You are here

Home » Explore » The Rossman Blog

The Rossman BlogSubscribe to Rosman School Blog

Building Number Sense and Reasoning in Math

January 19, 2021

I (Jamie) still remember the day I walked into a coworker’s classroom and proudly showed him a poster I had made for my fourth graders who were struggling with long division. On the large sheet of paper, I had written a catchy mnemonic device and carefully drawn a related picture to spell out the steps to follow when solving a division problem. As a third-year teacher, I thought it was not only “Pinterest-worthy,” but also a flawless way to get my students to follow the process of long division. I was a bit taken aback when my coworker was much less enthusiastic about my poster. Instead,...Read more

Creating Combats Stress and Anxiety

January 4, 2021

I remember meeting with Mrs. Zurlinden before spring break in March of 2020. We had discussed the very real possibility of moving to remote learning after the break, and I wondered what that scenario could possibly look like for art. How could I teach art remotely? Mrs. Z told me one thing I’ll never forget, “Your job is to bring joy to the kids.”

Bringing Joy...Read more

Movement, Wellness and Personal Fitness in Cold Weather

December 11, 2020

Watching Junior Kindergarten run and play during free time in P.E. is one of my favorite moments. The furthest thing from their minds is personal fitness. They are just enjoying themselves. Through their creative movement, they exercise almost every muscle in their body. Every class has exciting and active free time prior to class actually beginning.

During the warm months it is easy for anyone to “just go outside and play,” or if you’re an adult, to do some gardening or lawn work or walk the dog to get active. But what do you do when the weather turns cold and nasty?

I say,...Read more

Why do we take ERBs, and what do they tell us?

November 30, 2020

Many of our faculty have administered the ERB quite a few times over their years at Rossman. They have gotten to know the detailed set of directions read before each testing section quite well. These typically conclude by saying that we cannot answer questions about the test during testing and encourage students to ask any questions before starting. This year, one student quietly raised a hand and asked his teacher, “I do have a question. Why do we take this test?” Thankfully, our Rossman faculty understand the importance of answering that question. Ever wondered this yourself? Below I...Read more

The Power of Enthusiasm in Fifth Grade

November 16, 2020

While conducting a literature review on teacher enthusiasm during my graduate studies, I discovered that there are numerous positive effects on students when educators are enthusiastic about teaching and passionate about their content areas. The literature review consistently revealed greater amounts of intrinsic motivation and self-efficacy among students when high levels of teacher enthusiasm were present. 

Joining the fifth grade teaching team at Rossman this year has only increased my awareness of the positive effects that teacher enthusiasm can have on student outcomes. For Mr...Read more

Pages

Back to top