It’s that time of year when it is cold outside and there is an increased chance of school being cancelled because of snowy or icy roads. Snow cancellations or delays may not be prevalent all across the country, but even San Antonio recently had a snow day. I think most teachers and students would agree that snow days are great—as long as everyone is safe at home. My students love an unexpected day off. It’s like a bonus weekend!

A while back, I taught a high school broadcast journalism class. It was a lot of fun and we did some amazing things with technology, video, and journalism. 

At the same time, I taught a sophomore language arts class. Since I was teaching the video recording skills anyway, I decided to do a video project with my language arts students. The results opened my eyes—I realized that for most kids, adding a camera to a project brought instant engagement. They were planning, creating, revising, and researching for ways to do it better, and their creations were pretty funny. The same project I had completed for many years became something fresh and new just by adding in the video component.

 
We teachers can be pretty set in our ways when it comes to how we do things in our classroom. Lessons we’ve had in our arsenal are continually refined and can be presented at a moment's notice to fit our curricular needs. For those newer to the classroom, it takes considerable time to create the perfect lesson that achieves the learning goals you have. We’ve all been there when a lesson turns out to not go exactly the way it was intended—it’s all part of the process of getting better as an educator and a professional.

Ready to try something new? Shake up your routine this month with these engaging lessons and activities from MimioConnect™, our interactive teaching community:

When you look at the Jefferson Memorial, the numerous ionic columns support the giant marble dome, making it look strong and symmetrical. It is an impressive structure—the pillars are all needed in order to make it stand. Without each one of them, the structure would definitely be unstable and could fall.

An architectural structure such as this is a good metaphor for classroom management. The learning, the curriculum, and instruction are the dome. It is the most important part of the entire structure, but it cannot stand without the columns supporting it. Classroom management are the pillars; it supports the entire structure, and each part of it matters.

With 1:1 devices in the classroom, teachers have run across a new challenge that is also an old one. Too often, students come to class unprepared to use the device—most of the time it is not charged, and other times it may be left at home. These devices are critically important to learning. A teacher with a lesson planned on Google Classroom can't just run an extra copy if a student has a dead battery.

IT’S A SNOW DAY! The Weather Channel predicted a big snowstorm and it really happened—you can almost hear the collective screams of joy from students and teachers alike! But after sleeping in, snuggling under your favorite quilt reading a book, and enjoying some hot chocolate, cabin fever is beginning to infect your mind.

Here are some suggestions for fun snow day activities to keep you and your students entertained: 

Public education teachers are professionals. They see themselves as such, and rightly so. There is a great deal of training and education to become a teacher, and it is a position of respect in most communities. The role requires both customer service skills and technical know-how that surpasses average employees.

As it is a professional role, it matters if teachers are demonstrating professionalism on a daily basis. There are many reasons why it matters, but more than anything, it comes back to our attitude. Because what we are doing is so very important, we need to treat it as such.

It’s no secret that kids LOVE a good snow day when school is called off and they can lay around the house all day long. But don’t be fooled—teachers love a well-timed snow day as much as the kids! During the dreary winter months, the kids get a little crazy, everyone’s feeling a little down, and teachers get tired. A snow day can serve as a much-needed day of rest for overworked teachers.

What do teachers do on snow days, you might be wondering? I’m sure that some may plan lessons and catch up on grading, but in my opinion, teachers should take the day off to recharge.

A new year is a great time to look at our accomplishments from the year gone by. Traditionally, it is also the time when we seek out opportunities for growth as we look ahead. I thought I would share some areas in which I would like to grow in 2018. By sharing these with you, I hope that maybe you can be inspired to take on some new learning, grow as an individual and a teacher, and get out of your comfort zone to try something challenging.

I love a clean slate, a new calendar, and the optimism that a new year brings. I enjoy the idea of making positive changes for myself and those around me. A new year pushes me to think about my life and resolve to do better. The same applies to my teaching—it’s a great opportunity for me to set goals for myself in the classroom, so I’ve come up with six teaching resolutions for 2018. I think these resolutions will be beneficial for myself, my students, and maybe even other educators out there.