The next time every teacher in this country faces his or her students, whether this week or after the winter break, it will be with a heavy heart and deep sadness. Teachers died on Friday trying to save their students. And there is not a teacher still living who would not do the same. Much […]
Posted inInstruction & Curriculum
The Art of the Question
In an ever changing educational field, we have one tool in our belts that spans all geography, all ages, all subjects and all children-questioning. There is a dice game called Petals around a Rose. It is a simple game in which players roll any number of dice and the objective of the game is to […]
Posted inInstruction & Curriculum, Special Education
Knocking Down Barriers to Inclusion
By now you know that inclusion is here to stay. The education of students with special needs is no longer the responsibility of just special education teachers. The inclusion of students with disabilities in the general education setting is now the norm rather than the exception. However, for many teachers (including special education teachers) there […]
Posted inInstruction & Curriculum, Opinion, Teacher Branding, The Unemployed Teacher
Education is Changing, and We Must be Ready. An Unemployed Teacher Offers a Place to Start for the New Year.
To buy Cari’s book that details her sudden unemployment, “How to Finish the Test When Your Pencil Breaks” please click here. As a teacher who has been out of work for almost two years now, I find the holidays bring an interesting sense of out-of-sync timing. I can clearly remember the visceral relief at the […]
Posted inLegal, Opinion, Uncategorized
Are More Gun Control Laws Needed?
In light of the horrific tragedy that occurred in Newtown, Connecticut, it is only fitting to discuss gun control laws in our nation. Gun control laws were barely mentioned in this year’s presidential campaign. However, mass shootings have been occurring with more frequency in our country’s recent history.Columbine. Virginia Tech. Tucson. Aurora. Gun control laws […]
Posted inInstruction & Curriculum
Raising Boys' Achievement Involves More Male Teachers
It’s no shock to any reader, teacher, or parent to learn that boys are not just falling behind; they’re sinking. In the middle school where I teach, of our nearly 1,100 students, roughly 80% of the special education students are male. More than 2/3 of the students failing classes are male. More than 75% of […]
Posted inFeatured, Instruction & Curriculum, Opinion, Principals' Corner, Uncategorized
Use Your Holiday Break to Get Political
This summer at my first PSEA Summer Leadership Conference (our union getaway in Gettysburg, PA), I heard what was probably the most interesting speech in years. The president of Student PSEA, a college senior about to begin her student-teaching that fall, talked about politics and education. She said that, while in high school leading up […]
Posted inFrom the Front Lines, Instruction & Curriculum, Stellar Educator of the Week, Uncategorized
Our Stellar Educator for the Holidays: YOU!
Name: You! Years Teaching: Plenty of Years! Specialty: Every specialty under the sun! Congratulations to YOU, our Stellar Educator for the Holidays! This has been a particularly challenging school year so far for teachers around the country. The year started with more murmurings and condemnations of teachers as educators in Chicago and other districts tried […]