Education World Administrator's Desk Volume 6, Issue 36

Dear Education Leaders, This free Administrator's Desk newsletter is published weekly by Education World®, the largest free, independent resource on the Web for educators. If you enjoy this newsletter, please feel free to forward it to others. If this newsletter has been forwarded to you, you may sign up to receive it at http://www.educationworld.com/maillist.shtml. To unsubscribe, see instructions at the bottom of this email. Education World remains a free resource thanks to the support of our advertisers -- so please click on ads of interest and visit our advertisers' sites. Thank you. =========================================================================== This week's newsletter is sponsored by Zoomerang™ Online Surveys. Zoomerang™ "Easiest way to ask, Fastest way to know" Gain valuable course feedback from parents and students, informing future curriculum decisions and improving student performance. More than 20% of Zoomerang users work in education and they use our online surveys to collect fast feedback and make smarter decisions for their schools. Sign up for a Free Trial and start using Zoomerang today for: Course evaluations Faculty satisfaction surveys School safety surveys Teacher evaluations And much more! Sign up today for a FREE Trial of Zoomerang! You're invited! Click here to register for our free webinar on Sept 18th dedicated to education professionals. ============================================================================ Volume 6 Issue 36 September 2, 2008 Practical Advice for Coping With Difficult Kids, Parents You've all experienced them -- the student or parent who not only pushes your buttons but leans on them until relief seems impossible. Building relationships with students and keeping yourself calm when issues arise can mean fewer conflicts. Included: Practical strategies for dealing with difficult kids, parents. http://www.educationworld.com/a_admin/admin/admin531.shtml Diane Hodges' Looking Forward to Monday Morning Ideas you can use to drive your staff happy! This week… Going Above and Beyond --- Extra-Miler Award --- Power of One Award --- Red Apple Award --- Superintendent's Award --- Quote This! http://www.educationworld.com/a_admin/columnists/hodges/hodges002.shtml   George Pawlas: Pawlas on PR for PRincipals Newsletters -- An Essential Tool for Every Principal George Pawlas learned early in his years as a principal that regular, informative communication from his office helped build support for his school. That's when he discovered the true value of parent newsletters. Included: Newsletter do's and don'ts. http://www.educationworld.com/a_admin/columnists/pawlas/pawlas003.shtml Pete Hall's Always Strive To Be a Better You! Why I Wear Red Socks to School The earliest known socks were discovered in Egyptian tombs. In subsequent years, socks have taken many turns on the paths of style and function. Principal Pete Hall's socks, for instance, are red. Every day, red socks. http://www.educationworld.com/a_admin/columnists/hall/hall012.shtml Paul Young's Young @ Heart The Five Levels of Principal Leadership "Joe thought he had 'arrived' when at age 29 he was selected as the principal of Union Elementary School. On paper, Joe looked great. His resume and experience had given him an edge over other candidates. He appeared to be qualified to fulfill the duties outlined in his job description. So what could have possibly gone wrong?" Included: Paul Young shares Joe's big mistake. http://www.educationworld.com/a_admin/columnists/young/young009.shtml Building School Community & Climate How do students, staff, and strangers feel when they walk into your school building? Many principals work hard to create an atmosphere that is welcoming, warm, and productive. The articles in this archive share stories and practical tips that will help you create a climate that is positive and ensures success. The Principal Poet Mr. Ivan, Education World's Principal Poet, presents this week's poem, "Recipe for Trouble." Eighteen boys in a classroom Is "trouble served on toast." Or, if you were a doctor, It'd be bad news to diagnose… http://www.educationworld.com/a_admin/columnists/ivan/ivan033.shtml Meet the other members of Education World's Columnist Team. Partners for Student Success "Cracking Open" Kids' Brains A guest speaker introduced Virginia parents to the latest in brain research and, most important, how it applies to parenting. The program was not clinical. Everyday examples showed parents how they could use