Summer is not only a time for reading and gardening. It’s a time for professional development. This week, I have been attending a program called Project Archaeology Leadership Academy (PALA). Project Archaeology is a national educational organization that is run in partnership with the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and Montana State University. Educators, museum […]
Instruction & Curriculum
Posted inInstruction & Curriculum
When Your Administrator Doesn’t Like You
Have you ever felt like an administrator just doesn’t like you and that no matter what you do, he/she will determine you’re doing it wrong? What do you do when that happens? Run for the hills? Kill them with kindness? Here are some common sense strategies for dealing with an administrator that simply doesn’t want […]
Posted inHow to Fix Education
The STEM Revolution in Higher Education
I just got back from a fascinating conference about the state of STEM in U.S. schools, sponsored by U.S. News and World Report! I was compelled by the idea of a STEM revolution in higher education; as a middle school teacher, it really didn’t occur to me that colleges would be reacting in a similar […]
Posted inInstruction & Curriculum
Five Books That Will Make Your World Bigger
Someone once said that reading can make your world bigger. Someone also said that reading can be a mirror to your own true self. I projected both of these thoughts on the screen in my classroom recently as a way for my 8th grade ELA students to reflect on the books they read during the […]
Posted inInstruction & Curriculum
Using Furniture to Increase Student Engagement
Furniture in classrooms has stayed relatively the same for years; there is a desk, with a sturdy, upright chair, and maybe a table with chairs- if a teacher happens to be so lucky. However, this standard desk and chair arrangement are not conducive to a productive work environment. Not many careers mandate workers to sit […]
Posted inInstruction & Curriculum
Motivating The Unmotivated Middle School Students
I have been working as an RTI Specialist in my current district for seven years. This means I have helped students who perform below average, or are very close to performing below average (based on Standardized test data) for seven years. Over the course of these seven years, I have noticed a few things about […]
Posted inInstruction & Curriculum
Summer Break: An Antiquated Institution That Needs To Go
Summer break is an American institution. A time when students across the nation leave their intensive classes and venture off to the woods, the pool, the mountains, and the basement. For many students summer break has become synonymous with relaxation, spending time with their family and friends, camp, and heat waves. For educators, summer break […]
Posted inInstruction & Curriculum
The Dilution of Gifted Programs
by Guest Writer: Kelly Ann Guglietti Elementary school gifted programs are being diluted. Our society values those students excelling in math and science to lead our country’s future in biological sciences, environmental sciences, medicine and law to name a few disciplines. But why are school systems being allowed to water down gifted programs due to […]