Dear Santa, I am 41 years old and known by many as “Ms. Rice”. I’ve been a very good girl this year, despite what you may have heard in the media. Our society does not seem to have a positive opinion of teachers overall and I don’t want you to be confused by the negativity […]
Posted inCurrent Events in Education, Opinion
A Tale of Two Cities: How Taxpayers Foot the Bill for Sports at the Expense of Education
[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 the Seattle Mariners signed Robinson Cano to a 10 year, $240 million contract, I scratched my head. Weren’t the Mariners one of the “poorer” teams in Major League Baseball? Yet […]
Posted inFeatured, From the Front Lines, Opinion
Developing An Appreciation For Differences
[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”] In the last week I have read four socialization articles for special needs children. Each article spoke about the importance of preparing special needs children for experiences in socialization, whether that […]
Posted inFeatured, Technology
This Year, Try Some Virtual Gifts!
I love putting up the Christmas tree each year with my family. We pull out ornaments the kids have created in years past. Gifts they made in preschool and beyond with fingerprints, handprints, or footprints reflecting a moment in time. They are a small sample of their physical self; growing each year. With the age […]
Posted inFeatured
20 Simple and Free Gifts for Any Teacher
What do I give to my child’s teacher? As people from all walks of life traipse the store aisles this December looking for the perfect holiday gift, the teachers who give so much to your children occasionally enter your mind. Should you feel obligated to give a gift? By no means, no. Be a subscriber, […]
Posted inFeatured, The New Teacher Chronicles
The New Teacher’s Survival Guide: 5 Crucial Habits
This is the final piece of a five-part series called The New Teacher’s Survival Guide. Start from the beginning here, with creating a support network. [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”] It’s hard, this whole teaching […]
Posted inFeatured, From the Front Lines, Uncategorized
Sandy Hook Remembered
The news is full of the anniversary of the Sandy Hook Elementary School shootings that occurred in Newtown, Connecticut on December 14, 2012. The news is full of what hasn’t changed. True, some safety measures have been put in place. Some school districts have armed teachers, hired more security, or added mental health services. Many, […]
Posted inCommon Core, Featured, From the Front Lines, School Improvement, The State of Education
Education, Circa 2038
Twenty-five years from now, I will be just shy of 65 years old. I should be retired by then. As I read recently about Amazon’s delivery drone idea and at the same time thought about the seeming inevitability of the Common Core State Standards and their associated tests (even, eventually, in my non-CCSS home state), […]