the information to be better parents and help children learn. http://www.educationworld.com/a_admin/partners/partners040.shtml Take Five for… Making sure the first day of school goes smoothly. (Part 2) http://www.educationworld.com/a_admin/takefive/takefive004.shtml Principal Ideas Special night for kids and dads, prime parking, more… http://www.educationworld.com/a_admin/ideas/ideas026.shtml Pawlas on PR Support teams play key roles in your school's PR efforts. http://www.educationworld.com/a_admin/pawlasPR/pawlasPR018.shtml How I Handled… Encouraging regular and special ed teachers to work as a team. http://www.educationworld.com/a_admin/how_i_handled/how_i_handled028.shtml Instant Meeting Use "sticky-note brainstorming" to collect ideas. http://www.educationworld.com/a_admin/meetingidea/meetingideas009.shtml Morning Math Boost math skills schoolwide with "Morning Math" questions for Week #1. http://www.educationworld.com/a_admin/archives/morning_math.shtml Conventions & Conferences What's coming up? http://www.educationworld.com/a_admin/archives/conventions.shtml Exceptional Event Open House. http://www.educationworld.com/a_admin/exceptional_events/exceptional_events004.shtml Grant of the Week 2008 "Kids in Need" teacher grants… and more. http://www.educationworld.com/a_admin/grants/additional_grants.shtml Join the Conversation On our "School Administrators" message board. http://forums.educationworld.com/ Newsletters 'R Us Copy and paste this free content into your teacher or school newsletters. The ABCs of Student Success D is for Determination Caught on the Web Word Builder (All grades) Fun Facts Volume #3 Parent Newsletter Template Back to School Math @ Home Drawing to Scale Parent Pointers Providing Homework Support http://www.educationworld.com/a_admin/archives/newsletters.shtml From Our Leadership Archive Principal for a Day Business execs get an education. Mentoring Model programs help new teachers achieve success. Students and Sleep The case for later school start times. Training Retreats Retreats offer chance to review and recharge. http://www.educationworld.com/a_admin/archives/leadership.shtml   From the Principal Files More Principal Advice Our "Principal Files" principals have dozens of years of principaling under their belts. So we turned to them to try to help this year's crop of new principals. Advice from our P-Files principals includes valuable tips about listening to your staff (from the kindergarten teacher to the custodian). Also: Don't forget the kids, and don't neglect your own family. http://www.educationworld.com/a_admin/admin/admin233.shtml   Ideas for All Year Long If you're looking for ideas you can use all year long, we've got some great ones for you. Recording the school year in pictures, a year of special events, a classroom book club, fun games and "quick-tivities" for awkward moments … those are just a few of the ideas you'll find here. http://www.educationworld.com/back_to_school/index.shtml#ideas Remembering September 11 Education World offers five lessons to help teachers commemorate the anniversary of the September 11, 2001, attack on the United States. These lessons will keep alive the spirit of patriotism and tolerance stimulated by the events of 9/11. Included: Students make a huge flag mural for your school or a proverb book for your classroom library, write letters to fire fighters in their community, read aloud books that model tolerance, raise money for Afghan children, more. http://www.educationworld.com/a_lesson/lesson/lesson277.shtml More Timely Lesson Ideas Hurricane Watch Spark Student Interest in Spelling Establishing Class Rules Lesson Plan of the Day Click the link above to see dozens of recent Lesson Plans of the Day, including the five lessons below that were posted last week. True or False? - A tutorial on Web literacy. (Grades 6-12) A "Typical Day" Then and Now - Celebrate Grandparents Day (K-8) Heads Up for Headlines - Write headlines to express main ideas. (K-12) "Mind Reader" Math Trick - A game for reviewing spelling words. (K-12) Got the Time? - Word problems for time-telling practice. (3-8) http://www.educationworld.com/a_lesson/archives/dailylp.shtml Friday Fun Students discover common interests and unique abilities. http://www.educationworld.com/a_lesson/friday/friday004.shtml Reader's Theater Ace Spelling, Spelling Ace When a fifth grader has an unusual event with alphabet soup, he becomes a "spelling ace." But is his "spelling spell" a blessing or a curse? http://www.educationworld.com/a_curr/reading/ReadersTheater/ReadersTheater002.shtml