Christian Dria grew up in Minnesota and knew in the 1st grade that she wanted to be a teacher. She earned her degree at the University of Wisconsin and has been a primary teacher for 28 years. She lives in Central Minnesota with her husband and daughter. I chuckled after asking, “What did you […]
Posted inInstruction & Curriculum
Culturally Relevant Lessons in the Life of DMX
I remember when I first taught the life, music, and poetry of Tupac Amaru Shakur back in 2002. I received my first written complaint questioning why an educator would “glorify a thug.” I knew then I would continue to find ways to tap into my students’ interest by using Hip Hop Culture in my curriculum. […]
Posted inClassroom Management
8 Tips So Your Substitute Plans Don’t Suck
“I find your lack of substitutes disturbing.” Read that in a Darth Vader voice the next time you have to take off, and you’ll feel exactly the type of difficulty that I mean. It’s been 6 years since I wrote my story about how “Lack of Subs Is the Canary in the Coal Mine,” and […]
Posted inChild Development
Student Agency- The Essence of a Modern Classroom
Sanam Edwards is a teacher in DPS International, Gurgaon (India). She enjoys building the student’s voice and choice within the classroom environment while infusing her quirky sense of humor into daily activities. She is an advocate for technology in the classroom and is constantly on the lookout for new ways to engage the students emotionally, […]
Posted inInstruction & Curriculum
Sustainable Investment in Education – More Than Just a One Time Fix
Well, our day has finally come! Or has it? We have an unprecedented amount of money we have all been begging for! But, as educators, yet again, no one is asking the “experts in the room” how to spend it. Education has always been about droplets in a seemingly never-ending sea of inequities, where teachers […]
Posted inESOL
Utilizing Writer’s Workshop with Newcomer ELLs
By Samantha Azatova, M.Ed. Samantha Azatova is an elementary EAL teacher at International School Nido de Aguilas, a US-curriculum international school in Santiago, Chile. She holds an M.Ed. in ESOL Education from University of Maryland- College Park and a B.A. in Linguistics. She loves supporting newcomer ELLs so that they can become fully integrated into […]
Posted inClassroom Management, Featured, Higher Education, How to Fix Education
[Opinion] Teaching is Not for the Faint of Heart
Courtney Frausto is a 6th-grade ELAR teacher in Texas. She is strong-willed and determined to be her best at everything that she does. She loves a challenge and is always looking to master a new skill. She has a passion for teaching and a love that runs deep for her students. When Courtney is not […]
Posted inFrom the Front Lines
Pandemic Stories of a Teacher #1: I’m Smiling Mr. Courtney, You Just Can’t See It
Please do not tell your students yet. The words from the principal flashed at me in neon while my body sank into the swivel chair at the front of the class. I fixed my face or so I thought, aware of the many eyes that would be on me now. Instinctively, as if worried […]