Guest Writer: Archie Wortham, PhD “Never fight unless you have to. Never fight alone. And never fight for long.” This was advice Fox Connor, best remembered as the man who made Eisenhower. Having taught for most of my adult life, I wondered what makes a good teacher. Having served in the military for 20 years, […]
Ask a Teacher
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Posted inInstruction & Curriculum
Staying Engaged and Motivated Around the Holidays
As teachers, we often talk about ways to keep our students engaged and motivated during the holiday season. With lengthy breaks just around the corner, it can be easy for them to lose steam. But what about for us as teachers? The reality is that teachers, just as much as students, look forward to time off. […]
Posted inAsk a Teacher
Teaching Freshman Students How to Filter Themselves
The Freshman Filter Teaching freshmen students can be a very strange challenge at times. When I started teaching, I remembered that freshman year was one of the changes. I’ll be honest; one of the things that made me want to teach middle school or freshman in high school was the way students in this age […]
Posted inAsk a Teacher
Response To Intervention: One Teacher’s Story
A decade ago, I was the first classroom teacher at my elementary school to complete a round of RTI. The counselor, principal and I went into the process with confusion, determined to get a struggling third-grade student the help she needed. Since those early RTI days, I’ve provided tier II and III interventions and watched […]
Posted inAsk a Teacher
5 Tips For Returning to Teaching after Parental Leave
Ahhhhh…. Maternity Leave. I can remember being nine months pregnant, ready to pop, and filled with pure excitement to be at home with my baby for twelve weeks. Twelve weeks of pure joy. Little did I know what those weeks at home with a new baby would really be like. They are filled with anxiety, […]
Posted inSpecial Education
Making Special Education Work For Everyone
I teach in a mild/moderate special education classroom, meaning that all of my kids are on IEPs and have been placed in my room because they meet disability criteria that my school district recognizes. They are able to attend a regular education classroom for all other subjects besides reading, language arts, math and adaptive behavior. […]
Posted inBack to School
Making Sense of Special Education Paperwork: 3 Systems That Save Me Each and Every Time
I took a new position this year, one where the teaching I’ve been doing is the same, but the paperwork is not, I am a special education teacher in a resource room for kindergarten through third grade. For those of you are new to the special education area (like me) and are literally wallowing in […]
Posted inTeacher Burnout
The Off-Duty Teacher: What I Do to Feel Relaxed and Refreshed
It’s Monday afternoon, you’ve just spent the last 9+ hours on your feet teaching 130 students. You’ve barely had time for lunch and now two hours after dismissal, you’re ready to go home. However, you find that it’s hard to program your time at home because you’re still processing the events of the school day. […]