Gather ye rose-buds while ye may, Old Time is still a-flying; And this same flower that smiles today Tomorrow will be dying. The glorious lamp of heaven, the sun, The higher he’s a-getting, The sooner will his race be run, And nearer he’s to setting. It happens suddenly in the course of a teaching […]
Current Events in Education
Posted inAdult Learning
One Future of K-12 Education: From the Factory to a Personalized Model
From the Factory to a Personalized Model If you’re old enough, try to think back to the way teaching and learning was designed 40 or 50 years ago. The teacher was the “sage on the stage.” He or she had the subject information in their mind, and it was up to the teacher to make […]
Posted inTeacher Leaders
Project-Based Learning: A User’s Guide
Over the past several decades, trends in education have come and gone or been resurrected with a new name. “Group work” is now called “cooperative learning.” Teacher-centered learning in the form of lecture and discussion in secondary education has taken a back seat to student-centered learning where students have a greater voice in determining how […]
Posted inTeacher Leaders
It’s Our Fault: A Teacher’s Confession
Imagine 1996, a young girl fresh out of college in the Midwest. She interviews with nearby schools and after the third school she is offered a position to teach in her own small town. This is a dream come true. Energy and excitement fill her as she sets up her first classroom. At this point, […]
Posted inElementary School
#NationalSchoolWalkout Activities for Elementary Students
On March 14th, 2018, teachers, students, and families will participate in a #NationalSchoolWalkout organized by the Women’s March Youth EMPOWER. The walkout is meant to last 17 minutes in protest of congressional inaction after the 17 people murdered at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida. The Parkland shooting seems to have reignited a […]
Posted inConfessions of a Teacher
10 Thoughts During a Failed Lesson
Thought 1: “I like this lesson” It might not be my best, but I’m satisfied with it. It’s educational. It’s collaborative. There’s some entertainment value. It certainly is important to their lives and what we’ve been previously talking about. It’ll be successful. Thought 2: “What the h*#%! is going on here?!” It doesn’t seem like […]
Posted inAsk a Teacher
Using Current Events in Teaching the Executive Branch
As an eighth-grade civics teacher, I am about to start my unit of study on the Executive Branch. To be honest, I’m a little scared. Strike that. I am very scared. “Why are you scared, George?” you may ask. “If you stick to the facts, you’ll have nothing to worry about,” In normal times, I’d […]
Posted inCurrent Events in Education
I Used To Teach on $30,000: Supporting West Virginia and Oklahoma Strikes
Like most college graduates in 2005, I was just glad to have a job in education. Better yet that I was hired at my Alma mater school, nestled in the coal region of Pennsylvania. Here I knew the teachers, the culture, and the community. But I still remember a conversation my uncle, who just retired […]