Teaching is different from other professions because your mental health affects so many different lives, lives who are truly vulnerable and dependent on you for growth. This places an extreme amount of pressure and stress on teachers, and if they are already predisposed to mental health issues, it can be a recipe for disaster. I […]
Laura
I began my teaching career 15 years ago in Chicago Public Schools, teaching 7th grade Science. After earning my Masters degree, along with my Reading Specialist Certificate, I began working as an RTI Specialist in a suburban district, where I have been for the last nine years. I enjoy reading, writing, and spending time with my husband and my two little girls.
Posted inCurrent Events in Education
More Transgender Students are coming forward than ever before, are teachers prepared?
When I first started teaching it was 2004. The term “transgender” was rarely used. It was a term I may have heard in passing, but I never used it to describe any of the students in my school. As far as I knew, there were no students in my classes who identified as being transgender. […]
Posted inCurrent Events in Education
In a Time When Its Hard to be a teacher, I look to Stoneman Douglas Students for strength
Since the events at Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland Florida on February 14, 2018, has anyone else been wondering if we are living in an alternate reality? I hear arguments from people (people whom I used to think were rational), claiming that teachers need to be armed. I’ve seen ads for bulletproof, pod-like structures […]
Posted inInstruction & Curriculum
Reinforcing Literacy Skills in Mathematics
I work primarily with students who struggle with mathematics. My students are awesome kids and I would estimate that about 98% of the time, their struggles have little to do with their computation abilities, and more to do with solving word problems and the critical thinking that accompanies them. When I give my students a […]
Posted inInstruction & Curriculum
How stress is causing students to comitt suicide: What has changed and how can we help?
A school district 204 in Naperville, Illinois, was not on the news, not for its awesome test scores and stellar college acceptance rates. Last school year alone, District 204 experienced three student deaths, two of which were ruled to be suicides. According to Michelle Rusk, a suicide expert, she claims that the “community pressure placed […]
Posted inInstruction & Curriculum
Let’s Embrace the Move to Standards-Based Grading
When my Principal mentioned that we would start the move towards Standards-Based grading next year, all I saw were looks of horror on most teachers’ faces. Look, I get it. Change is hard. Super hard. Among all the other tasks teachers are charged with, adding another just seems… impossible. But I also believe that change […]
Posted inOpinion
Teacher Solidarity Matters
One of the pieces of advice I remember from my first year teaching came from a veteran teacher. She told me, “Sweep the snow from your own doorstep, don’t worry about the frost on your neighbor’s roof.” I remember thinking, what the.. huh? It wasn’t until years later that I realized the wisdom behind this […]
Posted inInstruction & Curriculum
Interview Tips from the Other Side of the Table
Whenever my school has interviews for an open position, I do my best to be able to be a part of the process. Our candidates are always really impressive, and there are just a few things, for me, that set certain candidates apart. I’ve come up with four areas that could make or break a […]