Category: Teacher Help

Teacher help: We all need a little help from time to time. Maybe it’s reminders of strategies or concepts you already knew. Maybe you’ve tried everything with a student you can think of and now you are looking for new ideas or a different perspective. Maybe you are simply feeling stressed or reaching burnout, and are looking for an empathetic ear. Here is a supportive network to help make teaching a more sustainable career.

Sunday Blues Blog Grumble Services Blog elementary Montessori materials and learning resources
August 10, 2021

August Blues

August blues: A teacher friend once explained to me that she views summer vacation much like a teacher’s weekend. The second half of June, when we finally arrive to summer, is like arriving to a Friday night. Time to finally relax and look forward to some decent rest. July is similar to a fun-filled Saturday. It’s time to partay! 

And then, August sneaks up on you, just like a Sunday. As each August day ticks by, it does so in the same manner each hour ticks by on a dreadful Sunday. I have come to know this as the “August blues.”
Generation Xer Blog - Grumble Services elementary Montessori materials & learning resources Follow the Child Dr. Montessori
June 29, 2021

Generation X

A song by the band Bush is playing. Not my personal favorite but it leads me back to the bands that paved the way before them: Nirvana, Smashing Pumpkins, Alice in Chains, Breeders, Pearl Jam.

The cooks start discussing grunge and Generation Xers. “I’m not a Gen Xer, I think I am a millennial.” He is briefly interrupted, “I thought they were called generation Y?” The first speaker continues, “I read somewhere that you are considered a Generation Xer if you can remember where you were during the Space Shuttle Challenger explosion. I can’t.”

I can. And that day was a wakeup call.
Summer Learning Bad News Bears - Montessori Blog - Grumble Services Learning Resources Blog Post
June 15, 2021

Summer Learning

Summer Learning: Ever notice kids tend to misuse the word bored?

As a teacher, it can be frustrating to hear this word from one of our students. In my Montessori classroom, I give the children a beautifully prepared environment. I try to keep all the materials on the shelves as relevant and as appealing as I can.

Then it happens.

One day, about midmorning, a student will come sit next to me. We look at each other without saying much. I might ask them, “how is your morning going?” They share, “I’m bored.”
Summer Slide Part One - Montessori Blog - Grumble Services Learning Resources Blog Post
June 8, 2021

Summer Slide

Summer Learning Loss – Fact or Fiction? Most of us have heard of the so-called summer learning loss, sometimes referred to as the ‘summer slide.’ Back in the early 1980s, researchers came to the conclusion that students’ achievement scores declined over the summer months. To this day, it remains the go-to industry standard.

Fast forward to now. We definitely continue to hear proponents endorsing the idea of an increasing learning gap and harping on its message. However, researchers are now questioning the validity of a research project occurring so many years ago.
Too Much Testing Homework Part Two - Montessori Blog - Grumble Services Learning Resources Blog Post
June 1, 2021

Homework Part Two

Last week we began exploring how homework can sometimes benefit students. But, under the wrong set of circumstances, it can sometimes hurt students too.

What the research shows us is the correlation between homework and performance is stronger for older students—in seventh through 12th grade—than for those in younger grades.

I limit the amount of homework I assign to my students. When I do assign homework, I hope to get the most “bang for the buck.” I try to focus on the areas that seem to count most: Reading & vocabulary, mathematical reasoning skills and practical life activities.
Homework - Montessori Blog - Grumble Services Learning Resources Blog Post
May 25, 2021

Homework Part One

The controversial topic of homework. As a teacher, there seems to always be an end of the year push to quicken learning over the few remaining days. This is especially true during this weird, broken one. We believe, for whatever reason, many students have seemingly fallen behind. There must be a way, we think, to catch them up during these last few weeks?

It can be tempting to turn to homework. On the surface, using homework to pick up the slack seems advantageous. But, it may be less effective of a strategy than most of us think.