Greetings From Memphis, Tennessee

Unless you've been asleep under a rock, you've no doubt heard about the heinous murder of a young Memphis man in the hands of the police. Tyre Nichols was on his way to his mother's house after photographing sunsets when five policemen pulled him over for "reckless driving"; however, it seems more like a DWB (Driving While Black). See his photo of our Memphis bridge below.

I've read a lot of people state "the only reason the firing and arrests of the policemen happened so quickly is because the officers were Black." NO! I know DA Steve Mulroy and will vouch that the arrests would have happened just as quickly had the officers been white. He is a fair minded and racially sensitive DA. Anyway, I am horrified over the recent events in our city but at least the protests have been peaceful. Furthermore, as I see it, protester demands have been met. RIP Tyre and love to his family and friends.

Want Teacher Resources?

I just opened a new teacher store and am trying to figure my way around it. It even has a purchase button I can put on my blog ... I think. Why don't you push the button and see if it works? 😂😂😂 Buy Now

Teacher Evaluations

Hi y'all! I know it has been ages since I've posted on my blog, but you will be glad to know I am alive, well, and expecting an exciting year ahead. First off, I have twin grandsons due in February. Woo hoo! Also, my youngest daughter is getting married in June. But enough about me.

I remember the anxiety of teacher evaluations. First off, we were often asked if we wanted a preconference for the planned evaluations. Your answer should always be, "YES!" Through these meetings, I went into the evaluation knowing what part of my lesson plan was good and what needed work. The administrator would tell me exactly what I needed to do, and if I did it, God willing, great scores would come.

Pop in evaluations were a little trickier. This horrid invention involves spending weeks to months waiting for the evaluator to walk into your classroom unannounced. As a specialist teacher, I saw many classroom teachers jump then giggle when I opened the door to get my students. One teacher got so nervous during an evaluation she forgot her kids' names. Wow!

Anyway, I taught kids in K - 5 and had multiple lessons prepared for times inwhich the evaluator did not show; however, I had these lesson plans down to a science as to what was expected. Furthermore, I used PowerPoints to prepare for the dreadful days. Having a PowerPoint for an evaluation does wonders to calm the nerves because flipping the page tells you what to do. You don't have to worry about freezing up and forgetting.

So, if you have an evaluation coming around, here are a few lessons made for that purpose. I used the gradual release method, which was at one time called TIMS or any multiple names. It's the basic teaching strategy of modeling, working with whole group, partners and independently. Check these out:

https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Mixed-Numbers-and-Improper-Fractions-PowerPoint-756338 Grades 3 - 4

Grades 1 - 3 https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/ABC-Order-PowerPoint-2812086

Grades 5 - 7 https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Solving-Equations-with-Variables-on-Both-Sides-Multiplying-Fractions-1041352

Grades 3 - 5 https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Show-Dont-Tell-Writing-2807719 If you don't see your grade level or subject matter, do not fret. I have PowerPoints for all elementary grades; however, I've always been reluctant to place a kindergarten lable on my resources because my students were gifted and talented. Click here to find all of my PowerPoint lessons. Thanks to Educlips for the clipart.

Thanks for reading. Joyce Catch My Products