The Effects of Hurricane Harvey on Area Students and FREE Natural Disasters Packets

"My family had thirty minutes to pack up and evacuate...we had to swim out...we got rescued by boat...I evacuated with only the clothes I had on...I have no shoes...my parents and I lost our jobs...now there's mold all in my house...there are eight people living in one motel room...I'm having to take care of my brothers and sisters due to my parents working extra long hours to make ends meet...I'm really, really hungry...my computer and books flooded...we don't have a car...every time it rains, I remember that night and think it's going to flood again...I just keep reliving it...I thought I was going to die..." 

Houses Marked for Safety

These are common tales from our adventure with Hurricane Harvey. Students are stressed and worried. Many students lost everything--belongings, cars, homes, jobs, and sense of safety and security, as well. There is not one student who has not been affected by Hurricane Harvey. 

Fall Semester's Syllabus in Pink Backpack Flooded

Lifetime Worth of Memories on the Curb

When the rain began on Friday, we flooded before voluntary evacuations were issued. Therefore, by the time we received the emergency message, it was too late to leave our area. Roads were already impassible. As buckets of water fell from the sky, we kept saying, "It'll end soon...". We never received a mandatory evacuation notice. We thought we would see some flooding, but 52" in less than ten hours was unfathomable! 

Beating the Heat While Standing in Line for Assistance 

In the past three weeks, I have stood in line with many students and families to receive food, housing, water, and monetary assistance. The question being asked is not "Did your house and cars flood?" but "How bad did your house and cars flood?". While some businesses and homes got only a few inches, others, like mine, received 5 plus feet of water and were completely destroyed. 

It's not a normal semester--students are experiencing unusually high levels of stress due to unusual medical conditions, lack of basic personal items and supplies, and loss of cars, clothes, computers, homes, shoes, etc... So many students lost everything! 

This semester compassion, flexibility, and patience are a must! Some students have no books, no study space, no jobs, and no food or money. But, we survived the flood, and we have each other to lean on and learn from. 

Collected Trash Items from Across Dickinson; Cost of Removal: 11+ million

The one positive aspect of Hurricane Harvey is that it has brought our community and its students together! And, we are on the long road to recovery...

Thanks for your prayers, contributions, and support during Hurricane Harvey and our recovery process!
Beth, Educator Helper


I'm honored to be included in Amped Up Learning Marketplace! 

FREE natural disaster lessons:

For FREE full packet click here!

Click here to pick up the full, FREE National Preparedness Month activities! 

Ready for Grandparents' Day? Special Friday Post and Freebies

--NEWS FLASH--

Special Friday Post for Grandparents' Day!

Grandparents Day is September 10--are you ready? Help students celebrate grandparents and caregivers with heartfelt, homemade activities!

Need more Grandparents' Day goodies? 

What's your favorite grandparent story? Celebrate in style by sharing memories of your grandparents with students--don't forget to bring pictures! 

Happy Grandparents' Day!
Educator Helper


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Labor Day Freebies

Labor Day is a "working man's holiday" that began during the Industrial Revolution when people, even children, worked as much as twelve hours per day. Over time, the holiday became synonymous with the start of school and end of summer. 

Many students have no idea what Labor Day stands for, so opening the lines of communication and exploring the true meaning of the holiday can be a learning adventure. 

Start with an on-the-board whole group KWL chart to see what students know, want to know, and learn about Labor Day. 

Help students discuss and reflect on career choices with these Labor Day Coloring Sheets:

Click here for more Labor Day Coloring Sheets.

Relax and enjoy the holiday...

Happy Labor Day!

Hurricane Harvey and Disaster Preparedness

Those of us on the Gulf Coast are inundated with water and winds! Our first week of school has been disrupted, and there's more water on the way...

Hurricane Harvey, Spillway, Bacliff, Texas

How can we help students prepare for natural disasters? How can we help calm students' fears about weather related events?

Being knowledgeable about natural disasters may save lives, and it's never too late to prepare. Use National Preparedness Month to help students learn more about natural disasters and how to save lives:

Be knowledgeable, be prepared, and stay safe during Hurricane Harvey!


Studying hurricanes?

Great Storm of 1900

Surprise! Tuesday TpT Sale Up to 25% Off!

ALL Products at Educator Helper Storefront on Sale!

Surprise! Tuesday TpT Sale Up to 25% Off!

ALL Products on Sale at Educator Helper Storefront!

Journaling in the Classroom

Have you tried and tried again to implement journaling in your classroom? Have you lugged home crates of journals after your day ended? Have you struggled to grade and respond to all those entries? 

There's an easier way!

Journaling should be fun and relaxing... 

How does journaling work in my classroom? 

• Journal the first ten minutes of class time; it sets the tone and gets students ready for class time
• Set the mood--lower the lights, play Gary Lamb's brain music
• Insist on no talking (writing notes to others allowed?) for the full ten minutes of journal time
• Have students either date or number their entries. Skip lines between individual entries (this will make grading much easier and is explained below)
• Model, model, model--for the first time or two, I write my journal on the board where everyone can watch my process. Afterwards, I read my entry every class period. Yes, I may write only one entry per day but read it during each class period. Memories, school events, and current events work great and often have moral points. Debatable topics work well, too.
• Give time for sharing: I've had classes where no one shared then classes where everyone shared, but I always read my entry and ask if anyone would like to share
• Use a prompt or no prompt: my students freewrite with no prompt because that is what they are often asked to do in other classes and this prepares them for future testing. However, a prompt allows you to tie to thematic lessons or discuss specific topics
• Anything goes in my class: memories, poetry, song lyrics, drawings with captions, comic strips, to-do lists--I accept any form of writing. Face it--some days you don't feel like writing a full blown journal entry, and on other days writing is therapy. Set boundaries you are comfortable with 
• Grading is simple: Count the number of days the class journaled; give a 3 point grade range (30-27 = A; 26-23 = B; 22-19 = C; 18-16 = D; 15 - Below = F). Then, call students up and count the total number of entries; do not read the entries. Those who wish to share their work should do so after daily journal time has ended or use your class roll sheet to mark daily those students you observed writing versus not writing
• Use ol' fashioned handwriting with plain paper in paper folders or fancy journals, or use online journals; the process works the same for either 

Make journaling more about students and less about grades by implementing a system that is simple and works well for everyone. 

Remember, journaling should be fun and relaxing!

Read more about it:

Need journal prompts? Click here to access Educator Helper Journal Prompts:

Emotional Intelligence Prompts (Critical Thinking required!)

FREE! Entire Set of Prompts: Writing Prompts 1

Writing Prompts 2

Writing Prompts 3