As someone who has lived with the stigma of being labeled a student with a learning disability and the unique experience of having the honor to teach students with learning disabilities, I think I can share with you why inclusion is extremely important and why it’s not always about academic ability. Inclusion, according to […]
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Posted inFeatured, Instruction & Curriculum, Mathematics, Parents
A Parent’s Guide to the Kindergarten Math Common Core
You may have already heard about Common Core. In fact, your student may already be involved with the Common Core Standards. So, as a kindergarten parent, what do you need to know? What will your student be taught? And, what can you do to prepare your student prior to kindergarten? Just to clarify, the Common […]
Posted inFeatured
Courage to Teach—Reflecting on Paradox in Teaching
Professional development is only as good as the level of understanding, application, and synthesis accomplished by the participants. You can learn an amazing amount of information, but if you do not apply this information, and internalize it to restructure your teaching, then it is time lost. The hour and a half spent monthly with my […]
Posted inInstruction & Curriculum
12th-Grade Inquiry Papers on the Topic of Heroes and Monsters
The association of midterm exams with freezing is both literal (I teach in the Northeast) and figurative (many students “freeze up” during an exam), so at the end of this semester, I took one of the writing standards from the Common Core State Standards hoping at the very least to stop the “freeze” in the […]
Posted inBook Review, Elementary School, Featured, Kindergarten, Uncategorized
What Really Matters for Students: A Review of "How Children Succeed: Grit, Curiosity, and the Hidden Power of Character"
The Educator’s Room Book Review: “How Children Succeed: Grit, Curiosity, and the Hidden Power of Character,” by Paul Tough Paul Tough has re-entered the education discussion with How Children Succeed: Grit, Curiosity, and the Hidden Power of Character as a fresh voice in the discussion about student achievement. For us teachers, this discussion can be […]
Posted inFeatured, Instruction & Curriculum, Social Studies
A More Perfect Union: Our Students Will Continue The Quest
This month marks 150 years since Abraham Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation. This year marks 50 years since Dr. Martin Luther King gave his great “I Have a Dream” speech on the Mall in Washington, D.C. that spurred the Civil Rights Movement forward. And this week marks the second inauguration of President Barack Obama as […]
Posted inElementary School, Featured, Instruction & Curriculum, Kindergarten
Differentiating Instruction–Stretching All Learners
Classrooms are a mix of students. They come to us with different experiences, background knowledge, skills, talents, attitudes and understanding. There is no longer the proverbial “middle” to teach. Teachers strive to reteach and reach the lowest students while excelling and pushing the highest students. In between is a mixture of ability levels and good […]
Posted inCharter Schools, Current Events in Education, Featured, High School, Opinion, Uncategorized
Charter School Diaries: The Sex Conversation- Episode 1
In an effort to help new teachers and to give a glimpse of what happens in the classroom, we are going to highlight one teacher’s experiences in a charter school. Recently, the Philadelphia School District has decided to provide many of its schools with condom dispensers due to what they call an epidemic. An impetus […]