[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”] Mothers and fathers often say that the most difficult thing they can ever do is bury their own child. Since I have no children of my own, I’m not yet able […]
Posted inCommon Core, Featured, Instruction & Curriculum, Literacy, Middle School
Vocabulary Campaigns in the Content Area
While there are whirlwind changes in education such as new evaluation programs, digital devices in school, or flipped classrooms, one element remains constant: vocabulary. In order for students to succeed, they must understand the content area vocabulary in each subject area. “Vocabulary knowledge is fundamental to reading comprehension; one cannot understand text without knowing what most of the […]
Posted inFrom the Front Lines, Middle School, Opinion
Rethinking Discipline
My first teaching assignment was in an urban middle school, where I was fortunate enough to have several excellent colleagues as mentors. I learned to handle most classroom problems myself, reporting only major violations to administration. Here are a few techniques I used during my 30 year career. 1. Have a sense of humor. If […]
Posted inFeatured, Middle School, Opinion, Principals' Corner
7 Surefire Ways to Help Land a Middle School Job
Note: This article first appeared by the author in the book How to Be Successful in Your First Year of Teaching Middle School: Everything You Need to Know That They Don’t Teach You in School (click here to purchase it on Amazon). It is reprinted with the author’s permission. The best thing about my job is, […]
Posted inMiddle School, Opinion, Principals' Corner
Solution: Let Teachers Teach!
Guest Post By Laura Groves [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”] We’ve all heard the problems. Low scores. Too much testing. Parenting (or lack thereof). But what about solutions? We know there are lots of educational reforms […]
Posted inCurrent Events in Education, Featured, How to Fix Education
What Do the Green Shoe Laces Mean in Educational Reform?
On Long Island in the summer of 2013, neon green laces started flying off the shelves. They became the symbol of the anti-high stakes testing revolution. This symbol has been embraced by thousands of educators, parents and students in an effort to stop bad tests from hurting children, the mission of a group called Lace […]
Posted inFeatured, Opinion
It Is Time for Educators & Education Policy to Support Gay Rights
[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”] Teachers – over the years, you’ve met someone who was gay. Sometimes they’re your neighbor. Sometimes they’re your student. Sometimes they’re your colleague. Sometimes they’re open about it and sometimes they’re […]
Posted inCurrent Events in Education, Featured, Opinion
Teachers on Trial: Vergara v. CA
On Monday of this week (January 27, 2014), the twenty-day trial began in the case Vergara v. California. This lawsuit not only takes on some of the longest protected education policy in California, it pits the very stakeholders who truly matter in education against each other: the students and the teachers. Education watchers will pay […]