Wow, a lot has changed since I last posted on this site. I had high hopes to turn this into an active blog but life kind of got in the way of things. I’ve kept things online (with the help of some free hosting from my friends at JL Media in Peterborough) with the hopes of getting back into the blog. I’m just not too sure when that time will be.

As a mother and a teacher, this time of year is pretty crazy to say the least. Now that we’re a week or so in, I am sure most parents and teachers alike have settled in a little bit, but it still might take a bit more time. Since my blog is primarily focused on teaching in the Ottawa area, I wanted to share links to a couple of resources that I came across recently.

The first is the back to school section on the Ottawa Sun website. They recently posted a bunch of articles about getting prepared for school which are especially helpful for those parents in Ottawa who’s little toddlers are making their way into Kindergarden.

And secondly, the Ottawa police posted a neat information page that has some great tips on school and school bus safety as well as other topics such as bullying.

At any rate, I hope you’re September is off to a good start and that you are able to get into a good routine as soon as possible.

My first real post here is going to talk about my #1 top tip for dealing with unruly students. This would focus mainly on grades 4 to 8 as tactics from this age group are going to be much different than you would use for younger students. I’ve had more experience with these age groups, so I will stick with them.

First off, dealing with unruly students is one of the hardest things a teacher can do. I know a number of Ottawa teachers who simply couldn’t take it any more and left their careers because of the stress.

Two important things NOT to do:

• Never raise your voice or use foul language
• Don’t punish the entire class for one student’s misbehavior

My top tip on this matter:

Analyze the situation and simply talk honestly with the student or students about what is going on. Tell them person to person why what they are doing is wrong and how it effects you and the rest of the class. It sounds that simple because it is… Try to talk it out. And if the student or the group are unresponsive and you find talking to them doesn’t work, then don’t let them bring the entire mood of the class down. Simply excuse them to the Principal and go from there.

I’m Carol and this is my brand new blog about teaching and education.  I am a teacher living in Ottawa, Ontario and teaching with the Ottawa Carleton District School Board. The 2013/2014 school year marks my 17th year as a teacher here in Ottawa and I have loved every minute of it. I’ve taught a number of grades from Grade 3 all the way to Grade 8. My favorite subjects to teach have to be science and physical education (who doesn’t like to get out and have some fun every once in a while?!).

I think I’ve learened a lot in my 17 years of teaching so I wanted to put some of my thoughts and experiences online to share with other teachers in Ottawa and across Canada. I am going to try my best to keep teaching politics and topics of that nature off this site as I don’t want to turn this place into a soapbox for myself or a debate on issues that are already discussed to death.

A little bit about my personal life now…

I have been married to my wonderful husband Jeff for 18 years this Valentine’s Day and we have two wonderful Children. Jeff is a real estate agent here in Ottawa and has been in this business for as long as I have been a teacher. If you are looking for new homes for sale in Ottawa or are looking to put your home up for sale, check out his site where you can search for homes. (shameless plug, I know… but he really is a great real estate agent!)

That’s about it for now. But Merry Christmas to you all and I will be back by the end of the week on my first topic about tips on how to deal with unruly students