Lesson Spotlight: 21 Riddles
I have spent 19 years teaching middle school computer design. I retired in 2022, but am not ready to give up as an educator. I decided to dedicate my time to continue learning and creating lessons that integrate technology. Learning and creating were 2 of my favorite aspects of teaching. With that said, I want to continue to make engaging and meaningful digital lessons. As of now, I plan on subbing to stay connected. I can’t imagine not having some type of relationship with students. Nothing can keep an educator more connected than that continual relationship with students. Most of my digital lessons on TpT can easily be used as a sub if all students are equipped with a computer with access to Google Drive and Apps. I will be creating lessons to help me be a better substitute teacher. This particular unit only requires the teacher to have access to a computer and a projector. Every school should provide subs such an opportunity to teach as if they were the teacher for that day. This lesson can be used by guest teachers and teachers alike. If I had this created while I was the computer teacher, I would have used it for a fun activity of learning. As a matter of fact, if I could do it all over again, I would have used such a lesson for Fun Fridays at the end of class. I know my students would have loved that. Get the lesson!
When I subbed in Tennessee and Nevada, I would walk into the classroom and write the number 10 on the board. Students would be asking me why I put the number 10 on the board. I would say, that is the amount of time we will use at the end of class to play games and get prizes. (I did have small treats and prizes) I proceeded to tell them the number will stay at 10 as long as the entire class is productive and on task. However, if students became unruly or off task, the number would be reduced by 1. I told them that if it went into the negative zone, the teacher would have a good idea about how things went in class. For the most part, this was very successful.
I want to be able to go into a classroom and have success. I will have a bag of tricks. Students shouldn’t stop learning because their regular teacher is absent. This is a great way to build relationships with students and positively impact their learning. I will be working on such projects and adding them to my TpT store.
After completing my lessons with your students, I would love your feedback on any of my units. Fill out the survey and I will randomly draw names for another free digital lesson at the end of each month. I encourage any educator who uses my resources to reach out to me if they have issues. I plan on dedicating my time to helping teachers to make their lives easier. I know how hard it is to be a teacher. We have so many hats to fill and teaching is only part of a teacher's job. I think back on my first years of teaching and am amazed how much technology has changed. I have spent a great deal of my free time to become more proficient with tech integration in the classroom. I have continued to modify my lessons to maximize the learning experience of my students. I find it challenging and very exciting. You can see student comments by visiting this link.
