Teachers work in many different environments: charter schools, private schools, or public schools. We all have our own opinions about school choice, but my most interesting teaching environment was in the woods. Teaching adjudicated youth in a wilderness therapy center was where I learned more about myself than I ever knew possible, both as a […]
Posted inCurrent Events in Education, Featured, Instructional Strategies
Talking About Brussels (and Ankara, Lahore…) With 3rd Graders
Wednesday morning as our daily morning meeting came to an end, one of my students raised her hand. A quiet, thoughtful girl, she wanted to know if our class would be doing something in response to the terrorist attacks in Brussels. In the winter after the Paris attacks, we had put together a “peace party” […]
Posted inAdult Learning, Child Development, Classroom Management, Confessions of a Teacher, Current Events in Education, Elementary School, Featured, From the Front Lines, High School, Instructional Strategies, Kindergarten, Middle School, Opinion, Parents, Professional Development, School Improvement, Special Education
The Mental State of Teaching
“The greatest weapon against stress is our ability to choose one thought over another.” – William James Is anyone else climbing into this boat and dropping anchor? I know I am. My life has been turned upside down since January with personal struggles, professional struggles and just day-to-day struggles that seem to be heavier than […]
Posted inCurrent Events in Education, Professional Development
[Interview with Dr. Christopher Emdin Author of “For White Folks Who Teach in the Hood”
To buy a copy of Dr. Christopher Emdin’s book, For White Folks Who Teach in the Hood… and the Rest of Y’all Too: Reality Pedagogy and Urban Education, click here.
Posted inCurrent Events in Education, Professional Development
[Interview with Dr. Christopher Emdin Author of "For White Folks Who Teach in the Hood"
To buy a copy of Dr. Christopher Emdin’s book, For White Folks Who Teach in the Hood… and the Rest of Y’all Too: Reality Pedagogy and Urban Education, click here.
Posted inUncategorized
5 Marketable Skills I’ve Acquired From Teaching English Abroad
During the last year that I’ve been teaching overseas, I’ve developed some skills that should help me land a job when I return home. Project development skills– Have you organized a school-wide holiday themed showcase? Established or coordinated a partnership with a school in another country? Devised your own English language curriculum that can be […]
Posted inUncategorized
5 Marketable Skills I've Acquired From Teaching English Abroad
During the last year that I’ve been teaching overseas, I’ve developed some skills that should help me land a job when I return home. Project development skills– Have you organized a school-wide holiday themed showcase? Established or coordinated a partnership with a school in another country? Devised your own English language curriculum that can be […]
Posted inUncategorized
Love and Hate for the 5-Paragraph Essay
When I taught high school English, I worked hard to help my students avoid and move beyond the five-paragraph essay. In fact, I almost went crazy trying to pull better-than-five-paragraphs-essays out of my seniors. I was apt to tell students, “you are stuck in a five-paragraph box! GET OUT OF THE BOX!” I swore I would […]