In a series of new efforts, the U.S. Departments of Education and Labor announced to expand Registered Apprenticeships for educators and invest in teacher preparation programs. The efforts focus on a key focus area of the Department of Education’s Raise the Bar: Lead the World initiative to improve learning conditions by eliminating educator shortages. “Teacher apprenticeships are […]
Posted inInstruction & Curriculum
Reframing the First 6 Weeks of School from a Student Buy-In Perspective
Years ago, as an education major, I took copious notes on the importance of “the first six weeks of school” to increase student buy-in. There are even entire books written on the weight these initial weeks carry. As a hopeful, fresh-faced 21-year-old, I fully bought into the magical school year one could have if you […]
Posted inBack to School
Five Ways to Increase Parent Involvement in Schools
I am fortunate to be uniquely positioned to be both a parent and a teacher. As a high school and college instructor, the world of elementary education is extremely new to me. I am also a mother who has jumped into the new terrain of raising an elementary-age child with neurodiversity. The boundless questions and […]
Posted inConfessions of a Teacher
Lebron James’ I Promise School: Test Scores Don’t Always Tell the Whole Story
With the recent headlines about the failing state test scores of students in Lebron James, I Promise school, many point their proverbial “blame and shame” fingers. There is so much to unpack in the negative light painted in the focus on the fact these upcoming eighth graders “hadn’t passed the math portion of their state […]
Posted inAsk a Teacher
Houston ISD to Eliminate or Repurpose Librarians at 28 Schools
In a move that shocked parents and went against previous administrations, Houston ISD Superintendent Mike Miles announced earlier this summer that librarian and media specialist positions would be eliminated at the 28 underperforming schools being overhauled under his reform program, New Education System (NES). According to the Houston ISD website, The New Education System Schools […]
Posted inAdult Learning
Teaching Hacks for Teachers with ADHD
People with ADHD are notorious for bad memories, object permanence issues, executive functioning failures, hyper-fixations, and more. According to the National Institute of Mental Health, for adults with ADHD, “daily tasks such as getting up in the morning, preparing to leave the house for work, arriving at work on time, and being productive on the […]
Posted inEnglish Language Learners
The Headlines About Student Reading Levels are Sobering, But There’s Hope if We Change the Conditions
This morning I opened my laptop, and in my inbox, there were two article titles on reading levels that immediately gave me anxiety. Hear me out. What Teaching Secondary English/Language Arts Used to Be Like As a former High School English teacher, my goal was to make my students think critically about the world around […]
Posted inOpinion
Opinion: While Zuckerberg and Musk Battle, Educators Should Be Wary of Their Advertisement
Zuckerberg and Musk are battling over rival social media platforms right now, and let me say right away that I’m not much of a fan of either. While Musk seemed content to sell us Teslas simply, he’s now in the business of Twitter. Zuckerberg, on the other hand, has been attempting to market share his […]