As teachers, how many times have we sat in professional development and listened to an educational consultant tell us what would work with our students? They bring all kinds of pretty data, display boards and all sorts of testimonials, but for some reason their presentations usually do not move me, or other teachers. Many of my […]
Posted inConfessions of a Teacher, From the Front Lines
Confessions of A Teacher: Mental Abuse and Why Do I Still Feel Bad?
The Educator’s Room now hosts a column called “Confessions of a Teacher.” If you would like to get something off your chest, talk about something that bothers you, or just simply express some thoughts anonymously, click here. You’re not alone! You may find your note published in this column! [fusion_builder_container hundred_percent=”yes” overflow=”visible”][fusion_builder_row][fusion_builder_column type=”1_1″ background_position=”left […]
Posted inOpinion
Jeff Bliss: Ignorance Is Bliss Or Is Bliss Just Ignorant?
Recently, I saw this video in which an angry student named Jeff Bliss went on a tirade against his teacher because he felt she wasn’t actively teaching the students in her class. After a few minutes of Internet surfing, I stumbled upon this article, in which Bliss is touted as the poster boy for educational […]
Posted inFrom the Front Lines, The State of Education
The Current State of Education in New York: "The Hunger Games" (Part 3)
The Hunger Games series is powerful as an authentic text due to its messages of speaking out when something is wrong, and of fighting back against the bully. This is a tenet that many teachers not only preach, but practice in their classrooms. Choose to do the right thing. Choose to speak out. Choose to […]
Posted inInstruction & Curriculum, Literacy
Part IV: Reading to Learn: Comprehension
The purpose of reading is to learn. A text has the ability to transport us to other times and places, it can expand our knowledge and experience base and it is everywhere in our worlds. Understanding words, texts, passages, poetry, and books is an important part of reading. It is the end goal. To teach […]
Posted inCommon Core, Current Events in Education, From the Front Lines, Instruction & Curriculum, Literacy
Knowing the Ending Need Not Be a Spoiler
Enter the spoiler alert. Because the number of ways people hear about stories is increasing, spoiler alerts for books and films are offered as a “heads-up,” a means to prevent plot details from becoming public. Knowing the end of a story might mean that the strategy of “predicting” a story has been compromised. However, there are genres […]
Posted inOpinion, The State of Education, Uncategorized
The State of Education in New York: "The Hunger Games" (Part 2)
In The Hunger Games Katniss becomes an unwitting symbol of the revolution when she uses the nightlock berries as a strategy for survival. She takes the power out of the hands of the Capitol and the Gamemakers. Throughout the next two books, the reader discovers that a revolution was brewing the entire time, a revolution […]
Posted inClassroom Management, Instruction & Curriculum
“Mom, I Mean Ms…” Classroom Management Ideas I Learned From My Mom
My mother is an amazing woman. She has a calm sense about her in every situation I have ever observed her in. She has four unique and different children she has watched struggle, grow, develop, fail and succeed. She is my center and what I strive to be. In the classroom, we are mothers to […]