As teachers, we instinctively look for those teachable moments in the classroom. You know them – those moments when suddenly space and time open up to reveal an opportunity to take what is at hand and turn it into a way to delve more deeply into whatever subject we are teaching. Exercising this habit outside […]
Cari Zall
Cari Zall has been a Social Sciences educator for over 12 years, in both brick & mortar and online environments. She currently works as the Curriculum and Instructional Support Manager for an online high school dropout recovery program, and is the Assignment Editor and a writer for The Educator’s Room, an online education magazine. Cari is certified in Gamification and has worked on several projects incorporating Gamification into online and traditional education environments. Her areas of expertise include Gamification and Student Resilience & Motivation; Conflict Resolution & Collaboration, and social justice education. Prior to her teaching career, Cari worked for 15 years in civil litigation and as a human rights activist in Northern Ireland and Washington, DC. She holds a BA in Conflict Analysis & Resolution, an Masters in Teaching, and an MA in Political Science. Cari is a James Madison Fellow, and is the author of the book, How to Finish the Test When Your Pencil Breaks: A Teacher Faces Layoff, Unemployment and a Career Shift. You can finder her on twitter at @teachacari.
Education Myths that Eliminate Good Teachers
Teachers are among the many casualties of this faltering economy, especially young, motivated teachers. So many promising educators –who have chosen a career path of little financial reward because they want to help growing young minds — are waiting in the wings, wondering when they’ll get their opportunity.  Those new teachers now must compete with […]
The Unemployed Teacher: Why Do We Become Teachers?
This is my second school year (and 16th month) without a permanent teaching position. Like thousands of other out-of-work teachers, I spend many hours a week looking and applying for jobs. The world of unemployment is filled with extremely relentless efforts that produce very regular rejections. Sometimes you hit a job opening at just the […]
The Journey of An Unemployed Teacher: A Shock to the System!
I mentioned last week that there have been over 350,000 teaching job losses since 2009. Usually the story of education job cuts stops there. But what really happens once the decision to cut is made? Every state in the union has districts that have experienced a massive shock to their system through a Reduction […]
The Problem? Teachers! The Solution? Anything But Teachers!
[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”] This week’s focus on education by NBC and its many family of channels during its “Education Nation” episodes has provoked some interesting conversation and even more predictable suggestions for “reform.” […]
The Unemployed Teacher: A School Year Begins…Without Us
I took it for granted. I took for granted that once I found my passion and had seven years experience under my belt with it, I was safe. My passion is teaching Social Studies – I especially love Civics and Sociology, but have taught everything from Global Studies to US History. I had developed and […]