“I like to listen. I have learned a great deal from listening carefully. Most people never listen.” –Ernest Hemingway. [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”] Spring is here; too bad Mother Nature has not listened to that […]
Posted inFeatured, Uncategorized
Hi Ho, Hi Ho, Standardized Testing Here We Go!
[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”] How stressful is standardized testing at your school? I remember my own children getting physically sick when testing time came around. Teachers would pile on the pressure and even tell their […]
Posted inElementary School, Featured, Kindergarten, Principals' Corner, Uncategorized
The Anti-Equality Movement
[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”] When I look at the oeuvre of a proponent of modern school reform orthodoxies like Eric Hanushek, I’m struck by the disturbing fact that much if not most of his research […]
Posted inFeatured, From the Front Lines, Literacy, Social Studies
Profanity: Putting F.U.N. Back in the Discussion of F.U.
It seems, as of late that profanity is used excessively in schools without reservation. Students swear so comfortably, so often that they often pepper classroom responses with many four letter favorites. Maybe I have become old fashioned but the argument that the “f” word is a reasonable noun, verb, an adverb and an adjective has […]
Posted inFeatured, From the Front Lines
The Thrill of Victory and the Agony of Defeat
This is a tough time of year for all teachers, not just Physical Education teachers. The winter months seem to drag on. The calendar says it is Spring, but the weather doesn’t feel like it. Children have been in our classes for over half the year and we all know each other’s patterns. “Recess” time […]
Posted inInstruction & Curriculum, New Teacher Bootcamp, Teacher Branding
Teacher Branding: The 12- 18 Month Rule
After effectively launching The Educator’s Room, LLC and spearheading (and then helped write) my first two books, “Keep the Fire Burning: Avoiding Teacher Burnout and “Behind the Desk” ,” a lot of my educator friends always ask me the same question, “When am I going to leave the classroom?” While I am flattered by the off-handed compliments, it got me […]
Posted inCharter Schools, Current Events in Education, Featured, High School
What Are We Assessing? (Charter School Diaries # 10)
Week 3/11 – 3/15 One of the things that I love doing as a teacher, to keep my students focused on reading their notes from class when at home, is giving pop quizzes in class. My kids hate it… I hated it as a student, but I understand the purpose and I do it often. […]
Posted inElementary School, Featured, From the Front Lines, Kindergarten, Opinion
Teaching Children How To Make a Difference
One of my favorite movies is “Pay It Forward.” Trite, I know. But I’m one of those people who believe that the smallest of rocks dropped in the ocean makes ripples forever, affecting everything that comes into its path. I’ll take trite over trendy any day. In my school, I try to place a major […]