When I was young in my career, I once apologized to a parent because her 16-year-old daughter was walking into walls. Mad Mom entered my classroom after school, fuming. Her eyes were wide, an almost predatory look on her face as she locked eyes with me and advanced. “Do you have any idea how much […]
Posted inInstruction & Curriculum
Los Angeles Unified to limit screen time for all students, prohibit use among youngest students
This story was originally published by EdSource. Sign up for their daily newsletter. The Los Angeles Unified School District unanimously voted to curb classroom screen time, directing staff to develop a policy by June ahead of the upcoming school year. The resolution aims to set clear limits on how screens are used in classrooms across grade […]
Posted inInstruction & Curriculum
Tier 1 Is Not Basic. It Is the Backbone of Everything We Do.
When schools see a spike in referrals, the instinct is often to look for more intervention. More pull-out support. More behavior plans. More counseling referrals. More Tier 2 and Tier 3 responses. But in many cases, the real problem starts earlier. We are often over-engineering interventions while under-building instruction. As a district leader overseeing social […]
Posted inCurrent Events in Education
West Memphis teacher charged with felony after student calls him “bruh”
A comment from a middle school has ended with one Arkansas teacher arrested for aggravated assault in West Memphis, Arkansas. Tracy Matthews, 56, a teacher at Wonder Junior High School, faces a felony charge for reportedly putting his hands on a student on April 15. West Memphis Police say the incident happened in a classroom […]
Posted inInstruction & Curriculum
Dr. Sharon Bennett Delesbore: Pioneering equity and excellence in science education
Dr. Sharon Bennett Delesbore’s journey in education began on the basketball court. As a Division I athlete, she learned early that leadership extends beyond personal achievement. Her team’s commitment to community service, reading to students, mentoring youth, and serving as role models instilled in her a profound understanding of the transformative power of education. That […]
Posted inInstruction & Curriculum
From an adminstrator to back in the classroom: A teacher’s tale
My students are a far cry from being the next Bob Ross, René Magritte or Rembrandt Van Rijn. They’re a far cry from even being a starving artist in the future. But, dang it, they’re trying – and so am I. An Assignment I Didn’t Ask For I am the Resource Director for my district […]
Posted inInstruction & Curriculum
Education Department Moves to Dissolve Office Supporting English Learners
The U.S. Department of Education is moving forward with plans to dissolve the Office of English Language Acquisition (OELA), a key federal office responsible for supporting the nation’s more than 5 million English learners, as part of a broader effort to scale back and restructure the agency. The proposed closure, first communicated to Congress in […]
Posted inAsk a Teacher
Gratitude Tour: Carl and Nancy Frye
Carl Frye was one of the first colleagues I came to know well at Blue Ridge when I arrived in 1998. I wouldn’t coach until the winter, but, as the athletic director, he welcomed me to the School during the opening faculty meetings that August. He was already a legend at Blue Ridge, but that […]