I have not taught Latin for three years so when I was asked one week before the start of this school year to add Latin to my full load of high school Literature classes I felt a bit overwhelmed. In addition, I was told the class consisted of middle school students whose abilities ranged from […]
Featured
Posted inClassroom Management, Featured, Opinion
Classroom Battle Tips: You Can Win the War
We all struggle with classroom management at some point in our careers. Some years are better than others for me. These are common problems I have gone through and these are the comebacks I use that seem to work for me. I cannot promise they will work every time, but I can promise that if […]
Posted inCurrent Events in Education, Featured, From the Front Lines
The Petri Dish Is Real: Staying Healthy During the School Year
Dr. Charles Gerba, a microbiologist at the University of Arizona, conducted a 2008 study regarding the germiest jobs in America – and the worst offender was not a sanitation worker, a doctor, or a bank teller – though they all ranked in the top 10. The germiest job in America is that of a teacher. […]
Posted inFeatured, Instruction & Curriculum, Literacy
Labor Day Informational Text: “Work is a Blessing” from This I Believe
Of all the national holidays, Labor Day is the most passive. It floats as the first Monday in September. It lacks a symbol, a song or ritual, but maybe that is not so strange for a holiday established to be a collective celebration of rest. Labor Day is set aside to recognize the importance of labor in our lives. That sentiment […]
Posted inCurrent Events in Education, Featured, Instructional Strategies
Bilingual Education: Good For Everyone… and Dangerous Too
Recently The Educator’s Room posted an article for discussion on bilingual education from the Washington Post. The article asked “Why is bilingual education good for rich kids but bad for poor, immigrant kids?” Bilingual education, if you’re not familiar with the term, is teaching a second (or third, or fourth) language through content area instruction […]
Posted inFeatured, Instruction & Curriculum, Instructional Strategies, Literacy
Close and Critical Reading: Author’s Craft
This post is the second in my series on strategies for teaching students to do Close and Critical Reading (CCR). The first post defining it is here. The next one, about strategies for teaching summary, is here. The second CCR question is How does the author say it? Students need to understand what rhetorical devices are and […]
Posted inFeatured, Instruction & Curriculum, Middle School, Technology
The Classroom as a Transformative Space
Every educator I know spends time setting up their classroom designing the use of space to be aesthetically inviting, with little to no assistance, little to no training. That first connection with students is so important, the room they walk into tells them if they are safe, if they can be inquisitive or if they must […]
Posted inFeatured, Instruction & Curriculum
11th Grade Teachers Unite: Beyond Just Departments
We have been in school a few weeks now and my juniors are experiencing the reality of actually having to study, balance club and athletic activities, and complete homework. They are beginning to drown because they are not used to it so desperation sets in. Our chemistry teacher picked up AP essays from a few […]