[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”] Ko Olina, Hawaii I write these words in the midst of what teachers fantasize about all year: a mid-July Hawaiian vacation with my family. I am currently looking out on a […]
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Posted inAdult Learning, Classroom Management, Current Events in Education, Featured, High School
First Day of School Tips from a Teacher
After nine years of teaching and eighteen “first days” due to semester schedules, I still get butterflies. Weeks before school I wake up with nightmares and think of scenarios that will never happen. One of the many joys of teaching. There are different ways to handle the first day of school, in fact Harry Wong […]
Posted inCurrent Events in Education, Featured, Professional Development
Melinda Gates: “We Must Celebrate Teachers”
[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 have been very privileged this week to attend the national Elevating & Celebrating Effective Teaching & Teachers (ECET2 – pronounced “eeset two”) Conference. I have been inspired and rejuvenated […]
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Making Department Meetings Productive
Our prep periods are precious. They are the few moments of the day when we can enjoy adult interaction, possibly eat, grade papers, and lesson plan. If you are an elementary school teacher, I know you do not have any time to yourself. This is why department meetings need to be quick and efficient. I […]
Posted inCurrent Events in Education, Featured, Instructional Strategies, Middle School, Uncategorized
Teachers in the United States Are NOT the Problem
For more years than I like to think about teachers in the United States have become the issue in determining why U.S. students do not perform as well as their international counterparts. The reason that there has been little success in turning our public schools around is that teachers are not the problem and until […]
Posted inClassroom Management, Current Events in Education, Featured, From the Front Lines, High School, Parents
The Trials of Junior Year
Junior year in high school is considered the most difficult year for a variety of reasons. Here are reasons why and ways to help your 11th grader not only survive their junior year, but also feel accomplished. 1. Coursework. Junior year curriculum is difficult. American Literature, American History, Chemistry, and Algebra II are the core […]
Posted inFeatured, Instruction & Curriculum, Literacy
Remembering to Find the Good: Meaningful Feedback for Students
We English teachers read hundreds, if not thousands, of papers a year. And, let’s be honest, quite a few of them make us cringe. We see lack of parallel structure, run-ons, awkward phrasing, and semicolon attempts gone horribly awry. We see weak theses, unrelated details, and missing conclusions. We want to scream, “Did she even […]
Posted inCurrent Events in Education, Featured, Professional Development
Who Were the Experts at ISTE2015?
By: Susan Barry So there I was, pausing to survey the displays around me at ISTE2015 last week, when I felt a tap on my hip. “Excuse me, miss, would you like to see my project?” A young man, jaunty in his navy-blue jacket and rep tie, stood iPad in hand, ready to […]