[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”] Question: I am in a 3rd week of student teaching a group of 5th graders. These are all great kids; however, they have been very disrespectful (i.e. getting up in the […]
Posted inCommon Core, Featured, From the Front Lines, High School, Instruction & Curriculum, Literacy, Social Studies
Informational Text for Social Studies or English: “The Perils of Indifference” by Elie Wiesel
By my calculations, at the mid-point of the school year, many World History classes are studying World War II. Should these classes want to increase their use of an informational text in English or Social Studies curriculum, I suggest Elie Wiesel’s noteworthy speech The Perils of Indifference. Wiesel delivered this speech to Congress on April 12, […]
Posted inFeatured, Uncategorized
Navigating Your Administration: Five Tips From a Teacher's Perspective
To the frustrated, tired, spread-too-thin public (and private) school teacher, communicating with and understanding the dynamics of your administrative team–or your single administrator–can be one of the most difficult parts of the job, even in a best-case scenario. I have worked for excellent administrators and those that… weren’t as easy to work with. I will not seek […]
Posted inMiddle School, Principals' Corner, Teacher Branding, Uncategorized
A Teacher Who Took a Leap of Faith: Megan Mottley, Publisher of DIVINE Magazine
As the culmination of our month long articles about teacher branding, we want to highlight educators who decided to use their skills in the classroom to literally build their own brands. Today we are highlighting Ms. Megan Mottley, Publisher of DIVINE Magazine. 1. Give us some backgrounds of your experiences in education. I’m a former 8th Grade […]
Posted inCharter Schools, Current Events in Education, High School
Charter School Diaries 3 – Keeping It Real
Last week, our students took their midterm exams. On midterm exam week, high school students in our district receive a half-day week so that teachers can input grades, so that students can get more studying in (it is debatable as to whether or not they devote their time off to quality studying time, but I […]
Posted inInstruction & Curriculum, Literacy
Guided Reading–Pick Any (Fiction) Book
Guided reading is a teaching strategy that has gained attention and popularity over the past ten years for good reason. This method of teaching reading (to elementary students) groups them according to their instructional text reading level. It incorporates skills, comprehension strategies, writing, and text decoding. There are many companies with canned programs and resources […]
Posted inFeatured, From the Front Lines, How to Fix Education, Instruction & Curriculum, Literacy, Uncategorized
The Emperor’s New Clothes: There’s No Magic Answer in Reading
Let us face it- in education many of us are waiting for some fairy reading tales to come true. For instance, we may be hoping to meet Prince Charming and live in his magnificent castle. However, nobody wants to walk down the street without clothes, even in our nightmares. I contend that most commercial reading […]
Posted inUncategorized
E Literacy Changes Everything
Who would’ve thought that a simple homemade toy, promoted through collaborative effort online, would lead to…. The Imagination Foundation? Or that simple, impossible design could be immediately useful. This following blog inspired me to have my own students create housing based on our world studies of architecture.