There are two studies that have survived the test in my classroom: 1) All students can relate to the reasons for revolution and the need to rebel, and 2) All students like the challenge of a good game. Thus, March Madness is an opportune time of year to combine the two. Students have engaged in […]
Posted inCurrent Events in Education, Middle School, Principals' Corner
Chicago Public Schools: Going too Far
Imagine if an unknown adult came to your classroom to remove a child to question them privately. This happened last week at two Chicago Public Schools. The unknown adults were from the CPS legal department. The classrooms they visited were rooms where the teacher had refused to administer the Illinois Standards Achievement Test (ISAT). Students […]
Posted inOpinion
The Individual Souls in Our Classrooms
Being Christian impacts my job as an educator. I believe education is a calling and I am teaching because it is God’s plan for my life. While I read the Bible and use this as a guide for my life, I respect that others do not share my beliefs. I do, however, think that there […]
Posted inNew Teacher Bootcamp
5 Tips from a Veteran Teacher: Surviving Your First Year
Congratulations on graduating and being hired! It’s exciting and thrilling to make it through college, find a job, and be looking forward to your very first year as a teacher. When I look back on my first year, I usually think of several things I wish someone else had told me. I’m now blessed with […]
Posted inClassroom Management, Educational Apps, Featured, Instruction & Curriculum, Literacy, Middle School
Classroom Library Management: Organize Your Investment!
After 18 years of teaching, I have an amazing classroom library. I also realized that since I’m not working on a ‘Dewey Decimal System’ it’s very difficult to locate specific books when I need them. I have my library organized into three different groups: theme books that align with my teaching for the year, picture […]
Posted inFeatured, How to Fix Education, Instruction & Curriculum
Differentiated Motivation
I began my teaching career about twenty years ago, and in that time I have seen a great deal of change around the concept of differentiation. It began, for me, as simply modifying assessments for students in special education . . . lowering the bar so that they may experience a taste of success. It […]
Posted inClassroom Management, Featured, Instruction & Curriculum, Literacy
Using 'Picture Books' as a Teaching Tool With Middle Elementary Students
I love to read out loud to my students. The problem lies in the fact that I don’t have kindergartners anymore who truly appreciate reading aloud for the simple fact that they are being read to. There is always more ‘stuff’ to do than time to do it in our days in middle elementary, so […]
Posted inEnglish Language Learners, Featured, From the Front Lines, How to Fix Education
Welcome to America: Now Take this Test. The Realities of Refugee Students and their Teachers
This year’s ASCD Conference in Los Angeles was weighed down by sessions about the CCSS and flipped classrooms – topics that reasonably should have been big 3+ years ago. But there were a few diamonds among the rough; educators who presented with prescient understanding oncoming issues that the education community must face. One of those […]