This last Memorial Day Sunday, our preacher spoke of the past. Do you know the name of your great-great-great grandmother? How about your great-great-grandfather? Do you know the name of your great-grandmother? Who was your grandma? While our family lineage is long, it does not take many generations to forget the names. I do not know the […]
Posted inFrom the Front Lines, Uncategorized
4 Ways to Avoid Teacher Burnout
It’s in the air- summer time entertainment, cook-outs, family trips, long days playing in the yard well after the sun has went down and the best part of summer- school being out. During the last 8 weeks of school this is traditionally the time were teacher burnout is alive and kicking. We not only feel […]
Posted inInstruction & Curriculum, Social Studies, Uncategorized
The Post Assessment Doldrums
So the test is taken, now what? National standardized tests are given all over the country within the same time frame, ending the school year for some regions, New England being an exception. Long winters extend our school year for a few weeks which provides the extra challenge of keeping staff and students motivated after the […]
Posted inFeatured, Principals' Corner
8 Surveys For Your Stakeholders This Summer
I’ve failed to understand why teachers don’t survey students, parents, and community members more. Our line of work is one of the most interpersonal in the entire world, and yet we often leave our greatest resources untapped – the input from others. At the end of a secondary teacher’s year, they’ve spent what accumulates to […]
Posted inFeatured
Demo Lesson Tips
It’s that time of year again. Everyone is getting excited for the summer, teachers more so than the students. For other teachers, it’s a time of anxiety. Being either unsure of where you’ll be starting in September or anxious to find a better position is never an enviable spot to be in. In order to […]
Posted inFeatured
The Pancake Theorem of the New Teacher
[fusion_builder_container hundred_percent=”yes” overflow=”visible”][fusion_builder_row][fusion_builder_column type=”1_1″ background_position=”left top” background_color=”” border_size=”” border_color=”” border_style=”solid” spacing=”yes” background_image=”” background_repeat=”no-repeat” padding=”” margin_top=”0px” margin_bottom=”0px” class=”” id=”” animation_type=”” animation_speed=”0.3″ animation_direction=”left” hide_on_mobile=”no” center_content=”no” min_height=”none”] A Lesson in Pancakes This morning, as I sat enjoying a grand round of homemade, blueberry pancakes, I couldn’t help but think of all the ways that the delicious breakfast food has […]
Posted inFeatured, Instruction & Curriculum, Literacy
22 Perfect Picture Books I Love to Read and Teach
[fusion_builder_container hundred_percent=”yes” overflow=”visible”][fusion_builder_row][fusion_builder_column type=”1_1″ background_position=”left top” background_color=”” border_size=”” border_color=”” border_style=”solid” spacing=”yes” background_image=”” background_repeat=”no-repeat” padding=”” margin_top=”0px” margin_bottom=”0px” class=”” id=”” animation_type=”” animation_speed=”0.3″ animation_direction=”left” hide_on_mobile=”no” center_content=”no” min_height=”none”] The best, best, best part of any day was reading aloud to my class. I had hundreds of favorite books: poetry, fiction chapter books (a.k.a. novels), and picture books, both fiction […]
Posted inHow to Fix Education
Teaching and the Off-Season
This post originally appeared May 23rd on Teacher Pop: [fusion_builder_container hundred_percent=”yes” overflow=”visible”][fusion_builder_row][fusion_builder_column type=”1_1″ background_position=”left top” background_color=”” border_size=”” border_color=”” border_style=”solid” spacing=”yes” background_image=”” background_repeat=”no-repeat” padding=”” margin_top=”0px” margin_bottom=”0px” class=”” id=”” animation_type=”” animation_speed=”0.3″ animation_direction=”left” hide_on_mobile=”no” center_content=”no” min_height=”none”] One of my favorite things about fall is following the Green Bay Packers. The season always begins on a high note, but ends […]