They have to read on their own. You should be assigning reading and having them read it, not reading it all to them. That’s spoon-feeding. I have heard this for the past thirteen years I’ve been teaching. When I taught high school English, I would read The Odyssey aloud to my ninth graders, The Great Gatsby to my […]
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Posted inClassroom Management, Featured
Why Emotions Matter in the Classroom
A teacher’s job is about more than just knowledge of content area. At times, it seems that so much of what we do every day has more to do with teaching social skills and everyday life skills than what our subject matter. Is it a waste of time to focus on the emotional well-being of the […]
Posted inCurrent Events in Education, Featured, High School, Social Justice
The Toxic Rewards that Perpetuate our Dropout Rates
Last June, radio station WBEZ in Chicago discovered that Chicago Public Schools had been misrepresenting the number of high school dropouts. The investigation conducted by WBEZ discovered that over 2000 students were counted as “transferred” students when they’d actually dropped out. The story might have been local, but the issue is not. [bctt tweet=”Around the […]
Posted inCurrent Events in Education, Featured
The Troubling Timing of the Tenure Debate
Though Presidential candidate Gov. Scott Walker announced a little more than two weeks ago he would be suspending his presidential campaign, two of his political policies became subjects of national attention. The first was building a wall on the US/Canadian Border, considered ridiculous even by his GOP counterparts; the second, a legislative attack on the […]
Posted inFeatured, Instruction & Curriculum, Instructional Strategies
Thoughts on Grading Part 2: The Grading Scale
Fairness is a battle that is fought in everywhere in the United States. As teachers, we teach about fairness and the difference between what is right and what is wrong. Being aware of bias and unfair situations in the classroom is something I always strive to be aware of and I hope to bring awareness […]
Posted inClassroom Management, Featured, High School, Instruction & Curriculum, Literacy
The Problem of the Chronically Absent Student
It’s not even a month into the school year and already it’s clear that my 7th period has a problem. Overall, they seem like a nice group of kids. They participate, they ask questions, and they are pretty easy to redirect if we get off task…but still, there is a problem. The problem is that […]
Posted inElementary School, Featured, Opinion
What If You Couldn't!? — Shifting our Thinking about Teaching
Going into the classroom to finish up the second decade of my career I still learn. My room and my style are different from that first class 19 years ago, but the philosophy behind what I do has not changed. I believe in active learning. I believe in appreciating differences. I believe every child has […]
Posted inFeatured, Middle School, Parents
Parent Tips: 8 Steps For Surviving Middle School
Middle school can be the most confusing time for students and parents in their educational career. Everything ‘known’ about school is shifting, and hormones are often kicking into gear at the same time. Students want more independence, and parents want to do the right thing. Instead of letting teens ‘sink or swim’, try a more […]