Years ago as part of my pastor’s doctoral thesis I had the opportunity to take part in a ‘Spiritual Gifts’ inventory. This was an in depth group about what spiritual gifts were, which was the primary spiritual gift and how to use the gifts. It was no surprise to me that my primary gift was […]
From the Front Lines
Posted inChild Development, Common Core, Current Events in Education, Elementary School, Featured, From the Front Lines, Instruction & Curriculum, Instructional Strategies, Kindergarten, Literacy, Mathematics, New Teacher Bootcamp, Opinion, Parents, Science, Social Studies
Engaging Parents From School To Home
The school to home link is very important to me. Many people view today’s education as starting and stopping in the classroom. Learning is an ongoing process and needs to continue from the classroom to home and back again. But parents tell me all the time that they don’t know how to ‘teach’ their children, […]
Posted inFeatured, From the Front Lines, Opinion
The Power Of A Teacher
I ran into my first grade teacher the other day while shopping. I knew that she had gone on to be a counselor, then retired a few years ago, after 30+ years of service. I would love to be able to say I told her what an amazing impact she has had on my teaching, […]
Posted inCurrent Events in Education, Featured, From the Front Lines, Instruction & Curriculum, Opinion
Encouraging Success In Our Students
Success was always important when I was growing up. I’m an only child, so the pressure was palpable from my parents. They were always pushing me to do better, wanting me to ‘amount’ to something worthwhile. Unfortunately their worthwhile careers were those of a doctor, attorney or highly paid businessperson. Not that of a […]
Posted inCurrent Events in Education, Featured, From the Front Lines, Parents
Cayman Naib: Story of Student Tragedy
[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”] Cayman Naib was an 8th grade student in the suburbs of Philadelphia. He had a smile that linked ear-to-ear. He was a happy kid. He was your typical 13-year-old. But come […]
Posted inCurrent Events in Education, Featured, From the Front Lines, High School, Instruction & Curriculum, Opinion
Breaking The Cycle of Disrespect in the Classroom
I am an Oklahoman, born and bred. And although Oklahoma might not have a beach, DisneyWorld or one of the nation’s historic landmarks, it has amazing people who time and time again have come together to help one another when the rubber meets the road. Having said that, many of us ‘Okies’ were heartbroken when […]
Posted inCommon Core, Current Events in Education, From the Front Lines
The Best Teaching Happens in the “Worst” Schools
By Jennifer Orr “That’s a good school.” I’ve heard people say that many times. If the speaker’s child attends the school in question, it’s possible they have many reasons for such an assertion. If not, chances are good they are basing the statement on test scores. Test scores are certainly one way to determine the […]
Posted inAsk a Teacher, Current Events in Education, Educational Apps, From the Front Lines, High School, Instructional Strategies, Literacy, New Teacher Bootcamp, Recruitment & Retention, Teacher Branding
#SATCHAT’s Coalition of the Willing Should Be in Teacher Ed Programs
Rather than sleep in, hundreds of educators spend Saturday mornings (7:30 EST) tweeting away on Twitter in discussions with other educators worldwide about current issues in education. The hashtag #satchat takes educators to the discussion selected for that morning. The topics are usually posted by one of the coordinators so that educators can prepare in advance for […]