Every plaguing problem needs a caped crusader. When it comes to the burdensome culture of standardized assessment, teachers have found one in Joshua Katz (@jakatz87), the “Toxic Testing Terminator.” It’s been about one year since Katz delivered his TEDx Talk on “The Toxic Culture of Education.” In between then and now he’s run for political […]
Elementary School
An elementary school is a primary school for children between the ages of 5-11 and between the grades prekindergarten and secondary education.
Posted inCurrent Events in Education, Elementary School, English Language Learners, How to Fix Education, Instruction & Curriculum, Languages, New Teacher Bootcamp, The New Teacher Chronicles
Advice for New ESOL Teachers: Communicating with Home
By: Jon Hardy Dealing with parents is a very intimidating part of being a new teacher and the normal hurdles are intensified with parents who don’t speak English, or who are learning English themselves. These families may need teachers to put in extra effort to reach out to students but be unsure how to ask […]
Posted inCurrent Events in Education, Elementary School, Kindergarten, The Student Teacher Diaries
Student Teaching Diaries: Is This For a Grade?
When students enter preschool and kindergarten they are excited by learning. They explore and engage in activities for the sake of what is happening. Teachers set up experiences and lessons that develop skills and provide learning for students. As students progress through elementary school, however, they begin to see the association of work for “a […]
Posted inElementary School, Featured, High School, Instructional Strategies
The Importance of Real-Life Application
I pound the idea of the application of skills and concepts into my students on a daily basis. I always tell them that is no use learning material if they don’t know how or when to use it. Therefore I’m always looking for times where I can show my kids that all of this ‘school […]
Posted inClassroom Management, Elementary School, The Student Teacher Diaries
Student Teacher Diaries: Classroom Management
This weekly series features the observations and experiences of a veteran teacher and her student teacher as they learn together this semester. At the beginning of the year it is important to establish the tone of your classroom. I like to select a theme that ties things together. For the past couple of years I […]
Posted inCurrent Events in Education, Elementary School, Featured, Kindergarten, Parents, The Student Teacher Diaries
Student Teacher Diaries: Parent Teacher Conferences
Twice a year the school system demands we stop and reflect. This is not enough, but I love this time of year when I look at the growth all students have made. Not everyone is where I want them, but it is important to focus on how far students have come in the year and […]
Posted inCurrent Events in Education, Elementary School, High School, Instruction & Curriculum, Mathematics, Parents
Tips for Parents: Change Your Math
I love math! In high school, however, I remember we were asked to show ALL work. There were things I was just doing in my mind that I had never been asked to break down or explain. This was a difficult task, but it made me push myself to understand the process. No longer was […]
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 […]