Posted inCommon Core, Current Events in Education, Elementary School, Featured, High School, Kindergarten, Opinion, Uncategorized

Assessing the Damage: What students should know about tests like Smarter Balanced

By Guest Writer Jessica Classen   “But I’ve passed all my classes! I mean, I should be able to graduate. Will I have to go summer school? Will I not be able to walk? What happens?” The panic in his voice was clear. Adam, a bright, hard-working junior, was already terrified of the possibility of […]

Posted inCommon Core, Current Events in Education, From the Front Lines

The Best Teaching Happens in the “Worst” Schools

By Jennifer Orr “That’s a good school.” I’ve heard people say that many times. If the speaker’s child attends the school in question, it’s possible they have many reasons for such an assertion. If not, chances are good they are basing the statement on test scores. Test scores are certainly one way to determine the […]

Posted inCurrent Events in Education, From the Front Lines, Instruction & Curriculum, Instructional Strategies, Professional Development, The International Teacher

What Makes a Good Lesson? The Beauty of Absence

Staff Writer: By Melissa Kandido What makes a good lesson? A plan. Yes, of course. But even with the plan, we know there might be issues that arise that keep our plan from being executed ‘just so.’ We have to be open to technology mishaps, schedule hiccups, etc. So the plan is just a base […]

Posted inFeatured, Fine Arts, Middle School, Series, The International Teacher

The International Teacher: Constructionists, Iterations, Flow in my Classroom

Do not cite deep magic to me…I was there when it was written.” (Chronicles of Narnia);   By Melissa Kandido Melissa Kandido teaches IB Art, IB History, IB English, & IB Geography for middle and upper grades at the Windhoek International School in Windhoek, Namibia.  She is sharing with us her experiences and adventures this year […]

Posted inFeatured, Fine Arts, Instruction & Curriculum, Middle School, Series, The International Teacher

Broken Beauties—the Art of Brokenness

By Guest Writer Melissa Kandido Melissa Kandido teaches IB Art, IB History, IB English, & IB Geography for middle and upper grades at the Windhoek International School in Windhoek, Namibia.  She is sharing with us her experiences and adventures this year as an international educator and IB teacher.  The synthesis work I gave to my IBDP12 (International […]

Posted inCurrent Events in Education, Featured, Middle School

Teaching in the Winter: The Best Time of Year

By Guest Writer Jeffrey Benson [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”] It’s the middle of winter in the U.S. Northeast. I wake in the dark, there’s snow and ice to scrape off my windshield, and all the […]