my teachers started using smart boards and the gadgets that we now have in our own classrooms today. I still remember my 7th grade science class using the old overhead projects that would be wheeled around.  On average, “ About two-thirds of teachers (65%) say they use digital learning tools to teach every day; 22% use ...
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Test Anxiety: What Are the Effects?

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 Test Anxiety: What Are the Effects? What Is Test Anxiety? "Test anxiety is actually a type of  performance anxiety  — a feeling someone might have in a situation where performance really counts or when the pressure's on to do well.  "   -Kathryn Hoffses Test anxiety, a lot of the time, is that nervous feeling people may get before a test. But more often than not that nervous feeling can escalate to the point where it interferes with performance. This typically happens because our bodies are releasing adrenaline . Read more about what test anxiety is here . Test anxiety is becoming more and more common in schools and a lot of time can have a lot of physical or emotional effects. This video from We Are Teachers   explains the facts of testing anxiety. What Are the Effects of Testing Anxiety? Emotional Effects: Stress Fear Helplessness Disappointment Mind going blank Racing thoughts Difficulty concentrating Fidgeting Physical Effects: Headaches Nausea Ra...
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Sensory Paths: The New Brain Break

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 Sensory Paths Throughout the day, do you notice your students getting antsy or anxious? Do they get off the bus seeming tired or unexcited? Many schools are now incorporating sensory paths into their hallways and playgrounds to allow students a brain break that also incorporates movement.  What is a sensory path? Sensory paths are floor and wall stickers that create a fun movement course for students. Similar to an obstacle course, students are challenged to jump, skip, crawl, or hop from one sticker to the next. Sensory paths are very colorful, engaging, and typically revolve around a theme. Commonly found in hallways or on playgrounds, these sensory paths allow students to take a brain break while also getting some exercise in! See one in action: What are the benefits of a sensory path? In this HuffPost article , they explore the many benefits of sensory paths. It says, " Studies show  movement stimulates cognitive activity , which means kids may learn better when...
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