I’m one of those educators who is cautious of any conference put on for educators. I’m always suspicious that these conferences are backed by some corporate giant that wants to feed me test rhetoric all day. So imagine my surprise after attending the ASCD Conference in Chicago and realizing that many big conferences can be informative and beneficial to […]
Posted inFeatured, Instruction & Curriculum, Literacy
6 Tips for Grading Writing
English teachers often look upon their math and science colleagues without a shred of envy while, ironically, they look upon us with pity. “At least, I don’t have to grade essays!” they say. If only, they knew… Along the way, I have picked up a few tips that make grading writing more efficient. I am […]
Posted inFeatured
Maya Angelou: The Magic of Storytelling
As teachers we constantly look for ways to engage our students in their own learning. It can get discouraging sometimes to look out into a sea of faces and know that for some – or many – the information they need just never connects. It can be the same for our own professional development – […]
Posted inCommon Core, Featured, Uncategorized
What Interdisciplinary Writing Assessments Can Learn from Saturday Night Live
This post completes a trilogy of reflections on the Connecticut Academic Performance Test (CAPT) which will be terminated once the new Smarter Balance Assessments tied to the Common Core State Standards (CCSS) are implemented. There will be at least one more year of the same CAPT assessments, specifically the Interdisciplinary Writing Prompt (IW) where 10th […]
Posted inElementary School, Featured, From the Front Lines, Kindergarten, Uncategorized
A New Generation of Educators Leads the Way
For the last several years, the ASCD has honored two educators with an Outstanding Young Educator Award. This year at the ASCD Annual Conference, we had a chance to talk with one of the recipients, Dr. Joshua Garcia. Garcia is the Deputy Superintendent of Tacoma Public Schools in Tacoma, Washington. He was a teacher, principal, […]
Posted inCommon Core, From the Front Lines, Instruction & Curriculum, Opinion, Uncategorized
The Irony of Not Teaching the Importance of Teaching
Every May, one week is designated as Teacher Appreciation Week. There will be the customary newspaper coverage of favorite teacher stories, the hashtag #thankateacher will trend on Twitter, and celebrities will post videos thanking teachers as the most important influences in their lives. These are all wonderful and appropriate tributes to the profession that prepares our nation’s […]
Posted inCurrent Events in Education, Featured, Middle School, Parents
A Day in the Life of a Parent of A Virtual Charter School!
With two children currently attending a virtual charter school, the days can run together very easily. The basic schedule of the day tends to run something like this: Wake up Get Breakfast Start school work Get lunch Complete school work Rest of day’s activities (scouts, karate, etc) Generally, there is no set schedule unless the […]
Posted inCommon Core, Featured, Uncategorized
Good-bye to the Inauthentic "Make a Connection" Questions
As the Connecticut State Standardized tests fade into the sunset, teachers are learning to say “Good-bye” to all those questions that ask the reader to make a personal connection to a story. The incoming English Language Arts Common Core Standards (ELA- CCSS) are eradicating the writing of responses that begin with, “This story reminds me […]