Branching Out Educational Consultants
An interview with Rachel Dean, first-year teacher and former student teacher. What is 1 piece of advice you’d give to someone starting their student teaching? Student teaching is such an exhausting, rewarding, and refining process! Lean into the Lord’s … Continued
Starting a new semester or getting ready on a Sunday night used to bring a lot of anxiety to my heart. It felt like I was plagued by teaching nightmares each night of the week. Fridays and Saturdays allowed for … Continued
Happy January and 2024! As a teacher, it always amazed me how quickly January would arrive. I remember setting up my classroom in the summer thinking, “January is so far away! There’s so much to do between now and then” … Continued
The apostles gathered around Jesus and reported to Him all they had done and taught. Then, because so many people were coming and going that they did not even have a chance to eat, He said to them, “Come with me … Continued
Readers are writers and writers are readers. I love a good idea map and a quality mentor text! As a former writing teacher, idea maps and mentor texts were paramount to my writing instruction. What better way to become … Continued
This summer my family unexpectedly moved from Tucson to Phoenix, and as a result, I found myself having to say goodbye to my work family and community. Four months later, I find myself still grieving this loss and looking for … Continued
Having grown up in Christian education, I am all too familiar with the pros and cons of Biblical integration (applying Biblical truths to academic subjects). Sometimes, it was diagraming a verse in grammar (a con) or it was asking ourselves, … Continued
By the seventh day, God had finished the work He had been doing; so on the seventh day He rested from all His work. Then God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it He rested from … Continued
Learning occurs when children are engaged in collaborative activity about something that deeply interests them…the teacher’s role is to collaborate with the children in their exploration so their knowledge can scaffold (build upon) their understanding. –Lewin-Benham, NAEYC Beyond the Journal, … Continued
Conference season is upon us, and it’s important for all teachers to have had contact with family and students multiple times before conferences, especially positive contact. Building rapport with your classroom families ensures mutual respect and trust. Without a plan, … Continued
