TEACHER CREATED TIPS

Here on our TCR blog, we tell you about our products and how to implement them. We also share our personal experiences in the classroom, and some of the goings on at our company. Today, we are going to show you what we’re all about!

We are located in sunny Southern California, where it rains about six days a year. That’s how we always manage to have sunny dispositions!

One of the first things that will greet you as you walk in the front door is TC Bear, our mascot. He dresses up for each holiday, and always looks very dapper.

He will keep you company while you wait, which is never very long. Also there to welcome you is Susan, one of our receptionists who is ready to assist you in whatever you need. All the phone arteries run through her, and we are so thankful for her help!

Another smiling face you will see is Mary Smith, the owner of TCR. She is always out and about, encouraging us and expressing her excitement for all the new projects in the works.

Mary loves the holidays, and plans wonderfully-themed parties. (My favorite is the Halloween lunch and costume parade.) Mary’s excitement for life and genuine love of her job are contagious!

Tal, our Human Resources guru, is always up to something. He plans sneak attacks with his camera throughout the year to pay tribute to special events happening at the company. He then puts together a year-end slide show to embarrass commemorate us at the holiday party.

Even though he looks like he’s frowning here, he is just concentrating on trying to capture me on camera. He always has a smile on his face!

Now that’s more like it!

One thing that surprised me when I first started working here was just how BIG our warehouses are. (Yes, we have two!) Here is Daniel moving a pallet of new products to store here until we ship them out to you.

Just two of our many warehouse staff are Sabrina and Lisa. They work tirelessly each day to ensure that you receive our products as soon as possible.

Thanks for coming along on the tour! Next time, I’ll post about some of the other staff members in our crew. You’ll get to “meet” members of our product department, as well as some of the people in customer service; you may have even personally talked with one of them!

I grew up at just the right time and in just the right place to get an early education in the excitement of the Olympic Games. In 1984, the Summer Games took place in Los Angeles; and, in part due to the Eastern Bloc boycott, that was a good year to root for the red, white, and blue. The United States ended up earning an Olympic-record 83 gold medals that year, which was more than the next five most-decorated countries combined. Each day during the Games, my whole family and most of my friends tuned in to our TV sets to watch these feel-good stories unfold. The places—Dodger Stadium, Pauley Pavilion, the Rose Bowl—were familiar; the faces—Mary Lou Retton, Carl Lewis, Greg Louganis—were new and inspiring. While a patriotic pride seemed to sweep over the country, a civic pride also developed. All eyes were on L.A., and there was a lot worth seeing.

It is now 26 years later, and another city is getting ready for its time in the spotlight. For those with close ties to Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, the 2010 Olympic Winter Games will serve as an opportunity to strengthen their connection to the city. For those of us who have never lived near—or even visited—the region, the Games will offer a glimpse of a place that often ranks near the top of the “Most Livable City in the World” lists. During the past year, I have had the privilege of getting that glimpse in my role as editor for Teacher Created Resources. Our Journey to Vancouver books help to immerse students and educators—and editors, too!—in the global event that is the Olympic Games. No other happening produces this organically a blend of culture, competition, fraternity, inspiration, and achievement. It promises to be two weeks of teachable moments, and it all begins on February 12.

How do you make kids think? Really it is a question we need to ask ourselves as educators. How often did I hear myself say to my students “You need to think that over before you answer,” or “Think before you begin writing”? The thing about thinking is that you really can’t watch it happening. Yes, we do have lots of research that explains how it’s happening, but we don’t have machines in our classrooms that show just what kids are thinking about. I know sometimes I would watch a furrowed brow or someone tapping a pencil and “think” they were thinking about the classroom task at hand. Then I’d read the answer that was written or listen to a response and realize that, while thinking may have taken place, it wasn’t really about the subject. But then how many times have you slipped away on a short break in your brain when you should be paying attention to what is being talked about?

Therefore what students put on paper or talk about becomes really important because we can see what they have been thinking about. We can keep their brains activated by giving them engaging work to do. There are so many ways to present the same lessons. It might be something oral or visual. Perhaps you read to them or they watch a short video clip. Pencil and paper activities work well, too, especially if they are designed to get students involved. For a great example of this, look at TCR’s Puzzles and Games that Make Kids Think! series.

What about higher-level thinking? If you take a look at Bloom’s taxonomy, you can see how thinking can be somewhat framed by the types of questions you ask. It was one of my favorite things to do when I would change up the type of questions. As I moved upward in the taxonomy, I realized which kids were still with me and which were on a “thinking vacation.” Sometimes I would realize that no one was thinking about the assignment, and I’d need to start all over again. While not fun, it sure was a reality. I might just change tactics like start at the end of the story and talk about it and how the author got us there. It would make kids “think” differently and get them back on task.

All teachers have to “make kids think.” What do you do to help your students?

Happy New Year! In our new catalog, you’ll find several new, innovative products for teaching. We hope you’ll give them a try and then help us settle some friendly disputes going on in our editorial department.

The editors who developed Interactive Game Wizard are sure that product is the best of the bunch. After all, they say, teachers can use it to create interactive lessons on everything from consonant sounds to life cycles!

Other editors are convinced that teachers will be even more appreciative of the help provided in books on “new” topics. They are voting for Internet Literacy and Using Graphic Novels in the Classroom.

The editor who really would prefer to be the next great American novelist is convinced that the Using a Writer’s Notebook books are the best resources ever developed to foster a love of writing.

Editors who have close ties to classroom teachers assure us that Differentiated Lessons and Assessments for both Science and Social Studies are going to be the new favorites of teachers.

It looks like we’re going to need your help to settle this. Would you please post your reviews of these new products here? Besides settling things among our editors, you’ll also help your fellow teachers decide which products will be most helpful to them!

Thanks in advance for your help!
T.C. Bear

Note: If you haven’t received our catalog in the mail yet, you can find these new products in our virtual catalog.