One of the driving forces behind the advancement of bubble-test tyranny in our school systems today is the concept of data-driven decision-making. Back before we tested every student in every subject on almost every day of the year, cigar-chomping school administrators just pulled decisions out of their backsides and hoped they worked. They threw the […]
Posted inElementary School, Parents, Uncategorized
Parent Teacher Partnerships Provide the Best Literacy Opportunities
I admit becoming a parent made me more aware of what I loved and feared in education. I went through an intense stage of self awareness when my daughter entered kindergarten. Her excitement to learn was attributed to her teacher with 30+ years experience who was engaging, entertaining and organized. Transformation in my own teaching […]
Posted inAsk a Teacher, From the Front Lines, Instruction & Curriculum, Uncategorized
{Ask a Teacher} Help! I Need Materials for My Classroom!
Question #3 What’s a good way to find materials for my classroom? I teach high school social studies but the problem is that there are not enough books in the school for every student so I have to supplement. I mainly teach Government/American Civics. Can you find me some good sites to get activities, tests, […]
Posted inFrom the Front Lines, Opinion, Parents
Making an Impact-How Influences Shaped My Teaching
I am daily reminded of how much of an impact I have on my students. For instance, I have a parent who is always in a hurry to drop off their student. This parent doesn’t stop to look at poetry I have displayed on the wall or work that has gone home with great big stickers and […]
Posted inElementary School, Featured, Opinion, The Unemployed Teacher
Substituting – The Not-Quite-Teaching of Teaching
One of the new adventures I’ve embarked upon since my layoff in 2011 is substitute teaching. Many unemployed teachers I’ve spoken to have been substituting for a very long time, sometimes half a decade or more, waiting to get back into a permanent position. Substituting can be one of the worst – or best – situations in which an […]
Posted inFeatured, Uncategorized
What are the 3 Shifts in Common Core in ELA/Literacy ?
There are few words in the field of education that can evoke the range of emotions that the words common core can. When those words are mentioned there are people who literally balk at the thought of changing, revising, and revamping standards while others nervously peer over the educational reform landscape, scared to say anything […]
Posted inFrom the Front Lines, Stellar Educator of the Week
Tracey S. — Stellar Educator of the Week!
[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”] Name: Tracey S. School District: West Contra Costa USD Years Teaching: 9-10 years Specialty: Special Needs Students Tracey has the distinction of having been nominated by two separate colleagues! We are […]
Posted inInstruction & Curriculum, Mathematics
First in Math and Reflex Math: A Program Comparison
There are many mathematical software programs available to schools and students. I have been lucky enough this year to initiate some action research in my classrooms of two different software programs: First in Math and Reflex Math. First in Math (www.firstinmath.com) was developed by Robert Sun, an entrepreneur born in Shanghai and […]