Teachers, I beg you to help me show them: All students deserve the benefits of a poem; You don’t have to teach English to know That students learn from the form and flow That only a poem can provide. Indeed, our creativity comes alive Whenever we’re forced to reason and rhyme; It doesn’t matter which […]
Featured
Posted inCurrent Events in Education, Featured, High School, Recruitment & Retention, Series, Uncategorized
Recruitment and Retention Part 3: Incentivizing the Best to Teach in High Needs Schools
[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”] A friend of mine, we will call him Mark, was considering teaching in two different charter schools this past spring. He had a clear first and second choice. However, his second […]
Posted inFeatured, Instruction & Curriculum, Literacy
Celebrate National Poetry Month – Summarize With a Poem
Teachers of all subjects, grades, and walks of life Don’t treat poetry like you’re holding a knife! This is Poetry month – help it to come alive By using poetry to summarize! How can you use poetry in class this month? Just a few suggestions: Have students work vocabulary words into a poem Have students […]
Posted inFeatured, High School, Principals' Corner, Recruitment & Retention, Series, Uncategorized
Recruitment and Retention Part 2: To Keep the Best Educators, Focus on School Leadership First
[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’m blessed to work at the Soulsville Charter School. Our parents are fantastic, our facilities first rate and our student’s motivated and hard working. Yet it would all fall apart were […]
Posted inClassroom Management, Featured, Instruction & Curriculum, Middle School, School Improvement
Gamify your Class without Electricity
Class Dojo, Socrative, Nearpod, Zondle and Play Brighter dominate most conversations about gamification in education. This focus on technology and apps automatically alienates some teachers: “I don’t have any computers in my room, so that leaves me out!” However, it is possible to gamify your class in the absence of any technology . . . […]
Posted inFeatured, High School, Recruitment & Retention, Series, Uncategorized
Recruitment and Retention Part 1: The Need to Retain and Recruit High Quality Educators
[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”] One of my colleagues, we’ll call her Sharon (not her real name), taught for two years in a high performing charter, and she loved it. Whenever we got together, all I’d […]
Posted inCurrent Events in Education, Featured, From the Front Lines, Opinion
10 Myths and Facts about Teacher Unions
I admit that I sign up for education haters’ email lists, and one thing that seems to be trending is differentiating truths and myths. Most recently in the cross hairs are teachers’ unions. It’s time you heard from someone in the field about some honest truths. Myth 1: Teachers are forced to join unions Fact: […]
Posted inClassroom Management, Educational Apps, Featured, Instruction & Curriculum, Literacy, Middle School
Classroom Library Management: Organize Your Investment!
After 18 years of teaching, I have an amazing classroom library. I also realized that since I’m not working on a ‘Dewey Decimal System’ it’s very difficult to locate specific books when I need them. I have my library organized into three different groups: theme books that align with my teaching for the year, picture […]