News for Kids A boy in California was tired of his peers' bad language, so he decided to do something about it. http://www.educationworld.com/a_lesson/newsforyou/newsforyou090.shtml Writing Bug If I were the principal of my school for one week, I would... http://www.educationworld.com/a_lesson/writing_bug/writingbug103.shtml 5-Minute Fillers Volume #11 http://www.educationworld.com/a_lesson/archives/fillers.shtml Hunt the Fact Monster Students learn Internet searching skills as they search the Fact Monster. Primary Hunts September Hunt #2 Ele-Middle Hunts Hunt #2 http://www.educationworld.com/a_lesson/archives/factmonster.shtml   Ask Dr. Shore About... Adjusting to Kindergarten My five-year-old daughter is starting kindergarten this year. What can I do to make the transition as easy as possible? http://www.educationworld.com/a_curr/shore/shore104.shtml Dr. Fred Jones: Tools for Teaching Bell Work "Bell Work" is the work students are doing when the opening bell rings. It's the work that separates the world of the classroom from the world of play. It's the work that provides purpose to the process of "settling in." http://www.educationworld.com/a_curr/columnists/jones/jones020.shtml Cathy Puett Miller: The Reading Coach Turning Reading into an Active Experience Centering reading around student interest, motivation, and self-concept is how we give every student a reason to read. http://www.educationworld.com/a_curr/reading/ReadingCoach/ReadingCoach007.shtml Education Humor With Regina Barreca Education World! Bring the Kids! "'You're writing a column for Education World?'" joked my husband, Michael. "'Is that like an amusement park? Are there rides?'" Of course, I then couldn't get the image of 'Education World!' as a possible theme park out of my mind." http://www.educationworld.com/a_issues/columnists/barreca/barreca003.shtml Wire Side Chat NYC Teachers Recall 9/11 Many New York City teachers on September 11, 2001, had to push aside the average person's concern for self and family and focus on the safety of the frightened children in their classes. A book of teachers' essays relates their bravery and creativity on 9/11 and in the days and weeks after. http://www.educationworld.com/a_issues/chat/chat186.shtml Reading Feature Literature Circles Build Excitement for Books Two experts in the field offer insights and advice about using literature circles. http://www.educationworld.com/a_curr/curr259.shtml   Each week, we ask readers to cast their votes in The Weekly Survey. Cast your vote in this week's question of interest to all educators. This Week's Survey Question Would you be willing to give up tenure and seniority rights for the chance to earn large annual salary increases and bonuses if your students performed well? http://www.educationworld.com/a_issues/survey/survey181.shtml Last Week's Survey Results A school district in Mississippi recently banned teachers from communicating with students by text messages or through online social networking sites. What do you think of this policy? http://www.educationworld.com/a_issues/survey/survey180.shtml   Green Schools Kids Lead the Way on Eco-Friendly Living Children as young as 5 years old are taking an interest in protecting the environment, recycling, and urging their families to "go green." Inspiring Teachers Paying to Stock Classrooms Severe budget cuts in the Clark County, Nevada, district have led to teachers spending more of their own money on classroom supplies. NCLB Council to Advise on NCLB Issues The U.S. Department of Education appointed 16 members to the National Technical Advisory Council, which will advise the department on state standards, assessments, and accountability systems. See more education news headlines in our EDscoops Archive.   CAREER PLANNING We were having a class discussion about occupations. My first-grade students were asking questions about different career paths. "What do you have to do to become a doctor?" one of my students asked. "You have to do well in school, study hard, be good at math and science, make good grades in college, then go to med school and follow that with an internship. Then you can open your own practice…" The little girl gave some thought to my response, then asked, "What do you have to do to be queen?"   