Jessica H Barber

My Donor’s Choose project on the National Parks is about to expire- can you donate or share? Help me give my students reference books, stickers, and maps to discover America's National Parks! donorschoose.org/project/explor…

This is one of the hardest but also one of the most important warnings from the history of Auschwitz coming for us today. Perpetrators were in fact people who accepted and followed an ideology that made them believe that they were better than others, an ideology that rationalized and promoted hatred & evil. This became part of their everyday lives and their environment. They were not monsters. They were people: fathers and mothers, husbands and wives, sons and daughters. They had their family joys and problems, their favorite desserts or songs, hobbies or fears. They were people like us. But they also perpetrated horrible things, monstrous things on behalf of the ideology they believed in. Dehumanization of all "others" was a tool that helped them achieve their goal. The perpetrators thought of themselves as moral people. And this is the scary part of this history. We cannot dehumanize them, as their story and choices are our human warning.

@staralixstar42 Thursday for me- but our biggest group to test is always K, and they were tested with paper and pencil. I also have to finish WIDA screener training…

@staralixstar42 I feel like the first season is the darkest…but then it gets lighter. Or more ridiculous in a funny way? I don’t know if that helps your decision or not.

@staralixstar42 Yep. Same here.

The best teachers In elementary do read alouds. 30 mins after lunch and recess where the kids sit quietly and calmly and listen to a really knowledge and vocab rich book, usually one in the “elementary cannon” (😆) like Mixed Up Files of Mrs Basil etc. It is CRAZY how differently this can look in each classroom and how it can be useless if behavior isn’t managed. Kids hang on every word and learn so much (writing, vocab, geography, cultural mores, how to get the most out of readings and theater, what prosody looks like) if it’s done right. Kids learn that reading is boring and you can tune out and do whatever you want and that being good listeners is “uncool” and “not my thing” if it’s not done right. PS: Parents: You will never know what your kid is getting. Schools and their leaders by and large ignore this.

@staralixstar42 We will be scarred for years because of this. My almost empty file cabinet will be once again filled up.

@staralixstar42 Peanut butter and pickle sandwiches on white bread are a really good sandwich combo.

@aslan_magic Can you close your door and ignore? If not, is your admin swayed by research? I will sometimes arm myself heavily with research when going against ‘the textbook’. I’m so sorry- independent reading is the best and most important part of the day!

So… a lot is being said at my school that there’s no time during school day for kids to do indep reading. Only at home (w reading log!). I’m appalled. Admin only wants our reading program used (HMH). I can’t fathom “no reading in school only from your textbook” What do I say?

@staralixstar42 @AlexDanvers2017 I feel like it must- we can teach, take attendance, do all the basics without tech. To close the whole district seems extreme.

This is what I used to tell my first graders. Wild dog on playground. Let’s play inside today.

@staralixstar42 Yes! Same! Family here. One para on leave, one about to be hired somewhere else but can’t start officially looking until HR does their magic…and I’m teaching .5 this year.

I have two copies of The Art and Science of Teaching Primary Reading to give away. Simply **retweet this tweet** for your chance to win one of them. I'll pick two winners this Sunday (01/09/24).

@HeatherL114 I love the crimping!

@MerriamWebster Waft.

What is a word you absolutely hate??

@staralixstar42 @Bjmselma That is what my job morphed into for next year- AM will be teaching 3rd grade literacy and PM will be coaching/MLL work. A lot of the coaching will come into play with our classroom being a “lab” classroom- heavy focus on GLAD and MLL strategies, with an open door policy.

This half term, I have two copies of my first book to **give away**. I will pick two winners this Sunday 2nd June. All you have to do is **retweet this tweet** to be in the draw.

My favorite thing about living in the PNW is the absolute mania everyone gets over the first sunny and relatively warm day of the year. No other high in life could compare #wawx

@staralixstar42 The elementary kids use it as a fidget. On/mute/on/mute 🙄

Three year old daughter has acquired my work lanyard and is now strutting around the house with it around her neck declaring ‘I’m so so so soooo important’ in extremely pompous voice. Most devastating critique I’ve endured in years