Ahhhhhh….. Christmas break. I’ve been waiting for this vacation since October when the honeymoon phase of a new school year began wearing off and the realization of ‘normality’ set in. This break allows me time to reflect, piece my weary self back together and recall some of the craziest things that parents have said this […]
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Posted inCurrent Events in Education, Featured, Opinion, Parents
Winning Back Public Opinion, One Conversation at a Time
For teachers, Christmas and holiday break is probably getting old – if only because of the discussions had with others. Typically these things go negative pretty quickly, since the general public has delved into a disregard for educators through simplified generalizations as lazy (“must be nice to have the summers off”), union-thug (“must be nice to […]
Posted inElementary School, Featured, Instruction & Curriculum, Instructional Strategies, Mathematics
Dear Elementary Math Teacher: I Need You to Know…..
Dear Elementary Math Teacher, Teaching math can be a rewarding experience because elementary teachers mold students’attitudes towards math that will last well beyond the elementary school years. Trust me when I say, I know sometimes it can be difficult to teach math to students who do not have the number sense or the prerequisite skills […]
Posted inESOL, Featured, Instruction & Curriculum, Instructional Strategies
The Four Benefits of Bilingual Education
Language is a subject matter of much controversy in our country. Are you “American” if you speak another language? Well, many of our students come from homes where the parents do not speak English, so regardless of whether or not you think all Americans should speak English, the fact remains that we are a country […]
Posted inElementary School, English Language Learners, Featured, Instruction & Curriculum, Languages, The International Teacher
Diaries of an English Teaching Assistant in Taiwan: Christmas is Love in Action
During the writing workshop that I facilitated last Friday, a participant shared with me that she’d almost committed suicide, but that one of her best friends had helped her out of depression to find happiness. To this day, Macy (name given to protect her identity) is determined to become a social worker, so that […]
Posted inFeatured, Instruction & Curriculum, Instructional Strategies, Mathematics
Integers: Adding and Subtracting the Easy Way
Teaching integers can be very frustrating to students. Early in my teaching career I found that many of my students found adding and subtracting integers to be very difficult. I tried teaching the rules and learned that everyone (including me) was frustrated. I began to realize that one problem was that for most children, negative […]
Posted inFeatured, From the Front Lines
What My Second Graders Have Taught Me- A First Semester Reflection
Well, I can officially say that I survived my first semester of teaching. I’m not sure that if I had climbed Mount Everest I’d feel much different. Averaging about five and a half hours of sleep a night, I have to thank Starbucks for helping me through the days where caffeine was my only hope […]
Posted inCurrent Events in Education, Featured, Opinion, Professional Development
An Educator's Checklist: 16 Things To Do in 2016
We’re halfway through the second decade of the 21st century, and, with it, we have much to look forward to: 1.Gaining a fresh start – singer Brad Paisley is credited with saying, “Tomorrow is the first blank page of a 365-page book. Write a good one.” Far too often we need a breaking point. Sometimes […]