We at The Educator’s Room have a quest to locate and speak with any and every Inspirational Educator we can find. For this segment, we turn to North Carolina – currently a hotbed of pro-teacher – and much needed – educational reform. [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” […]
Posted inCurrent Events in Education, Featured, Instruction & Curriculum, Principals' Corner, Uncategorized
Fight! Fight! Illinois Teachers Refuse to Administer ISAT State Test
There is another battle this week between parents and teachers against Chicago Public Schools and it centers on testing. Threats from the board include disciplinary action against teachers including the revocation of teacher certification. Next week, the Illinois Standards Achievement Test (ISAT) is administered to grade school students across the city and state. The test takes […]
Posted inFeatured
The Importance of Time Management to Having a Life Outside Teaching
Cross-posted at Bluff City Education During my first two years of teaching, it seemed as if I had no personal life. The demands of learning the craft required so much of my time and energy that I would often work 12 to 15 hours a day, with little energy or free time left over. I […]
Posted inCurrent Events in Education, Featured, From the Front Lines, Opinion
8 Things Needed in Education Certification Programs
As a classroom teacher, I have had at least ten student teachers and dozens of practicum students from seven or eight universities. I have also unofficially mentored many first-year teachers by having an open door to help solve problems and answer questions. Because of this, I can say without any hesitation that not all teacher […]
Posted inCurrent Events in Education, Series, The State of Education, Uncategorized
The State of Education: Funding Control Changes in California
Approximately 93 percent of education funding comes from the state or local level. As we are a federalist system where a state is responsible for the safety, morality, and health of its residents (known as “police powers”), education falls within a state’s reserved powers, and thus it is primarily a state responsibility to fund its educational […]
Posted inFeatured, High School, Instruction & Curriculum, Literacy, Middle School, Uncategorized
My Son Only Read One Book in Middle School
This morning as I helped my son organize his bookshelf I asked him a question that came over me as I looked over his Diary of a Wimpy Kid series on his shelf, “what books did you enjoy most while in 6th and 7th grade?” He looked up at me like only a middle school […]
Posted inFeatured, Uncategorized
It Takes a Village to Raise a Child
I chose this African proverb as the title for this article because I believe it represents the missing link in improving our schools. Much is said these days about what teachers need to do to improve test scores. Suggestions include a longer day, a longer school year, and elimination of all subjects that are not […]
Posted inFeatured, Opinion
To Teach or Not to Teach? The Early Career Educator's Question
Halfway through my second year of teaching, I found myself questioning whether or not this was a viable career for me. Despite the hours I put in at school and at home, my professional progress felt much slower than I wanted. I often wondered if I could do more for my kids if I left […]