The law is changing for the college administrator; under the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA), the institution must provide overtime compensation for some administrators (based on annual salary). Since my salary is below the benchmark, I will be compensated for any work over 40 hours a week. During a staff meeting, my director asked us […]
Laina Porter
I am from Libertyville, Illinois (suburb of Chicago). I attended Truman State University to study English, Psychology, and Education. Since 2011, I have taught in Missouri: Southeast Missouri and St. Louis Suburbs. In 2016, I accepted a position with Truman State University (building administrator). In my free time, I enjoy writing, reading, and spending time with my family.
Small Things to Create a Great Community
At the end of last school year, after I informed my students that I would be leaving the district, they showered me with gratitude. They wrote notes; they gave speeches; they made a scrapbook; they spent money on gifts; they arranged parties with food; they collaborated with teachers and counselors to surprise me with a […]
Encouraging Conversation About Teen Suicide
We’re just a few weeks into the new school year, and already communities are mourning the tragic deaths of students by suicide. From the public outcry of Daniel Fitzpatrick’s parents to the private grief of classmates, teen suicide plagues the school community. How do we talk to our students about the devastating realities of depression […]
A Teacher’s Gratitude… for Her Teachers
Tomorrow is my 23rd first day of school. Unlike the past five years, I will not be in front of the classroom; instead, I will be behind the scenes as a building administrator at a university. Even though the setting has changed, the feelings remain the same. The night before the first day of school […]
Embracing Questions: Why I Chose Inquiry Based Learning
Last fall, my principal kept preaching about Problem-Based Learning (PBL) and how the entire faculty should be changing our curriculum to fit this philosophy. Ineffectively for me, all of her examples were math and science related. Scouring the web didn’t inspire me either. My colleagues and I could not picture a way to completely rewrite […]
To Confront or To Not Confront? Preparing for a Difficult Conversation with a Co-teacher
“That’s not what we usually do.” “Well, if it was me, I’d…” “In so-and-so’s class, we’re…” “I think of it this way…” “You’re a young teacher…” Some of these conversation starters can lead to effective dialogues and lesson enhancements. However, when your co-teacher is saying these things out loud during class in front of twenty […]
Reading Outside of the Canon: Jodi Picoult’s Nineteen Minutes
Why this novel? At the end of the year, I ask my students to write advice and words of encouragement for next year’s class. I present their wisdom during my first-day-of-school presentation. For my juniors (both honors and regular), this phrase (or something similar) is the most common: Read Nineteen Minutes. Out of all of […]
Don’t Forget Us: A Letter to Principals
I have taught under four principals in my short career, and unfortunately, none of them has inspired me to be a better educator. Tragically, all but one have contributed to my loss of faith in our current education system. When I pursued this career, I imagined my administrators to be like the Hall Directors at […]