Common Core has been a controversial topic in education since it was first mentioned in 2012, then fully implemented in 2013, despite plans for a two-year transition. Personally, I have no problem with it. Standards are standards after all and it puts all the states on an equal playing field. One of my students arrived […]
Posted inCurrent Events in Education, Featured, High School
How A Faculty Meeting Reflects Your High School Classroom
Whole group faculty meetings have to happen once in a while. No ever wants to go to a faculty meeting, just like our students do not necessarily want to go to our classes every day. If you take a moment and look around your faculty meeting, you will see that we are just like our […]
Posted inElementary School, Featured, Instructional Strategies, Kindergarten
Incorporating Hands-On Activities For Wiggly Kids
We have 20 school days left. 20. The weather is warming up, the kids are counting down and the ‘end-of-the-year-itis’ has hit like the plague. Ugh. Every unit I plan for the last six weeks of school is hands-on. I simply cannot handle a classroom full of fidgety, wiggly, non-focused kids for several days in […]
Posted inFeatured
We're Looking for Some Teachers to Join Our Conference Blogging Team
In less than 60 days The Educator’s Room will hold our annual one day workshop here in the beautiful Atlanta, Georgia. Our conference is unique because the entire event is created for teachers by teachers. We’ve confirmed all of our speakers and we’re working behind the scenes to make sure that we’re putting on the […]
Posted inChild Development, Common Core, Elementary School, Featured, Instruction & Curriculum, Instructional Strategies, Kindergarten, Mathematics, Science
Hands-On Science For Young Learners
My elementary class and I have begun my most favorite science unit of all: plants and life cycles. I look forward to this unit every year. There are five concepts that I want to drive home with this unit. First, that everything has a life cycle and what that means. Next, that not everything looks […]
Posted inCurrent Events in Education, Educational Apps, Elementary School, High School, Instruction & Curriculum, Instructional Strategies, Kindergarten, Social Studies, Technology
Field Trips are Better with iPads
Every year I collaborate with colleagues to host a high school field trip to a local college campus. We explore art collections, tour the campus and give students time to explore the nearby downtown for a brief respite. The goal of connecting artistic perspective to their interpretations of world history is tangential to the elation students enjoy with a […]
Posted inCurrent Events in Education, Elementary School, Kindergarten, The Student Teacher Diaries
Student Teaching Diaries: Bringing the World Into Your Classroom
Today there are many ways to expand your classroom walls. Field trips, virtual trips, Skype conversations, and traveling trunks can all provide your students with experiences and expertise that help their learning. As an educator you need to be able to match your objectives with resources near you. Inviting visitors into the classroom is another […]
Posted inFeatured, Instruction & Curriculum, Instructional Strategies, Literacy
Make Them Laugh: Why We Should Teach Shakespearean Comedies
I love Shakespeare. I would love nothing more than to teach Shakespeare all day long. One thing I dislike about Shakespeare (and it is not his fault), is that we only teach his tragedies in high school. When I was in school, Shakespeare’s plays were taught in this order, freshman year was Romeo and Juliet, […]