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 […]
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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 […]
Posted inFeatured, Opinion
Mixing Teaching and Marriage
[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”] Love and Marriage is a common topic, but what about Teaching and Marriage? There are many, many things college does not prepare you for when you enter the field of education. […]
Posted inCurrent Events in Education, Elementary School, Featured, Kindergarten, Opinion
Because We Know: The Art of Teaching
Teaching is truly a calling. There is a part somewhere deep inside of teachers that make them a teacher. It collects, learns and synthesizes what is best for kids. The research, methods and strategies are only proven tools that allow the heart of the teacher to have these tools use as a vehicle to teach. Companies and […]
Posted inFeatured, Instruction & Curriculum
Summer Reading Challenge, Read More Than Books
Change that paradigm! Reading should not be books alone. Summer reading time is my true professional development, experimenting with genres and digital literacy tools set aside during the busier terms of the year. I organize my reading hours similar to the organization of my running workouts. Workouts are separated into distance, easy, tempo, interval, and races while reading is […]
Posted inCurrent Events in Education, Featured, Technology, Uncategorized
Bus Fare – The View from ISTE2015
[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”] In the day- and-a-half I have spent at the International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE) Conference in Philadelphia, I have come to a troubling, but inescapable, conclusion: Money Is An […]