There were some amazing stories of human courage and compassion that came out of the horrors in Newtown, Connecticut. Teacher Vicki Soto gave her precious young life to protect her tiny first graders. Shielding them from harm was her first instinct and her last act. In the face of terror unimaginable, her instinct to protect […]
Posted inLiteracy
Assessments: Upgrading the Age Old Practice of Letter Writing
Letter Writing: I was excited when my Hungarian pen pal’s letter arrived. The Cold War had ended, and I was curious to know more than textbooks could share about life under communist rule. I savored each letter as if it were a dessert and took great care in sending back a response. My pen pal’s […]
Posted inFeatured, Opinion, The Unemployed Teacher
Courage to Teach—Touchstones
Our first meeting this school year (sometimes called Circle of Trust ®)was like a gathering of old friends. You know those friends you don’t talk with for eternity and when you see each other you pick up like no time has passed? We had lost a few members who had decided to continue the journey […]
Posted inFrom the Front Lines, Opinion
The Gift of Giving: Sabbaticals for Teachers are Needed!
I just read an interesting blog on Surviving Teaching by Cool Cat Teacher, Vicki Davis and John Kuhn’s viral hit, The Exhaustion of the American Teacher. Teacher burnout is a perennial problem. It is impossible to survive with idealism, purpose and dignity intact amid changing mandates, recessions, and media inflamed paranoia about American public education. Public schools do not advertise or […]
Posted inCurrent Events in Education, Featured, From the Front Lines, High School, Opinion, Parents
A Dream Followed: 5 Burning Questions About Running Your Own School
I have been running my own school for nine years now. As you can imagine I have had people asking me tons of questions throughout those nine years. I’ve taken those questions and compiled them into the top five that are always asked. I’m always open to answering questions about my school, how it started and what […]
Posted inOpinion, Uncategorized
Us vs.Them:Why Can’t Veteran Teachers and Teach for America Teachers Get Along?
My colleague made a very interesting comment in our meeting today. He said, “There’s a competition between veteran teachers and T.F.A teachers.” I raised my eyebrows and was intrigued by his comment. We had a T.F.A (Teach for America) teacher in the meeting with us. I’ve never viewed such a competition, but with further discussion, I understood […]
Posted inInstruction & Curriculum
Let's Just Sit Down and Talk! The Socratic Discussion: Creative Implementation of Common Core Assessment
One of the most misunderstood aspects of implementing Common Core standards is that they are about learning goals, not methods. This opens up lots of possibilities for including the standards in assessments across the curriculum. The standards currently include core skills and knowledge in Reading, Writing, and Math. However, the idea is not to limit […]
Posted inFrom the Front Lines, Instruction & Curriculum, Legal, Uncategorized
Do Teachers Have Freedom of Speech?
The First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution guarantees many freedoms. It guarantees the right to publish news (freedom of press), the right to practice or not practice a religion (freedom of religion), the right to request a course of action from the government (freedom of petition), and the right to gather to express your views […]