Like most boys his age, my 11 year-old son is a gamer. He plays a myriad of video games, and together, he and I are avid tabletop gamers. His gaming life is full of colorful characters, mysterious landscapes, adventure, challenge, triumphs, and, yes, lots of failure. But no matter how much failure he encounters, […]
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Posted inFeatured
NO MORE YELLING AT STUDENTS!
It’s loud. I’m tired. I’ve tried getting these 35 students under control 3 times already this hour. I’ve had enough! Do your work! Pay attention! Listen to me! It’s time to go to the principal’s office! A recent article in The Guardian has labeled yelling as “emotional child abuse,” and it’s opened my eyes to […]
Posted inFeatured, Literacy, Parents
The 5 Things Every Parent Can Do to Help their Child Become a Better Reader in Elementary
At the beginning of the year, I found a simple and truly wonderful idea for my Open House/Meet the Teacher day. I set about putting it into place: a parent wish jar. All it really is are slips of paper that parents can fill out with their wish for their child. I figured these parental […]
Posted inCurrent Events in Education, Featured
For Richard Martin
[fusion_builder_container hundred_percent=”yes” overflow=”visible”][fusion_builder_row][fusion_builder_column type=”1_1″ background_position=”left top” background_color=”” border_size=”” border_color=”” border_style=”solid” spacing=”yes” background_image=”” background_repeat=”no-repeat” padding=”” margin_top=”0px” margin_bottom=”0px” class=”” id=”” animation_type=”” animation_speed=”0.3″ animation_direction=”left” hide_on_mobile=”no” center_content=”no” min_height=”none”] I’ve thought of Martin Richard often this week. He was the eight year old boy who died in the blast at the Boston Marathon finish line. Eight year old boys were […]
Posted inCurrent Events in Education, Featured, From the Front Lines, Middle School
Teaching "At Risk" Children: Advanced Placement Classes Saved My Life
I can remember sitting in my Advanced Placement (commonly referred to as AP) classes throughout high school and counting on one hand how many girls who looked like me were in the class. Sometimes there would be one or two, but more than likely it was just me and just maybe one more girl in […]
Posted inAdult Learning, Featured, Instruction & Curriculum, School Improvement
Gaming as the Future of Learning: The Truly Epic Win [Part 1]
What if the future of learning is not measuring student achievement in high stakes standardized testing? What if, instead, the future of learning is in the magic of a great game? Ever since the 1983 “A Nation at Risk” report on the American education system, policymakers have consistently insisted that more and more high stakes […]
Posted inFeatured, Uncategorized
Staff Loungin' Podcast and the Zombie EDpocalypse
By:David Pluscauskas Hi, I’m Dave Pluscauskas, I’m a teacher from Scarborough, Ontario, Canada. I’m also the founder of the Staff Loungin’ podcast and I am very excited to be sharing my podcast with The Educator’s Room. Staff Loungin’, the podcast where teachers talk about teaching and eat their lunches while they do it, was born […]
Posted inFeatured, Instruction & Curriculum, Languages, Middle School
Poesía en la clase de Español
“¡Otra vez!” My students were so used to hearing these two words (another time) in between choral recitations of our daily poem that it had unfortunately become a bit sing-song as they mimicked me. Pick your battles; I thought . . . here I stood, in front of 26 eighth graders as we recited a […]