People are raised hearing all kinds of information about themselves from those around them. From a young age, we overhear the conversations our parents have about how great we are at sports, how academically gifted we are, or the kinds of things we struggle with. This constant narration of our strengths and downfalls begins to […]
Child Development
Posted inElectives & Special Areas
Learning to See Through Fine Arts
In high school, I was taught how to see. The best art teacher I have ever had stood in front of the class and gave us the simplest explanation as to why our drawings and paintings did not look lifelike. The images being recorded on our pages were symbols of what we thought pictures should […]
Posted inChild Development
Using Games In the Classroom To Teach Life Principles
We are experiencing a lot of spring thunderstorms here in Oklahoma, which means inside recess. Oh my. Those two words used to swirl me into a completely bad mood, knowing that the kids would want to get caught up in some digital device, which I can’t stand. Or worse yet, would complain that they were […]
Posted inSpecial Education
Sesame Street’s Julia: Changing the Way We See Autism
“Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.” This quote from women’s rights advocate and cultural anthropologist Margaret Mead – could also be Sesame Street’s mission statement. Since its premiere on November 10, 1969, Sesame Street has brought the fundamentals […]
Posted inInstruction & Curriculum
Teaching Empathy with Concrete Examples
“They just want to sleep in their own bed” The first 50-plus days of Donald Trump’s presidency have provoked an intense mixture of anxiety, fear, anger, and urgency for many Americans. As the great-grandson of immigrants who fled anti-Semitic pogroms in Eastern Europe, it’s heartbreaking to see our president close the country’s doors to refugees and […]
Posted inChild Development
Teenage Girl Drama: Breaking The Everlasting Gobstopper
The film Mean Girls is a lesson for anybody teaching, living with, or raising teenage girls. The line between being “popular” and being “Plastic,” as the four main characters are satirized, is no doubt a fine one. Without some adult intervention, it can become an everlasting gobstopper that chokes out the functioning of the classroom. Certainly, […]
Posted inChild Development
The Hazards Of the Accelerated Reader System
I am so fed up with the way our school systems use, or, rather, misuse, the Accelerated Reader (AR) testing system. I work with struggling readers daily, kids who dislike reading because it is challenging for them to do so. I view my job as a teacher to help alleviate the pain of reading while […]
Posted inChild Development
Connecting Motor Skills And Academic Achievement
We know how important it is to allow young children time to just play and be kids. We want them to run, be active and engage in group games that will help hone gross motor and social skills. Play is an integral part of learning for children, and believe it or not there is an […]