Part of the thrill (and exhaustion) of education is having a community of different learners. Â Students in our classrooms have different needs. Â Most school communities have numerous resources, staff, time and energies spent on helping students who need extra help to reach grade level. Â Often, however, there are very limited resources for those students who […]
Lori H Rice
Lori Rice is a fourth-grade teacher at West Elementary in Wamego, Kansas, who has taught K-2 reading as well as kindergarten, first grade and fourth grade since 1996. She has a passion for creativity, learning, questioning and the whole child. Her classroom is a place of acceptance and celebrating differences.
Posted inCurrent Events in Education, Featured, From the Front Lines
Pulling Back the Curtain: The Realities of Teaching
“Pay no attention to that man behind the curtain,” stammered The Great and Powerful Oz upon his discovery in 1939 classic The Wizard of Oz.  Oz ran the dream city as an ordinary man, yet was seen as all-powerful by his city. But when the curtain was pulled back the real conversations began. Teachers today do more […]
Posted inCurrent Events in Education, Featured
Testing, 1, 2, 3…Testing…
I think it is important to stay informed and read information about education and learning.  The only way to grow is to read about things you are not doing and things you may not agree with on the surface.  I have been following a blog on parents opting out of testing. I did not go into […]
Posted inFeatured, Opinion
Starting the New Year Full of Possibilities
This year is brand new. Â If it is your first year or your thirtieth year teaching, it is new. Â You have never been in this situation or with these exact set of colleagues or with these kids. Â It is easy to see the negativity in education, it is everywhere. Â You can ignore the truths […]
Posted inElementary School, Featured
Making a Good First Impression on the First Day of School
The excitement, and exhaustion, of the first day of school cannot be matched by anything else. Â It’s the first opportunity to meet your students and set the tone for your year. Â When my students walk through my door I want them to know they are loved. Â This is a space for learning which is messy […]
Posted inClassroom Management, Elementary School, From the Front Lines
The New, Old Classroom
Going into my 20th year of teaching I am just as excited as I was that first year.  I remember spending that first summer in 1996 organizing my classroom, making curtains, and buying supplies.  This summer, I am doing much of the same thing; but with a new twist.  I have 20 years of experience now to guide […]
Posted inElementary School, Formative Assessments
Formative Assessment: Peer Feedback
This is the fourth piece in my series  about formative assessment.  Formative assessment is a tool used by many teachers in classrooms to move each student forward in learning.  This series is to encourage and challenge teachers to think about the practices involved in this practice.  Setting clear objectives, which goes beyond posting them in […]
Posted inFeatured, Formative Assessments, Instruction & Curriculum
Formative Assessments: Success Criteria
This series is about using formative assessment in your classroom. Many teachers use this practice daily to know where students are and move them forward in learning.  There are tools, however, that can strengthen the formative assessment you are doing in your classroom to meet the needs of all students you teach. The first tool, discussed […]