School-wide

Our 2022 Teacher of the Year, Sarah Salazar, had so many great ideas and uses for MI Write that we couldn't fit them all into one blog post. So here are the rest of her excellent tips and advice for making MI Write work for you!

It's a Hard Time to Be a Student
It's a fact that the Covid-19 pandemic has had a substantial impact on students over the last 18 months.  

"In your own words" 
"Cite your sources" 
"No, you can't just copy and paste that entire website as your essay." 

Things teachers say quite frequently when giving writing assignments. Well, hopefully not the last one, but we all know there are students who will try. 

Your digital toolbox may be overflowing with all sorts of apps, websites, and programs that you added in the last year due to virtual learning. How many of those are you still using? How many are still proving to be effective? You can count them.  

Go ahead. I'll wait. 

Reports are the key to tracking student growth and knowing how to best use them is essential for every teacher. As MI Write teachers, you have access to a number of useful reports within your account. We’ve summarized each category for you, including what to expect and how to use them. All of the reports are displayed in table form and accompanied by a graph to illustrate the data in a visual manner.

The responsibility for writing instruction shouldn’t all fall on the shoulders of English teachers. Writing can happen, taught, and improved in any subject area! Studies have shown that writing in any content deepens students’ comprehension and confidence in the subject. 

Consistent instruction in any content area can be difficult to find in many schools, especially those which do not emphasize vertical planning across grade levels. Writing is in an even more precarious position in schools, districts, and states that put more focus and effort into the tested subjects. However, we know that writing across the curriculum can support and strengthen student comprehension in whatever the subject about which they are writing. 

The air is crisp. The weather is cold. There may be snow dusting your windows. Thanksgiving leftovers are all gone. Christmas music is playing in all department stores. Your students are getting antsy, thinking about their upcoming break and holiday travel plans. With all this excitement around you, how do you keep your cool in your classroom? Here’s some advice gathered from teachers across the country.

Open House. Back-to-School Night. Meet the Teacher Night. Whatever you call it, it’s not just about meeting your students and their parents. This is your opportunity to make the best first impression. Even if you already know these students from other classes, in the hallway, clubs and other activities, or seeing them in the cafeteria, this is your chance to meet them as their future teacher. This is a new interaction for them, and it’s important that they see you in this new role.

I had the pleasure of meeting Sharon Sullivan at her school, Wells Elementary School, in Wilson, NC, to talk to her about how she uses the popular educational grant-funding website, DonorsChoose.org, to meet the needs of her students. Ms. Sullivan taught for 11 years at an elementary school in Durham and has been in Wilson for the last two years. She is currently teaching 5th English Language Arts and Social Studies.