Category Archives: Classroom Management

Creating a School Culture That Celebrates Our Faith

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Written by Dr. Susan Decker

It’s the beginning of another school year, and as the students settle into their new routines, I find myself thinking about how much academic and emotional growth they will experience over the year. But what about their spiritual growth as children of God? A student’s walk of faith is the most important part of life’s journey, yet you won’t find a question about their spiritual growth in between the multiple choice and short-answer questions on an exam.

How can we foster a love for God’s Word in our school culture? How can we help our students develop an authentic, personal connection with their faith that goes beyond memorization of Bible verses and regurgitating the expected catechism answers? Continue reading →

Trauma: What You Need to Know as an Educator

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Written by Alysa Balfour

My personal understanding of trauma and how it manifests itself dramatically changed in 2016 when my husband and I became foster parents. While I knew the extensive trauma my sons had endured, their teachers, our family and friends, and other acquaintances did not. It was heartbreaking to see my son reduced to a label of troublemaker when he was in fact a little boy who had experienced devastating trauma. Unless you have training or a personal experience with trauma, it may be tempting to label students rather than seeking to understand their actions.

We must redefine our understanding of trauma.
Many misunderstand trauma. We picture car accidents, explosive acts of violence, war-torn areas, or other disasters on a personal or large scale. While these are all traumatic experiences, trauma more likely will be experienced in a way that is almost imperceptible to someone viewing the situation from the outside. Emotional, physical, and sexual abuses, extreme poverty, neglect, food scarcity, and toxic household situations are all ways that students in our schools may be experiencing trauma. Continue reading →

Hitting Reset on Classroom Management

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Written by Professor Benjamin Clemons

The past year and a half has brought countless changes to education. We have had to reformulate and reexamine all aspects of teaching, including classroom management. As we, Lord willing, begin to transition back to “normal” face-to-face instruction, we have a golden opportunity to restart better by evaluating the routines and procedures that constitute much of the school day.

We will essentially be reteaching how to go to school. Do we want to return to what we were doing before, or is this an opportunity to rethink how we manage our classrooms? Continue reading →

Digital Strategies for the Multi-Grade Classroom

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Written by Alan Uher

Stressing over distance learning? Is the imminence of a pivot to distance learning getting you down? Struggling with meeting the needs of students who are not present while others are? A team of MLC educators presented ideas for online learning in June 2020 to encourage WELS teachers to embrace distance learning, unmask its blessings, and utilize existing technology resources to serve students who cannot be in our classrooms.

Having had the privilege of visiting nearly 100 MLC teacher candidates in over five dozen WELS elementary classrooms, I have gleaned ideas and current web resources, teaching tools, and assessment strategies that may assist you in delivering quality instruction in less-than-quality circumstances. Continue reading →

Quarantine Kids

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Written by Jason Schmidt

Coronavirus is here to stay, and we now need to move past crisis education and into utilizing our available resources to meet our students’ needs. Utilizing technology appropriately in a classroom is no longer optional since it has become an essential tool for connecting students with their classrooms—especially when students are in quarantine or isolation for days at a time.

Video conferencing tools like Google Meet and Zoom have been used to help give students an opportunity to participate in class even though they may be in isolation or quarantine. The following tips will help teachers make this experience beneficial for students both in school and out of school. Continue reading →

Concussions: How’s Your School Culture?

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Written by Joanna Chartrand

This post is a follow-up to the article Confused About Concussions? written by Joanna Chartrand.

In April of 2010, the University of Pennsylvania campus was rocked with the news that Owen Thomas, a popular junior and lineman on the football team, had committed suicide. A seemingly well-adjusted, driven, and successful student suffered what was described as “a sudden and uncharacteristic emotional collapse” (Schwarz, 2010).

Autopsy results revealed he was suffering from early stages of chronic traumatic encephalopathy, or C.T.E., a form of brain neurodegeneration linked to diminishing cognitive function, depression, and suicidal behavior, among other behavioral dysfunctions (Institute of Medicine and National Research Council [IOM and NRC], 2014). Continue reading →

Tips to Avoid Zoom Bombing

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Written by Jason Schmidt

Zoom video conferencing is an amazing free tool teachers can use to connect with their students. Just like anything, though, we’re finding out that something that should be really positive is making negative headlines.

It’s all over the news. Random people are dropping in on classroom meetings over Zoom and causing all sorts of disruption. They hijack the presenter’s screen to share inappropriate or disturbing content. They fill the chat room with all kinds of garbage and disrupt class audibly. “Zoom bombing,” as it’s known, is becoming a favorite pastime of many internet trolls and bored teenagers. Whole communities have popped up, sharing information on how to continue this practice.

While this new pastime is annoying, disruptive, and potentially harmful, you can take some actions to secure your classrooms. Continue reading →

Things I’ve Learned About Teaching Online

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The perspective of a current online grade 7-8 Algebra 1 teacher and former high school math teacher

Written by Emily Grunwald

The coronavirus has created new challenges for teachers and students. With little time and training, teachers are moving lessons online. I’ve been teaching math online for the Association of Lutheran High Schools Online (ALHSO) program for several years. Here are some things I’ve learned. Continue reading →

Confused About Concussions?

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Written by Joanna Chartrand

Concussions. Have you experienced one? Maybe it was yours, and you remember the pain, nausea, or disorientation you felt. Maybe it was a student you were coaching, and you remember the weird way he was acting, or that stale blank look on her face. It’s a scary situation, isn’t it?

I’ll never forget mine—except that I did. About 20 minutes’ worth was just black. When I came to, another 10 minutes passed before I could remember what day it was, what time of year, even my own name. That’s scary. Continue reading →

My Biggest Classroom Challenge: Student Emotion Regulation

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by Andrea Van Sice

“Before we can teach content, we need to ensure that our students are available for learning” (Lipsett, 2011).

When I began teaching in an urban setting, I knew there would be challenges. However, I never foresaw that my students’ ability to regulate their emotions would be our classroom’s biggest challenge.

You may be able to think of a student you have had in the past who had trouble with anger, anxiety, or outbursts—these are some internalizing and externalizing behaviors that show an imbalance in emotion regulation. A child’s ability to regulate their emotions is essential for their academic, behavioral, and social development.

After teaching a class of students who struggled with emotion regulation, I wanted to research and find what a teacher can do to support these students so they are better prepared to learn. Continue reading →