The dreaded email or phone call home lurks within every educator’s mind. Whether you are a first-year teacher or a seasoned teacher, you have experienced this feeling. But what if there was a way to make this less troublesome? As I’ve grown professionally as an educator, I have come to find that building partnerships with […]
Posted inInstruction & Curriculum
What do you see in 33 + 45? A case for visual math
When you hear or look at the math problem: 33 + 45… what do you see? I ask students and even adults this question fairly often. The numbers in the equation may change but the question is always about what they see. I teach middle school math and I am a visual math learner. I […]
Posted inAsk a Teacher
ATA: A child started a rumor about a teacher’s marriage. Now she wants to try out for her sports team.
A Teacher Asks… I am a 12th grade teacher and had a parent (and their child) last year who spread a rumor that I was having an affair with another co-worker. This lie was “corroborated” because both of us coach teams and we’re friends. Nothing inappropriate has (or will ever) happen, but the damage is […]
Posted inInstruction & Curriculum
Why classroom placement matters: Lessons from a decade in Special Education
Ten years ago, I followed a fascination with how children think, feel, and learn into the world of special education. Since then, working across public school districts has been a journey full of challenges, growth, and purpose. And what a ride it’s been. Over the past decade, I have had the pleasure of encountering some […]
Posted inCurrent Events in Education
Want students to run a mile? President Trump revives Presidential Fitness Test
Washington, D.C. — In an executive order issued this week, President Donald Trump announced the reestablishment of the Presidential Fitness Test and a significant overhaul of the President’s Council on Sports, Fitness, and Nutrition, aiming to combat the nation’s rising health crisis ahead of America’s 250th anniversary in 2026. On Thursday, Trump signed the order […]
Posted inCurrent Events in Education
Public broadcasting to Shut Down After $1.1 Billion Federal Funding Cut
The Corporation for Public Broadcasting announced Friday that it will begin a “wind-down of its operations” and cut a majority of its jobs by the end of September following Congress’s approval to cut $1.1 billion in its federal funding. On Friday, PBS told its employees that the majority of staff positions will be cut by Sept. […]
Posted inInstruction & Curriculum
We’re More Than a Break for Teachers: Why specialist teachers deserve a voice in school leadership
There’s this unspoken rule in schools that you learn pretty quickly when you’re a specials teacher: You’re here to give the “real teachers” a break. Whether you teach art, music, P.E, STEM, Language, or any enrichment class, you feel it. The unintentional (and let’s be honest – sometimes intentional) dismissal of your role as anything […]
Posted inInstruction & Curriculum
Assistive Technology to support reading using Google Read & Write
Imagine it is the last hour of the day. You have given directions for the students to start on their class reading assignment, but all of a sudden, you see 5 students raising their hands. You go over and address one student, and then another student raises their hand. Now you are overwhelmed because you […]