Ninja Notes

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Classroom Tips

When to Quit Your Teaching Job and Why It’s Ok

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There are lots of reasons to quit a teaching job and none of them have to do with the teaching part. It's ok to change your teaching job. Come read this list of reasons to quit and how you can start the process (spoiler alert-none of them mean walking away from teaching completely).

If you’re anything like me, you were playing school with your dolls, neighbours or siblings as soon as you could walk. Teaching is just part of my soul, but there might come a time in your life when you should quit your teaching job and that’s ok.

If you are looking for a post that will tell you it’s ok to quit your teaching job to run away with the circus, this isn’t really that kind of post. This isn’t what you can do instead of teaching.

Instead, this post is about knowing when it’s time to change the teaching job you are currently doing. That could be a change of subject matter, grade level, locations, training or type of school position. Change is a good thing. It can breathe life back into your calling.

Read on to find out when you should quit.

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Black History Books You Should Use All Year

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While Black History Month happens each February there should be books about Black characters, Black history and by Black authors in your classroom all year round. Come check out our list of books that are in our classroom library and would be the perfect addition your school, too.

Black history is Canadian history. This history of all people that have made up this country should be included-both the heroic tales and the ones that are not told as often. We have always tried to include many stories of the different First Nations, Metis and Inuit People, but we discovered that our school and classroom library didn’t have enough books written by Black authors, featuring Black protagonists and telling the history from the perspective of Black Canadians.

The books we curated and collected shouldn’t be saved for one month of the year. These stories should be available to students all year round. They should be included in your language arts examples and in your history lessons. Come check out our list and see which books you might want to add to your collection.

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Chill Out With These Sanity Saving Indoor Recess Activities

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Sometimes the winter weather prevents us from going outside for recess. If you're stuck inside for indoor recess, we've collected a whole list of indoor recess activities that will work even if your students have to socially distance. Come read the blog and grab a few activities for your classroom.

Every year, teachers in Canada are faced with several days in a row where the weather outside is not safe for students to go outside and play. These indoor recesses can be a nightmare at the best of times because no student wants to stay inside every recess in a row during a cold snap. We’ve collected these must-try activities for indoor recess to ease that job.

We try to let our students have a less structured recess break where they choose their own activities and aren’t micromanaged. This might not be possible depending on the situation at your school, but keep in mind that recess should be a break instead of another scheduled block of time. Come see which of these activities will work for your students.

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Must Know Tech Skills You Should Teach Your Students

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When distance learning became the norm, we were grateful for teaching our students some basic tech skills so they could navigate Google Classroom and use the tools for their learning. Come read out list and grab a free checklist so you can make sure your students have the basics whether they are working in class or online.

When the pandemic hit, we realized how grateful we were that we had taught our students some must know tech skills that they could use to navigate distance learning. While it wasn’t always smooth sailing, our students were able to get through the basics because they were already familiar with most of the tools we were using.

One thing we changed was how we teach basic tech skills to our students. Gone are the days where we teach students how to use a program. This wasn’t helpful because things change so frequently. Instead, we started teaching students that most programs use the same symbols and features to do similar things. We taught these skills instead and it made all the difference.

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Cozy Up With Great Winter Books

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Come check out this list of winter books that we use in our upper elementary classroom. We use picture books to teach all kinds of English Language Arts skills, but our students also love them. We've even included some ways to inspire your students to dig into winter books.

When it’s cold outside, a good winter book is a great way to cozy up and spend the cold months. We love to read picture books to our students in Grade Four and Five. Older students love picture books and they love to be read to just as much as younger students.

Picture books are a great way to teach specific comprehension skills, show examples of different types of writing, teach poetic devices and show how grammar is used in real-world situations.

Having a great book is just part of the equation. Next, we’ll talk about some of the ways we get kids to read.

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How to Communicate with Parents in a Fast-Paced World

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Are you looking to improve communication between home and school? It is more difficult than ever to reach parents to talk about students. Come learn some of the strategies that help us build strong lines of communication with the families of our students right from the start.

Communicating with parents right from the beginning of the year is critical to smooth sailing for the rest of the year. As they say, “information is power.” When parents are properly informed there will be better parent-teacher communication.

There are many ways to communicate with parents, but before you get started it is helpful to figure out what parents have access to and what form of communication with parents works for them.

You will probably have to use more than one method of parent communication to make sure you reach every family. That does seem daunting, but let us help.

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