In accordance with FTC guidelines, The Educator’s Room will always disclose where books being reviewed originate. Often, we review books provided for free by publishers, whether ARC’s (advanced reading copies) or post-publication. However, The Educator’s Room does not, nor do any of its book review authors, receive any compensation for reviews. All book reviews are […]
Posted inFrom the Front Lines, Instruction & Curriculum, Uncategorized
4 Myths About Unions That Most Teachers Believe
Before I entered education 11 years ago I never thought I’d be in a union. I believed unions were only necessary in the movies or years ago when bosses wanted workers to work in factories for 12 hours a day for pennies on the hour. So when I signed my teacher paperwork I was hesitant to sign […]
Posted inCurrent Events in Education, Featured, High School, Interviews
"Why I Hate High School"
In a dynamic change from the usual session at a conference, on the second day of ASCD 2013 in Chicago, one of the sessions was hosted not by a group of educators, but by students themselves. In “Why I Hate High School,” a five-student panel, moderated by Mickey Revenaugh, of Connections Education, shared how moving […]
Posted inInstruction & Curriculum, Principals' Corner, Uncategorized
10 Reasons the ASCD Conference Rocked!
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, […]