I am an Oklahoman, born and bred. And although Oklahoma might not have a beach, DisneyWorld or one of the nation’s historic landmarks, it has amazing people who time and time again have come together to help one another when the rubber meets the road. Having said that, many of us ‘Okies’ were heartbroken when […]
Current Events in Education
Posted inCurrent Events in Education, Elementary School, Featured, Kindergarten, Opinion, Parents
Food For Thought: Breakfast and Student Success
I’m an anomaly. I couldn’t even tell you the last time I missed breakfast. Sure, at 5’11” and 200 lbs, you can say that I haven’t missed many meals lately. However, there is an important educational circumstance that I was placed in to learn just how important breakfast was to student success – and one […]
Posted inCurrent Events in Education, Elementary School, Instruction & Curriculum, Instructional Strategies, Kindergarten, Literacy, Parents
Golden Road to Success in Kindergarten- A Guide for Parents
It’s finally here. The end of Pre-k. The beginning of summer. Kindergarten is coming closer. You’ve waited on bated breath for this moment. Your sweet baby is about to enter ‘big kid’s school’! That rush of happiness is filled with a small ache of ‘what ifs’. What if they aren’t happy? What if they don’t […]
Posted inCommon Core, Current Events in Education, Elementary School, Featured, High School, Kindergarten, Opinion, Uncategorized
Assessing the Damage: What students should know about tests like Smarter Balanced
By Guest Writer Jessica Classen “But I’ve passed all my classes! I mean, I should be able to graduate. Will I have to go summer school? Will I not be able to walk? What happens?” The panic in his voice was clear. Adam, a bright, hard-working junior, was already terrified of the possibility of […]
Posted inCommon Core, Current Events in Education, From the Front Lines
The Best Teaching Happens in the “Worst” Schools
By Jennifer Orr “That’s a good school.” I’ve heard people say that many times. If the speaker’s child attends the school in question, it’s possible they have many reasons for such an assertion. If not, chances are good they are basing the statement on test scores. Test scores are certainly one way to determine the […]
Posted inAsk a Teacher, Current Events in Education, Educational Apps, From the Front Lines, High School, Instructional Strategies, Literacy, New Teacher Bootcamp, Recruitment & Retention, Teacher Branding
#SATCHAT’s Coalition of the Willing Should Be in Teacher Ed Programs
Rather than sleep in, hundreds of educators spend Saturday mornings (7:30 EST) tweeting away on Twitter in discussions with other educators worldwide about current issues in education. The hashtag #satchat takes educators to the discussion selected for that morning. The topics are usually posted by one of the coordinators so that educators can prepare in advance for […]
Posted inCurrent Events in Education, Elementary School, Kindergarten, The Student Teacher Diaries
Student Teacher Diaries: Building Each Other Up
There is always a point in the year when the students have become comfortable with each other and I know. Patience runs out, words develop edges and group work becomes unbearable. I have an activity I pull out each year to help students build each other up and look at each other with grace and […]
Posted inCommon Core, Current Events in Education, High School, How to Fix Education, Literacy, Uncategorized
"I'm Not an Educator, but I Portray One" Experts in Ed Reform
There are advertising campaigns that successfully employ the technique of “advertised ignorance” or “false authority” where an individual proudly declares that he or she is not an expert just before rendering an expert opinion. An example for this form of advertising was from a series of promotions for Vicks Formula 44 cough syrup starring actors who portrayed doctors on popular […]