In part one of this series, I shared my story as a mother to a son with Asperger’s Syndrome and my “wish list” for educators who work with such students. Although I am a teacher, my training in working with Asperger’s children was on the job experience, as my now almost twenty-year-old son has struggled his […]
Posted inFeatured, From the Front Lines, Opinion
Dealing With Entitlement
[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”] I just got back from picking up the durable medical supplies that my mom lost in the tornado. It’s been a little over a month since two terrible storms ravaged my […]
Posted inCommon Core, Featured, From the Front Lines, Instruction & Curriculum, Literacy
Dear Common Core: Science Supports Reading Fiction
[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”] English teachers are seduced by literature. We fell in love with an author’s language, a fascinating plot turn, or a well-developed character, and we are bold in our love. While students may roll […]
Posted inFeatured, Legal
Supreme Court Rules on Affirmative Action Case
[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”] On Monday, June 24, 2013, the Supreme Court handed down its ruling in Fisher v. University of Texas, the higher education affirmative action case. I previously wrote about affirmative action and […]
Posted inClassroom Management, New Teacher Bootcamp, Parents
Dealing with Difficult Parents
A hazard of our profession is dealing with difficult parents or guardians from time to time. (For the sake of simplicity, allow “parents” to refer to whoever has legal guardianship throughout the remainder of this article.) Sometimes difficult parents are attached to difficult students; sometimes difficult parents are attached to wonderful students. Imagine the following […]
Posted inBook Review, Featured
Authentic Evaluations Will Improve our Profession – A Book Review
Teacher Evaluation That Makes a Difference: A New Model for Teacher Growth and Student Achievement By: Robert J. Marzano and Michael D. Toth Published by ASCD, 2013 [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”] In the last […]
Posted inUncategorized
The Educator's Room Books are 50% Off! Hurry for This Great Deal!
We want to kick off this week with a bang and help as many teachers across the globe as we can, in the process. Since this week starts summer vacation for thousands of educators across the country, we want to give you quality content (written by teachers) to read during your break. For this […]
Posted inCommon Core, Featured, From the Front Lines, Literacy
Up, Up, My Friend…and Quit Your Close Reading!
The Common Core Literacy Standards encourage “close reading”, the careful inspection of a text for analysis, but I believe that the British poet William Wordsworth offers his sly opinion on that practice in one of his poems The Tables Turned. The poem is a plea to the reader to throw down the books with poems […]