Almost everyone I know hated 2016. It was the year that equally ticked off the populace. When the New Year’s Ball dropped, America collectively sighed with relief; we were ready for a new beginning. Resolutions in hand, January 1st arrived… and not a damn thing is changing. Sure, the New Year’s placebo effect hasn’t completely […]
John Thomas
Posted inCurrent Events in Education, Featured, From the Front Lines
Rebels with a Clue: How Teenagers Give Respect to those that Earn it
By now most of us have seen the video(s) of Officer Ben Fields aggressively removing a student from a classroom at Spring Valley High School. Most likely, if you are like me, you’ve read 100 articles on the incident and perhaps even voiced your opinion through various social media outlets. As I read people’s responses […]
Posted inClassroom Management, Featured, Instructional Strategies
The Difference between Character Education and Indoctrination
Since the beginning of the educational system begun by Plato’s Academy, the importance of instilling virtue was an understood and mandatory task of the teacher. In the past century, however, with the rise of technology and the ever increasing amount of knowledge at the resource of education the role of Character Education has lost its important […]
Posted inFeatured, Instructional Strategies, Social Justice
The Rise and Demise of the Sheeple
I have a rule in my classroom: [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”][bctt tweet=”If at least one parent isn’t worried or upset with my curriculum at all times then I am not doing my job.”] But Wait! […]
Posted inCurrent Events in Education, Featured
The Troubling Timing of the Tenure Debate
Though Presidential candidate Gov. Scott Walker announced a little more than two weeks ago he would be suspending his presidential campaign, two of his political policies became subjects of national attention. The first was building a wall on the US/Canadian Border, considered ridiculous even by his GOP counterparts; the second, a legislative attack on the […]
Posted inFeatured, High School, Instruction & Curriculum, Literacy
Some Advice on Writing College Essays
The SAT and ACT are taken, scores received. The transcripts bundled with a plethora of application pages. The FAFSA and other financial information finally finished after hours of telephone calls, online services, old receipts and bank statements gathered. Yes, one of the most exciting and stressful elements of senior year is the college application […]
Posted inEducational Apps, Featured, Languages
For The Love Of Latin: Promising Apps for Latin Teachers In and Out of the Classroom
I have not taught Latin for three years so when I was asked one week before the start of this school year to add Latin to my full load of high school Literature classes I felt a bit overwhelmed. In addition, I was told the class consisted of middle school students whose abilities ranged from […]