I’ve probably given hundreds of tests during my career, but the truth is, if I had the choice, I would never give my ELA students tests of any kind. This is one of those things that has sort of snuck up on me over the years. For example, I used to give a test on […]
Posted inFeatured, Professional Development
The Importance of Attending Professional Conferences
Last Friday, I attended and presented at the Michigan Council of Teachers of English (MCTE) annual fall conference held in Lansing, Michigan. This was my third consecutive year attending and presenting at a professional conference after many, many years of not going at all. I do not think it’s a coincidence that the past three […]
Posted inSeries
Stories of a New Administrator
A little over a year ago I took over as the Director of the small, private school I taught at for six years and attended as a small child. Need it be said that I was thrilled? My staff taught by my side for several years and brainstormed with me for nearly a year. I […]
Posted inUncategorized
The Struggle Is Real: Teacher Physical Wellness
Thanks to Facebook, everyday I am reminded of past posts. Being the beginning of the school year, most of my old posts are pictures. Wow, was that me as a freshman in college? Pictures of me disappear shortly after my teaching career began. Maybe it’s due to time or the lack of anything Facebook worthy. […]
Posted inFormative Assessments
Emergency Preparedness Distance Learning
I was sitting in my apartment in the Dominican Republic for the third “hurricane day” in a row. School was still closed and we faced a full week of closure. Working to establish a distance learning culture our school sent a broadcast to parents and teachers; an expectation for students to utilize the online platform […]
Posted inOpinion
Religion Isn’t Dead in Schools
From time to time, I receive an email from a parent asking “how do you go about teaching religion?” They are afraid that learning about other religions or even Greek mythology will taint the family beliefs that they and/or their institution have taught. As a public school teacher, there’s really one answer – “I don’t teach […]
Posted inCommon Core
Have You Been To A #GAFE Summit?
I’ve been teaching for 26 years – English, AVID, Yearbook, Reading, History and any sort of intervention class that gets thrown my way. I’ve been through whole language and back. I’ve survived NCLB. I’ve been trained in teaching the Gifted and Talented, the At-Risk and 21st-century students. And last weekend, I went to my first […]
Posted inElementary School
Print Resources: Great Tools for Kids
This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of Scholastic News for Grade 4. All opinions are 100% of this teacher. It is always exciting when you can bring the world into your classroom. There are a million things out there to use, but as all educators know, some are better than others. […]