Do your students use a lot of slang? Does it bother you? You’re not alone. We teachers often see ourselves as defenders of intellectualism, and language is the vanguard of that defense. We see slang as yet another example of society’s decline, our unstoppable march toward know-nothingness, along with Snapchat and celebrity driven culture. This view […]
Posted inCommon Core, Instruction & Curriculum, Literacy
The NAEP Chicken and the Common Core Nonfiction Egg
What came first…the NAEP Chicken or the CCSS Egg? In 2009, there were revisions to the reading content in the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) is the “largest nationally representative and continuing assessment of what America’s students know and can do in various subject areas.” The revisions increased nonfiction reading. In 2009, the development of the the Common […]
Posted inCurrent Events in Education, Featured, From the Front Lines, Opinion, School Improvement
Gotta “Maslow” Before You “Bloom”
In sharing last week’s article on the Hidden Stories of the Average American Classroom, several teachers began discussing the need to “Maslow” before you “Bloom.” But what exactly does that mean? Past Writings on “Maslow Before You Bloom” Tomaz Lasic actually wrote about this topic with an article of his own in 2009, where he noted […]
Posted inFeatured
Gotta "Maslow" Before You "Bloom"
In sharing last week’s article on the Hidden Stories of the Average American Classroom, several teachers began discussing the need to “Maslow” before you “Bloom.” But what exactly does that mean? Past Writings on “Maslow Before You Bloom” Tomaz Lasic actually wrote about this topic with an article of his own in 2009, where he noted […]
Posted inElementary School, Featured, Instruction & Curriculum, Instructional Strategies
5 Fun, Quick and Easy Elementary Classroom Management Ideas!
Disciplining students doesn’t have to be tiresome and stressful. It can be fun! Here are 5 fun classroom management tactics to use in your elementary classroom. Erase the Animal (2nd-5th grade)-Before each class I let my students decide what animal they want me to draw on the board. If they are showing positive behavior, I […]
Posted inFrom the Front Lines, Opinion, Teacher Burnout, Uncategorized
4 Challenges of Teaching
The challenge of time As a teacher, my first teaching challenge is getting enough time with my students. Wanting to be with my kids and in my school more than I already am doesn’t make me an exception-I would say it’s the rule with good teachers (which most of us are in one way or another). There […]
Posted inFeatured, Instructional Strategies
Commitment Is Key: Love and Logic In The Classroom
The concepts behind Love & Logic (L&L) have been around since the early 1990s and were initially developed as a parenting strategy. With the goal of creating independent, thoughtful, caring, young people, L&L is is designed to help encourage students to be active participants in their existence while providing clear consequences and rationale for them […]
Posted inEnglish Language Learners, Featured, Instructional Strategies
Teaching Gender Equality In Taiwan
On January 30, 2016, I had the pleasure of attending a social justice workshop with my co-teacher. While I was initially upset that this workshop would take place on a Saturday for 8 hours, in the end, I was delighted to have attended such a substantive professional development opportunity. The purpose of the workshop was […]