We’ve all heard the old adage, “There’s no “I” in TEAM,” implying that we would do better to work together instead of independently forcing the venture upon one’s self. But, what is the usefulness of working as a team? Would we not be more productive if we held our own, stuck to our guns, stayed in our […]
Mindy Thierolf
I teach English in Kansas.
Posted inFeatured, High School, Literacy
The Communication Crisis: Teacher to Teacher Part II
When it comes to communication, teachers are the experts, but as many workshops as teachers attend out there in the vast world of professional development, many seldom (if ever) help teachers communicate more effectively with each other. It seems to be the one missing link, so to speak, in the ideology of education. So, how do we become […]
Posted inFeatured, High School, Literacy
The Communication Crisis – Teacher to Teacher Part I
Few people would disagree that communication is essential in sharing concepts and ideas, however, effective communication often seems to elude the masses. Many books and motivational speakers have touched on the subject in one way or another, yet properly passing along information and having it received as intended is not an easy task; miscommunication is. So, how could […]
Posted inFrom the Front Lines, High School, Instruction & Curriculum, Literacy, Uncategorized
The Loneliness of the Post College New Teacher
“The weekends are the hardest.” a young, new coworker friend of mine said, “I think I’ll get another dog, it’s too lonely.” I remember reading somewhere that some of the loneliest people in the world are those of the newly graduated college student, and it seemed that my young, coworker friend was no different. It made sense […]
Posted inCurrent Events in Education, High School, Instruction & Curriculum, Instructional Strategies, Literacy, Uncategorized
Teachers Observing Teachers – A Closer Look
“How can we ask ourselves to go observe other teachers in other buildings, when we don’t even observe the teachers in our own building?” This question was recently thrown out by me at a PLC meeting where we were discussing teacher actions that we can take as part of our goal for our Professional Learning Community. When the […]
Posted inFeatured, From the Front Lines, High School, Literacy, Uncategorized
Teacher Professionalism (With a Twist of Occasional Humor)
I once read a quote that said, “People think I’m crazy, but I like to think of myself as normal with a twist of awesome!” Because I have an outgoing, flowery personality, I honestly feel that some people DO think I’m crazy, but the way I look at it is that someday I’ll be six feet under […]
Posted inFeatured, High School, Instruction & Curriculum, Instructional Strategies, Literacy, Middle School
Rainbow it Up! The Color-Coded Essay
As a secondary English teacher, I teach many pieces of academic enrichments within my curriculum, but my main passion tends to fall at the feet of writing. When I began teaching middle school English a handful of years ago, writing was barely a blip on the radar as we had so much pressure to pass a […]
Posted inBook Review, Featured, High School, Literacy, Opinion
The Advantage of Disadvantage – Part II – A Book Review
David and Goliath: Underdogs, Misfits, and the Art of Battling Giants, Malcolm Gladwell Publisher: Brown and Company (October 1, 2013) [fusion_builder_container hundred_percent=”yes” overflow=”visible”][fusion_builder_row][fusion_builder_column type=”1_1″ background_position=”left top” background_color=”” border_size=”” border_color=”” border_style=”solid” spacing=”yes” background_image=”” background_repeat=”no-repeat” padding=”” margin_top=”0px” margin_bottom=”0px” class=”” id=”” animation_type=”” animation_speed=”0.3″ animation_direction=”left” hide_on_mobile=”no” center_content=”no” min_height=”none”] Have you ever wondered what makes a person successful? Does […]