Teacher Mom tips


Teachers, do you feel like your "to do" list is growing every day?  Are more things getting added instead of getting crossed off your list?

My daughter is now in high school. But, I remember the days when she was in elementary school and feeling like I was getting pulled in every which direction.  There never seemed to be enough time for both jobs.  I needed to find a way to work smarter so I would be less stressed.  I finally figured out that the same method I used when I had a hectic schedule at school, might work with my Mom vs. Teacher dilemma.  The answer . . . . INTEGRATE!!!



Think about this!  Back in the olden days, children worked side-by-side with their parents; yet how many teacher moms feel guilty if they work late and their child is with them?

I grew up on a dairy farm.  Both of my parents worked the farm without the benefit of hired help.  From a very early age, we worked on the farm next to our parents.  I doubt that my parents felt any guilt about us being there because they felt like we were learning valuable work skills.  The next time you need to work late, take your child with you.  Think of it as stepping back into time.  


Do you bring work home with you?  You can kill two birds with one stone when your children are in preschool-early elementary.  I had my daughter "help" me when she was young.  She practiced her early reading and math skills while I graded papers.

  • Number identification:  My students wrote their name and number on their assignments.  My daughter would sit beside me when I graded papers.  She would tell me the number on the paper as she handed me the next paper to grade.
  • Number order: Each Friday I sent home graded papers in their "Take Home" folder.  The folder had the student's name and number on it.  One of my daughter's jobs was to put the folders in number order.
  • Letter sounds:  I always had a large stack of stickers to put on my students' papers.  My daughter loved to pick the stickers.  We did a variety of mini lessons with this.
    • What is the name of the sticker?  What sound do you hear at the beginning?
    • What is the name of the sticker?  How many sounds do you hear?
    • What is the name of the sticker?  What rhymes with it?

There was one glitch about taking my daughter with me to work during my non-contract hours.  There were times when I wanted to talk to other teachers about topics that little ears didn't need to hear.  I had her listen to a book on tape when that happened.  It was entertaining and academic at the same time.  Her ears were covered up . . . the perfect solution!

This week, Jason @ Common Core 4 Kids invited me to check out his site.  When I saw this site, I instantly saw how beneficial this could be to parents and teachers.  

Common core 4 Kids has math videos for students.  It currently has 2nd grade videos and will soon have some for 1st grade also.  The videos are 4 - 5 minutes.  These would be a great way to introduce a new unit.  Or set it up as a math computer center.  The videos are colorful and eye catching!

FOR PARENTS:
If my daughter was still in elementary school, I would use it after school.  Depending on her age, I could use the site for enrichment or to strengthen her math skills.

FOR TEACHERS:
The site has a minimal cost. Teachers can purchase an individual membership and use it at home and with his/her class.  How great is that?!!!!  You don't have to purchase a multi-user license.

You are invited to preview the site for 14 days for FREE.

Here is an example of one of the videos:

Click HERE 

Click HERE to visit Common Core 4 Kids.


While Jason @ Common Core 4 Kids is compensating me, these opinions and experiences are my own.  


3 comments

Kelly said...

My daughter has always gone to my school, well until Fall Break this year. She is in 5th grade this year and she has had to stay at school with me way too many hours. Now that she is at our neighborhood school, I am getting home much earlier because I have to go pick her up. I loved your ideas for integrating!
Kelly
I'm Not Your Grandpa, I'm Your Teacher

Nicole Heinlein said...

Great ideas! My son often comes to school with me and helps organize my library, file papers in student mailboxes, and many others. And I loved the idea of putting them in headphones during meetings - I did that today with a sweet student and her brother during an IEP meeting today. They were much more entertained that way!
Nicole
Teaching With Style

athompson said...

I totally agree. In fact I think part of my girls' academic success is partially due to them coming to school with me from an early age, seeing the importance of educaion and the academic attitude that comes with it! Win, win!