Guest Writer:By: Eliana Lipsky I am a teacher coach, professional developer, and school consultant for a few Jewish day schools in the Chicago area. I’m also a former classroom teacher who left to get my doctorate in education. I recently attended a one-day conference here with over three hundred fellow educators representing over five Chicagoland […]
Current Events in Education
Posted inCurrent Events in Education, Featured, From the Front Lines, Instructional Strategies
The Learning Academy..What is it? Why Do We Need It?
As a teacher, I get my best ideas in the shower. I mean literally as I’m letting the steaming hot water hit my face, the lightbulb in my head goes off and (ding, ding, ding) I have to try this new idea. A couple of months ago this happened after repeatedly getting ten to fifteen […]
Posted inCurrent Events in Education, School Improvement, Uncategorized
Crisis In Flint = Disaster For A Generation Of Students
When hearing news about the financial issues of major cities in the United States, headlines often point to Camden, Cleveland, St. Louis, and, of course, Detroit. Countless articles have been published about the downturn of these formerly bustling hubs. Detroit alone has garnered international development attention from planners looking to avoid such collapses in the […]
Posted inCurrent Events in Education, Featured, Legal, Opinion
Friedrichs v. CTA – Supreme Court Hears a Major Education Case
Today (Monday, January 11, 2016), the Supreme Court will hear the case Friedrichs v. California Teachers Association (CTA) in what could be a pivotal moment educators, their unions, collective bargaining, and fair share fees. In case you haven’t heard of this case, the crux of the issue is that 9 teachers in California are suing their union to […]
Posted inCurrent Events in Education, Featured, High School, Instruction & Curriculum, Instructional Strategies, Literacy
Controversy: Addressing Challenging Topics in Your High School English Class
On August 9, 2014, Michael Brown, an unarmed Black teenager, was killed in the streets of Ferguson, MO. On August 11, just two days later, school was scheduled to begin. As I watched the story unfold over the weekend, I was met with an anger and frustration I had not experienced since Trayvon Martin was […]
Posted inCurrent Events in Education, Featured, Opinion, Parents
Winning Back Public Opinion, One Conversation at a Time
For teachers, Christmas and holiday break is probably getting old – if only because of the discussions had with others. Typically these things go negative pretty quickly, since the general public has delved into a disregard for educators through simplified generalizations as lazy (“must be nice to have the summers off”), union-thug (“must be nice to […]
Posted inCurrent Events in Education, Featured, Opinion, Professional Development
An Educator's Checklist: 16 Things To Do in 2016
We’re halfway through the second decade of the 21st century, and, with it, we have much to look forward to: 1.Gaining a fresh start – singer Brad Paisley is credited with saying, “Tomorrow is the first blank page of a 365-page book. Write a good one.” Far too often we need a breaking point. Sometimes […]
Posted inCurrent Events in Education, Featured, The International Teacher, The Traveling Teacher
Precision is the Key: My Experiences as a Fulbright Teaching Assistant in Taiwan
At JinNing Elementary School, there are no custodians. I arrive on my bike each morning around 8:15 to find students, from pre-school to sixth grade carrying out their daily morning cleaning chores, frolicking throughout the school yard raking leaves, mopping floors, or collecting trash. It’s funny to see the students playing in the sudsy […]