One of the best TED Talks I’ve seen in a while was by Victor Rios, a sociology professor at the University of California. The segment, titled “Help for kids the education system ignores” was poignant, direct, and necessary. His speech highlighted how some of our neediest students are falling through the cracks, and what our mandate – as […]
Jake Miller
Mr. Jake Miller is the 2016 National History Day Pennsylvania Teacher of the Year, a 2017 NEA Global Fellow to China, and a former candidate for county-wide office. Miller has written more than 500 articles, most of which have appeared on The Educator's Room. He's the opening contributor to TER's book When the Fire Is Gone. Learn more about Jake at www.MrJakeMiller.com
Posted inCurrent Events in Education
Retire Right: 10 Steps to Turning Off the Classroom Lights for Good
I remember the first week I was hired quite well. There was so much going on – I had a curriculum to write, seating charts to generate, copies to make, people to meet, programs to learn, and decorations to hang. The to-do list truly was endless. Thankfully, one of the veteran teachers came into my […]
Posted inFeatured
15 Things My Toddler Taught Me This Year
A few weeks after my son was born in November 2015, I began waxing nostalgic. I had spent a lifetime and a career working with and teaching other people’s children – and now it was time for me to teach him. Or so I thought. Within a couple of weeks, I had picked up the […]
Posted inTeacher Leaders
150 Articles Later: A Reflection on My Time at The Educator’s Room
In October 2012, my local newspaper published “Exhaustion of the American Teacher” by John Kuhn. I remember reading the article once. Twice. Four-hundred times. It simply spoke every frustrated, burnt out end of my professional being. If you haven’t read it yet, please stop reading this article and go there. So, like any curious reader, […]
Posted inFeatured, Parents
20 Tips for Successful Parent-Teacher Conferences
For most teachers, November marks two things on our schedules: Parent-teacher conferences A day of Thanks that they’re over Let’s get you from point 1 to point 2 with our 20 tips for Parent-Teacher Conferences PRE-CONFERENCE: 1. Learn your school’s culture regarding that day. The first years I taught at my current school, I […]
Posted inOpinion
Why We Need to Vote Down Ballot
I’m just as overwhelmed by the 2016Â presidential election as any of the rest of our readers. The problem is we’ve already made up our minds – so we’re ready to vote and move on. According to Rasmussen, less than 2% of Americans are undecided on whom to vote for in this nearly infinitely long and […]
Posted inClassroom Management, Featured, Instructional Strategies, Opinion, Podcast
Podcast Review: Angela Watson’s Truth for Teachers
“Remember, it’s not going to be easy – it’s going to be worth it.” Blogger, consultant, and educator extraordinaire Angela Watson ends every one of her “Truth for Teachers” podcasts with this Art Williams quote – one that any educator would agree we know all to well. But the content of her podcasts do make the […]
Posted inInstruction & Curriculum
Stress and Mess: Deliberate Practice and Professional Obligation — Part I
Editor’s Note: Writers Dan McConnell and Jake Miller teamed up to take on two driving buzz words – “deliberate practice” and “professional obligation” – and explore how they’re driving teachers to stress. Â DAN: Teacher Stress Is Not Blessed Teacher stress is a very real problem, and without reforms where they are truly needed, that is […]