This is the first in a series on school choice. I am beginning this series of articles with my home state of Pennsylvania where I taught for 30 years and where I have firsthand experience with school choice. The PA Charter School Act School choice came to Pennsylvania through the PA Charter School Act of […]
Current Events in Education
Posted inCurrent Events in Education, Featured, Opinion, Uncategorized
Dealing With Dress Code Conflict
One of the most politically charged policies for high school students is dress code, and for good reason. As students enter this stage of their lives, they’ve blazed past adolescence and want to be treated like adults. According to Erikson, they’ve also entered the psychosocial stage of Identity vs. Confusion, trying to find their place […]
Posted inCurrent Events in Education, Featured, From the Front Lines
The Petri Dish Is Real: Staying Healthy During the School Year
Dr. Charles Gerba, a microbiologist at the University of Arizona, conducted a 2008 study regarding the germiest jobs in America – and the worst offender was not a sanitation worker, a doctor, or a bank teller – though they all ranked in the top 10. The germiest job in America is that of a teacher. […]
Posted inCurrent Events in Education, Featured, Instructional Strategies
Bilingual Education: Good For Everyone… and Dangerous Too
Recently The Educator’s Room posted an article for discussion on bilingual education from the Washington Post. The article asked “Why is bilingual education good for rich kids but bad for poor, immigrant kids?” Bilingual education, if you’re not familiar with the term, is teaching a second (or third, or fourth) language through content area instruction […]
Posted inClassroom Management, Current Events in Education, Featured, Opinion, Principals' Corner
Principals, Here’s What Your Teachers Need From You
I’ve been pretty fortunate – in my 10 years in the classroom, I’ve had some stand up and stalwart principals. Beginning with my principal during student-teaching and all the way through my current principal, I’ve come to learn three important characteristics that are present in all great school leaders: Great principals have an open door […]
Posted inCurrent Events in Education, Instruction & Curriculum, Uncategorized
Trusting Teachers Creates Truly Successful Schools
I am lucky. As these final days of summer tick away, I find myself, like many teachers, preparing to return to my classroom: reviewing curriculum, revamping lessons, and revving my recharged engines. However, I’m not doing this on my own. I have the fortune of working in a collaborative, creative environment with teachers from around […]
Posted inCurrent Events in Education, Featured, From the Front Lines
Pulling Back the Curtain: The Realities of Teaching
“Pay no attention to that man behind the curtain,” stammered The Great and Powerful Oz upon his discovery in 1939 classic The Wizard of Oz. Oz ran the dream city as an ordinary man, yet was seen as all-powerful by his city. But when the curtain was pulled back the real conversations began. Teachers today do more […]
Posted inCurrent Events in Education, Featured
A Profession Dependent on the Generosity of its own Employees
This week begins the 4th Annual RedditGifts for the Teachers. While the website reddit.com is often in the news for its more controversial communities, it is a vast discussion site that hosts thousands of independent conversations. One thing it is best known for are its organized gift exchanges in which tens of thousands of people around […]