One on One Instruction

What does one on one instruction look like in a classroom.  I love doing small groups and one on one instruction in my Math classroom and I find both to be very effective. With a tight schedule and demanding duties, sometimes it can be hard to find time to meet with students one on one but there are so many benefits from it. 

After working in small group with my students, I noticed that there were some who would leave group still needing more help. My first response was, I don't have time to sit down with this child, I have sooo much more to do but I knew this particular child needed more help. After doing several one on one sessions, I saw a difference in this child. He became more open with me and I found out more about his struggles during our one on one session. There are several benefits of one on one instruction. 

1. Uninterrupted individual attention- 

Students love attention and when they are working with the teacher one one one they know they have the teachers undivided attention. During this one on one time, it is important to have some type of classroom schedule and management in place. During this time the other students to be held accountable for some type of work/project that they can do independently or with a group. 

2. Able to get to know the student on a deeper level

During this time teachers can get to students on a level that they might not have the opportunity to in a whole group setting. This is when you can address their strengths and weaknesses without them feeling embarrassed. This student stuttered and he found himself not wanting to speak out during whole group or small group time but he felt more comfortable with me one on one. During this time is when you might find out more than you care to know about them! :) 

3. Less distractions

For students who are easily distracted by others or everything, this is ideal for them! Even in small groups, I have students who get easily distracted and they still miss the concept of what's being discussed. During this one on one time if the student gets distracted, it won't take much for me to get him back on track. 

Blog Launch Giveaway

Finally, my blog launch is here!!! I am new to this and to say thank you for visiting my blog and for all that you do, here's a GOODY giveaway! The giveaway will include these cute pencil paperclips, teacher inspiration bracelet, teacher tumbler cup and this apple ID badge holder. A winner will be chosen on Friday! Thanks so much and spread the word!! Happy Teacher Appreciation Week!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Balancing Life

 For most of us educators, we juggle more than just running a busy classroom all day. We are  bloggers, some of us are parents,  Grad students, wives,  and even business owners. How do you find our balance? How do you get everything checked off your "to do" list?  How do you keep your "sanity"?  

For me, it is all about organization and mapping everything out. I am a sticky note and notepad queen! I have always been a fan of calendars and planners and although I haven't purchased my EC planner yet, I plan on it in the near future. I have a regular large planner from Walmart that I use and on Sunday evenings, I sit down and my map out my week. I am a single mother of two and both children are active, I am also getting my Masters on top of being a business owner. I truly have to map out every move or else I will be all over the place! As you can see my weekends are already full with my daughters soccer games and my son's basketball schedule and if you notice somebody will be 38 this month! :) But on the inside pages, I write out everyday what I have to do, what assignments I have due in Grad school, who has practice, any orders I need to work on and what we are having for dinner. I live by planner and I totally lost without it! It's not as fancy as some of the others but I plan on getting there! 

I'm getting older and I have to have something to keep me going. I am an advid fan of SPARK! Thank God I have a parent who sells it so that I never run out. I've outgrown these packages and have now moved up to the canister! In the run of a day, I drink two 8 ounce bottles of water with the SPARK and it truly keeps me going. I have moved up to 6 water bottles a day while working which is great for me because I hate water! The last bottle of water I drink with Spark is after lunch which is around 12:45 and it helps me to make it through the rest of my evening. I need to add some type of vitamin to my regimen, I think it would help with my energy. Thank God the school year is almost over but that doesn't mean that to do list will go down! 

Comment and share your thoughts and what you do to keep the balance in your life!