[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”] Well it happened last week. I sat down at my table at the end of the day after all the kids were gone, and sobbed. Not just the ‘I-think-I-need-a tissue’ cry, […]
From the Front Lines
Posted inCharter Schools, Current Events in Education, From the Front Lines, Instruction & Curriculum, Literacy, Middle School
Step Up and Teach – Part 2: ELA Writing Standards
Read Part 1 of this series about Reading Standards here. [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”] Princess, my first grader, writes all of the time. One day in kindergarten, after getting into trouble at home, I […]
Posted inCommon Core, Featured, From the Front Lines, Instruction & Curriculum, Literacy
Why Not Teach to the Advanced Placement Test?
The recent invitation to respond to the statement “Don’t Teach the Test” was under discussion in the New York Times: Invitation to a Dialogue series. The question was posed by Peter Schmidt, the director of studies at Gill St. Bernard’s School, and he singled out two tests in particular: the SAT and the Advanced Placement Tests. Schmidt suggested that the SAT […]
Posted inAsk a Teacher, Classroom Management, From the Front Lines, Instruction & Curriculum
Differentiate When Students Dance to a Different Beat
[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”] You are different from anyone else, and you are defined by those differences. So are students. Each student will learn and perform differently in any classroom. A classroom of a hypothetical […]
Posted inFrom the Front Lines
Permission to Mess up the Desk, Granted
If you have a messy desk you’re a genius.
Posted inCommon Core, Elementary School, From the Front Lines, High School, Kindergarten, Literacy, Uncategorized
Take the Test and Sit, Sit, Sit, Sit
An interesting graphic came across my screen this week. The purpose was to call attention to the hours spent testing elementary students by comparing them to the tests for college or graduate school: Standardized testing is not new to schools in the State of Connecticut. Many schools will be using the Smarter Balance Assessment (SBAC) […]
Posted inCommon Core, Current Events in Education, From the Front Lines, Instruction & Curriculum, Literacy
Step Up and Teach – Part 1: ELA Reading Standards
The year is 1996. I take a huge shaky breath and walk into the classroom. Smiling a welcome, the experienced teacher directs me to a small table. Ten small pairs of eyes gather around me, anxious and just as unsure as I am. I open up the teacher manual and read from the script. We […]
Posted inFeatured, From the Front Lines, The New Teacher Chronicles
The New Teacher's Survival Guide: Managing the Workload
Welcome to The New Teacher’s Survival Guide! This is part two of a five-part series. Read the first installment on creating a support network here. It was 6:30 p.m. on a Wednesday – and I was still at school. I was getting better at leaving at a reasonable time—I really was!—but this lesson was […]