There is no doubt that the neglect of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics – better known as STEM in educational circles – has come at our own peril. Our students’ achievement in mathematics is surely not where other Americans expect it to be, and the comfort of anyone saying “I hate math” is embarrassing. As […]
Child Development
Posted inInstruction & Curriculum
Why Teaching Students to Say “Sorry” Is Not Enough
You’re eight years old, and another student pushes you because they wanted to be first in line. Exasperated, your teacher tells the other child to say “sorry.” “Soooooory,” the child exclaims, rolling their eyes. “Say it like you mean it,” your teacher chides. “Sorry!” the other student yells a little more enthusiastically but still with […]
Posted inPedagogy
Hang Up the Tattle Phone
Have you signed up for The Educator’s Room Daily Newsletter? Click here and support independent journalism! We never thought we’d be Instagram teachers. But here we are, watching our ideas spread on online forums. Social media has given educators an accessible and user-friendly platform to share thoughts about all things education. Without proper funding, professional […]
Posted inCurrent Events in Education
Struggling to Learn: How Decreasing SNAP Benefits Will Hurt Students
Have you signed up for The Educator’s Room Daily Newsletter? Click here and support independent journalism! In the state that I teach in, one in three students depend on SNAP benefits for food. More than half of my state’s students come from low-income households. On a single teacher’s salary, my two children qualify for free […]
Posted inMental Health
Create Sensory Spaces to Support Student Mental Health
Have you signed up for The Educator’s Room Daily Newsletter? Click here and support independent journalism! A Journey to Support Student Social-Emotional Well-Being Recently, our elementary school went on an amazing journey to help find innovative ways to support the daily mental health of our students. The process was an exciting adventure! As a school […]
Posted inCurrent Events in Education
Your Students Deserve a Diverse Classroom Library. Here’s How to Set It Up.
Diverse Classroom Library: Our classroom libraries are in trouble. Just as more teachers are learning that their libraries need books that reflect their student populations, they also have to fight policies at the district and state levels that ban many of these same books from their libraries. Florida, for example, is banning certain materials in classroom libraries […]
Posted inPedagogy
“Let’s Make This Happen”: Following Student Interests to Interest-Based Mentorships
Nothing is more exciting than helping a child find their passion – but are the adults ready? Have you signed up for The Educator’s Room Daily Newsletter? Click here and support independent journalism! In twenty years of helping children, families, and schools harness the power of interest-based mentoring, I’ve seen how it provides transformative educational experiences. Along the way, I’ve […]
Posted inOpinion
The Secret Lives of Young People
How Interest-Based Mentorships Can Transform Education Have you signed up for The Educator’s Room Daily Newsletter? Click here and support independent journalism! Late in the spring of my first year teaching, we paused academic classes and bussed over to an auditorium for something called a “Mentorship Festival.” I had little idea what to expect. At […]