Each week, Education World spotlights books of interest to educators. This week, read a brief summary of two more of our "top 50 books for educators." The Morning Meeting Book A very practical book -- step-by-step guidelines for implementing a morning meeting in any K-8 classroom; 45 greetings; 66 group activities; and ideas for adapting the morning meeting idea to classes with a lot of second-language learners. The essential concept is to make everyone feel that it matters that he or she is in school -- including the teacher! This books comes from the folks behind the Responsive Classroom approach to teaching. Click to learn more or to purchase this book. Horace's Compromise: The Dilemma of the American High School First published in 1984, this is Theodore Sizer's eloquent call to arms for school reform. In a new preface, Sizer addresses encouraging movements to create better schools, reduce class size, and improve assessment and teaching, but also points out that many of the problems that plague the American high school have remained the same over the last quarter century. This is one of the field's modern classics, and no education library is complete without it. Click to learn more or to purchase this book. Click the icon to the right to see more books and many other products that are available in the Education World MarketPlace. ========================================================================== The Best of the WRITING BUG If you enjoy Education World's weekly WRITING BUG feature, you'll love this book! Education World and the National Education Association (NEA) have joined forces to create a handy, pocket-size booklet with 44 of the most popular Writing Bug story starters. Use these Writing Bug activities to engage your students in effective writing. Each writing prompt will spark students' imaginations, tickle their funny bones, and motivate their pencils. Included: In this booklet you'll find these Writing Bug titles and many more: If I Could Interview Any U.S. President... The Best Lesson I Ever Learned I Got a Postcard from Another Planet A Week Without TV The Best Invention Ever/The Worst Invention Ever Plus 39 more Writing Bug writing prompts! The Best of WRITING BUG is part of the Teacher Treasure Series, an NEA Professional Library Publication. http://store.nea.org/NEABookstore/control/productdetails?&item_id=0695X00 ========================================================================== Education World now incorporates www.SchoolNotes.com ~ "everybody on the same page!" The leading school-to-home communications platform, with FREE pages for teachers and automatic notification of parents and students when new homework is posted! For a modest $24.95 PER YEAR, upgrade to Personal Edition, "Super SchoolNotes," with thousands of resources linked to your state's standards. Click here for more information. ========================================================================== MORE FEATURES OF INTEREST! Reader's Theater More than two dozen scripts, perfect for the classroom. Best Books for Teaching About… Booklists for 30 popular teaching themes. Sign Up for Our Newsletters Ten free newsletters full of practical ideas. Special Education Center Tools for the special education community. TGIF Kick back and start your weekend off on a light note. Education World Techtorials Our tutorials take the terror out of technology. The Template Library A wide variety of templates to meet educators' needs. Wire Side Chats Each week, Education World chats with an expert in the field. Printables Library You're sure to find great resources here. Hundreds of printables! Meet Our Columnists Meet our team of columnists from many corners of the "education world." Teaching Themes for Early Childhood Sue LaBella offers teaching ideas for popular EC themes. Stress Relief Kit Take a deep breath. Then take a look here for great reading. Classroom Management 101 Real teachers share what they are doing to manage real classrooms. News for Kids News of our world written with kids in mind. Teacher's Guide included. ========================================================================== SIGN UP FOR OUR OTHER NEWSLETTERS We hope you enjoy receiving this Education World e-newsletter. Did you know that Education World offers eight other FREE weekly newsletters? Have you signed up to receive the... Education World EDUCATION NEWS HEADLINES NEWSLETTER? In this newsletter you will find brief summaries and links to about ten education news articles published in the previous week. Some articles highlight education issues of national and international importance; others share interesting local stories about schools and their students. Would you like to see a sample of the Education News Headlines Newsletter? 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