One of the greatest resources I’ve ever used in the classroom is the Processing Assignment (or PA). Created by the Teachers’ Curriculum Institute (TCI), the PA is really whatever you or the students want it to be. Let’s examine more on the incredible teaching tool. What is a Processing Assignment (PA)? Simply put, it’s hitting the “pause […]
Featured
Posted inFeatured, High School, Literacy
Finding the "I" in TEAM
We’ve all heard the old adage, “There’s no “I” in TEAM,” implying that we would do better to work together instead of independently forcing the venture upon one’s self. But, what is the usefulness of working as a team? Would we not be more productive if we held our own, stuck to our guns, stayed in our […]
Posted inFeatured, How to Fix Education, Opinion
Want to Fix Schools? Give Teachers More TIME!
A few weeks ago, fellow columnist Jeremy Adams posted an article called “The Magical Solution Illusion,” illustrating how schools, students, and teachers are being pounded by an array of self-proclaimed “saviors” of the education system. I loved the article. He examined our proclivity to move toward change, from increasing class sizes to shrinking them; from […]
Posted inFeatured, Opinion
Dear Santa…
Dear Santa, Well, it’s that time of year again. The end of the first semester. And I am tired. Like, exhausted. Mentally, physically and emotionally. It’s been a long 83 days. And that doesn’t even include the days of school from last January to May or all the time I spent on ‘summer break’ preparing […]
Posted inFeatured, Opinion
Teachers Need to be on the Same Team
“A house divided shall not stand,” and neither will a public school. I am really seeing this issue clearly for the first time this year. At my elementary school, we have begun much more integration of grade levels. Two teachers teach math to three different grade levels, one teacher teaches reading to two grade levels, and I myself have […]
Posted inFeatured, Instruction & Curriculum, Instructional Strategies, Literacy, School Improvement
Putting the "A" in AP
It seems as though everyone is jumping on the AP bandwagon. Schools are offering professional development and a variety of incentives to implement this program. Advance Placement courses are intended to replace freshmen level course at the college level. This allows high school juniors and seniors to receive college credit early. Sounds great, right? Well, […]
Posted inFeatured, Opinion, Principals' Corner
Are You at the Wrong School? 10 Questions to Ask Yourself
Dictionary.com defines a school as “an institution where instruction is given, especially to persons under college age.” But a school is so much more than that for a teacher. It isn’t just a structure housing our profession, it’s where we change students’ lives, root for the sports teams, and call a second home. It’s possibly a place […]
Posted inFeatured
8 Reasons Why Gum Still Has No Place in the Classroom
Have you signed up for The Educator’s Room Daily Newsletter? Click here and support independent journalism! I like to debate the issues with my colleagues, and one debate I had with one of my best of friends was over his choice to allow his 8th-grade students to chew gum. I, on the other hand, am fervently opposed to […]