My philosophy in teaching, and in life, is to leave things better than you found them. Each person is placed here for a purpose and a reason. As an educator, it is my role to foster the strengths within each student and help them reach their potential. This task, while difficult, is possible through small […]
Instruction & Curriculum
Posted inFormative Assessments, Instruction & Curriculum, Instructional Strategies
Through Their Eyes: Gathering Information with Formative Assessment
There is a game called Petals Around the Rose. The object of the game is to figure out the rules of the game. The rules of the game are reflected in the title. I played this game in a class composed of masters level engineer students and classroom teachers. It was interesting to observe the […]
Posted inFeatured, Instruction & Curriculum, Literacy
Remembering to Find the Good: Meaningful Feedback for Students
We English teachers read hundreds, if not thousands, of papers a year. And, let’s be honest, quite a few of them make us cringe. We see lack of parallel structure, run-ons, awkward phrasing, and semicolon attempts gone horribly awry. We see weak theses, unrelated details, and missing conclusions. We want to scream, “Did she even […]
Posted inAsk a Teacher, Common Core, Instruction & Curriculum, Mathematics
Be Interactive: Twelve Tremendously Helpful Math Resources
When you’re teaching any subject, it’s good to have a few tricks in your teaching hat to get your students engaged in learning. When you’re looking for interactive resources, it’s time-consuming work. What if all of your resources were located in the same place? Well, I’m here to provide you with an index of really […]
Posted inInstruction & Curriculum, Middle School, Opinion, School Improvement
Why July is the BEST MONTH to be a Teacher (It’s Not What You Think!)
Oh July! How I love thee! The previous school year is in the rear-view mirror and thankfully getting smaller by the day. The next school year feels far off and gleefully removed; after all, a school year only becomes real when it has long enough tentacles to plant the birth pangs of stress in my […]
Posted inFeatured, Instruction & Curriculum
Summer Reading Challenge, Read More Than Books
Change that paradigm!  Reading should not be books alone. Summer reading time is my true professional development, experimenting with genres and digital literacy tools set aside during the busier terms of the year. I organize my reading hours similar to the organization of my running workouts. Workouts are separated into distance, easy, tempo, interval, and races while reading is […]
Posted inESOL, From the Front Lines, Instruction & Curriculum, Professional Development, Uncategorized
Advice For ESOL Teachers: Professional Development with "Speaking In Tongues"
The 2009 documentary Speaking In Tongues is a fascinating look at three bilingual programs in the San Francisco area school system. The film itself depicts the effects of learning and losing language for a variety of families over several generations. Although the film is six years old, the issues it raises are definitely still […]
Posted inCurrent Events in Education, From the Front Lines, High School, Instruction & Curriculum, Instructional Strategies, Literacy, Middle School, Uncategorized
15 Summer Reads for Teachers
Ah, summer. The days are long and the possibilities endless. It’s the perfect time to recuperate from a long school year, and look forward to the possibilities and opportunities the new year will afford. It’s also time to relax a little. And what better way to relax than with a great book? I’ve compiled a […]