I knew I wanted to be a teacher in my Junior year of high school. This goal drove every one of my academic moves. The strengths of Education programs rooted in my college search. I sought summer jobs and extra-curricular activities imitating teacher-like roles. My holiday breaks volunteering with teachers: grading, organizing, decorating, and planning. […]
From the Front Lines
Posted inAsk a Teacher
Opinion: Why Teachers Shouldn’t Write Curriculum
The word “curriculum,” as it pertains to education, can include everything from the materials used to teach our students to the planned learning experiences. If we think of the Common Core standards as the academic destination for our students (the “what” we want them to know and be able to do), our curriculum is the […]
Posted inClassroom Management
Three Changes to Make to Your Teacher Language This School Year
The way we speak to our students holds more power than we think. Our tone and word choice can either motivate our students or make them recoil in anger and frustration. The language we use can also be ineffective and won’t get us the desired results in our classroom. I realized I needed to work […]
Posted inBack to School
How to Prepare for Your Best Year Yet (Self-Care Edition)
As I walk in Target (for no reason at all) to mindlessly scroll the candles, I am stopped in my tracks. I can’t believe what I’m seeing! The colorful, seasonal display for Back to school is set up. All I can do is shake my head at the reality that summer is ending (particularly here […]
Posted inInstruction & Curriculum
Shaking Up Short Stories
Summer break is running out for many school districts around the county, and teachers are slowly starting to get back into planning mode. For secondary ELA teachers, that means digging out the short stories they will be teaching this year. Many teachers use short stories to teach Reading standards with the idea that students can […]
Posted inInstruction & Curriculum
The Boutique Schools Of Our Future
This past week I spent a few days at Northeastern University for a doctoral residency in the program I’m currently studying under. Part of this experience was spending a day interacting with the NExT community: A group of schools dedicated to Innovation and experiential learning as part of their mission. I learned about programs such […]
Posted inAsk a Teacher
Thanks For The Compliment, But I’m Not A Superhero
Until I became an educator, I never imagined superheroism influencing my professional life. Thus far, my teaching career has been marked by the release of several Avengers, Fantastic Four, and Justice League films. I have taught many a super superhero fan and acquired my own taste for the superhero genre through my fourth graders’ enthusiasm […]
Posted inFrom the Front Lines
5 Things Teachers Don’t Want to Hear During Summer
The school year is exhausting. Teachers put so much effort into their day to day interactions with students, but also into their PLCs, curriculum, and interactions with administration and parents. When summer break finally rolls around, there are some things we simply do not want to hear until August. “You’re so lucky to ______” This […]