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 […]
Current Events in Education
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 […]
Posted inCurrent Events in Education, High School, Instructional Strategies
Biggie Give Me One More Chance…Incorporating Pop Culture in the English/ Language Arts Urban Classroom
Yesterday was the 18th anniversary of the untimely death of Hip Hop Giant Notorious B.I.G. Looking back at this moment in pop history, I still remember what it was like in 1997 when I was a senior in high school learning that one of my favorite rappers was dead. My AP Literature class was abuzz […]
Posted inCurrent Events in Education, Featured, From the Front Lines, High School, Legal, Literacy, Opinion, Uncategorized
Teaching in Kansas: How Much More?
A teacher friend of mine was attending a conference and upon learning that she taught in the state of Kansas, someone asked her the question, “Why would you want to teach in Kansas after all that’s going on in your legislation?” My friend was taken aback by that question, and as she began to form the words to […]