“Mrs. Warren, I love you!” Andrew (one of my students) yelled as I gave him a high five after connecting the events to the story in A Lesson Before Dying and the trial of Troy Davis. The other kids laughed at his outburst, but we kept moving so that we could finish the discussion and […]
Franchesca Warren
For fifteen years Franchesca taught English/Language Arts in two urban districts in Atlanta, Georgia, and Memphis, Tennessee. Increasingly frustrated with decisions being made about public education from people who were not in the classroom, in 2012 she decided to start a blog about what it was really like to teach in public schools. In the last four years, The Educator's Room has grown to become the premiere source for resources, tools, and strategies for all things teaching and learning. To learn more about Franchesca Warren's work, please visit www.franchescalanewarren.com.
Posted inCurrent Events in Education, Instructional Strategies
Teaching Writing to Struggling Students
The first year that I was in the classroom I was surprised when I assigned a writing task on the play, “The Crucible” that many of the kids were excited to express their feelings about the antagonist, Abigail and protagonist, John. For an entire class period we walked through the writing assignment and discussed possible ways […]
Posted inCurrent Events in Education, Featured, Middle School, Social Justice, Uncategorized
NPR Blogger Accidentally Exposes an Underlining Issue in Education 'Reform'
This morning I opened my Twitter account to catch up on all of the education news across the country when in the middle of my computer screen I saw this tweet from NPR’s Lead Education Blogger, Anya Kamenetz. The first time I read it, I thought I had misread it, but after looking at all […]
Posted inHigh School, Principals' Corner, Uncategorized
In Order to Change a School a Transformational Leader is a Must
Imagine this scenario. You walk into a school building as a new principal of the building. It’s the third week of July and you have exactly two weeks to get the school ready. As you go to your office you are greeted my smiling faces. You feel great. As you get settled into your new […]
Posted inFrom the Front Lines, Uncategorized
4 Ways to Avoid Teacher Burnout
It’s in the air- summer time entertainment, cook-outs, family trips, long days playing in the yard well after the sun has went down and the best part of summer- school being out. During the last 8 weeks of school this is traditionally the time were teacher burnout is alive and kicking. We not only feel […]
Posted inCurrent Events in Education, Featured, From the Front Lines, Middle School
Teaching "At Risk" Children: Advanced Placement Classes Saved My Life
I can remember sitting in my Advanced Placement (commonly referred to as AP) classes throughout high school and counting on one hand how many girls who looked like me were in the class. Sometimes there would be one or two, but more than likely it was just me and just maybe one more girl in […]
Posted inEducational Apps, Uncategorized
4 Ways to Use Twitter to Connect at Educational Conferences
Until three years ago I knew nothing about Twitter. I kept hearing about it from my students. I reluctantly signed up for a Twitter according to the directions and for months it sat there. That was until one night after watching a rerun from my favorite Scandal episode and I just wanted to find out […]