Planning on teaching literature in high school? I suggest a brush up on literary pitfalls….and work on developing a sense of humor because sooner or later, a student, (usually a boy) will come upon one of the following words in some great work of literature: Screw. Bang Bosom. Laid. Nuts. In context, these words have been […]
Posted inFeatured, Opinion
C'mon and Dance
I watched a wonderful video by The Killers this morning. It is filled with images of dancers that simply lifted my soul. It reminded me of one of the joys of my second grade classroom — dancing. I never officially taught my students to dance. I had a huge collection of cd’s: classical for math […]
Posted inFeatured, Middle School, Opinion
When Cinderella Arrives
“I love it when the pretty girl crashes the party.” ~Kenny Sailors I don’t claim to know a whole lot about basketball, but I do love the sport. Whether you love it, or not or pay attention to it or not, no one can dispute that March Madness is a real phenomenon. According to experts, […]
Posted inInstruction & Curriculum, Languages
World Language: 5 Ways to get your Students Talking
It would be a rare occasion, indeed, for any of our students, if while traveling abroad, are asked to sit down and write a paragraph about themselves in Spanish, Chinese or German. It is much more plausible that they will be called upon to introduce themselves, ask for or receive directions or tell about their […]
Posted inFeatured, Instruction & Curriculum
The Life-Changing Power of Extracurricular Activities
It’s the semifinal round of the county debate tournament. The prize: a ticket to the county debate championship and a trip to Washington DC for nationals. Our varsity debate team went 4-0 in the preliminaries and smoked the competition in the quarter and semifinal rounds. I’m judging another debate so I don’t get to see […]
Posted inFeatured, High School, Literacy, Middle School, Opinion
Trash Can Poetry in Motion: Teaching Outside the Box
I recently watched a segment on “Sixty Minutes” that featured an orchestra from Cateura, Paraguay, whose instruments were made entirely of discarded objects found in the local landfill…trash! The orchestra known as “The Landfill Harmonic,” or “Los Reciclados,” was created by Favio Chaevez and Nicolaes Goemez, and consists of a dozen or more children that […]
Posted inParents
A Little Spring in Your Break: Continued Learning Outside of School
Summer is here, and while students are enjoying their time “off,” it’s a great time for parents to instill learning while they are home. Teachers find this time refreshing as they can spend a few moments focusing on themselves and their families. Kids relish the time off to get outside and begin the pre-rumblings of […]
Posted inHigh School, How to Fix Education, Uncategorized
Vouchers vs. Charters: Comparing Quality School Choice Policies
I work in a charter school, and unlike a teacher in a traditional district school, the students I see every day are not sent to our school based on their street address. Some live down the street and some drive 30 minutes both directions. We have students that come from both private and public […]