Now that school has ended, I have the time to reflect on how well writing on my own blog or contributing to other blogs has served as my own professional development for the past 36 months. In writing or responding to a post, I have tried to find links that support or refute a position. I […]
From the Front Lines
Posted inFeatured, From the Front Lines, How to Fix Education, Middle School, Parents, Special Education
Misunderstood: A Mother’s Plea to Educators About Asperger’s (Part III)
In parts one and two of this series, I shared the story of my almost twenty-year-old son and his struggles and successes as a young man with Asperger’s Syndrome. In addition, I offered teaching tips for educators from a parent’s point of view. In this final installment, I will share more suggestions of how to […]
Posted inFeatured, From the Front Lines, School Improvement
Professional Development: One Step at a Time
[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 schools across the United States, teachers have a wealth of knowledge. But that knowledge is not always employed to our benefit as teachers. There are many veteran master teachers in […]
Posted inFeatured, From the Front Lines
Surviving Teach for America: What I Learned from the Corps
[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”] As I just finished my two-year commitment with Teach for America, I cannot help but think back on this journey I have just completed. Never in a million years did I […]
Posted inFeatured, From the Front Lines, Parents, Special Education
Misunderstood: A Mother’s Plea to Educators About Asperger’s (Part Two)
In part one of this series, I shared my story as a mother to a son with Asperger’s Syndrome and my “wish list” for educators who work with such students. Although I am a teacher, my training in working with Asperger’s children was on the job experience, as my now almost twenty-year-old son has struggled his […]
Posted inFeatured, From the Front Lines, Opinion
Dealing With Entitlement
[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”] I just got back from picking up the durable medical supplies that my mom lost in the tornado. It’s been a little over a month since two terrible storms ravaged my […]
Posted inCommon Core, Featured, From the Front Lines, Instruction & Curriculum, Literacy
Dear Common Core: Science Supports Reading Fiction
[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”] English teachers are seduced by literature. We fell in love with an author’s language, a fascinating plot turn, or a well-developed character, and we are bold in our love. While students may roll […]
Posted inCommon Core, Featured, From the Front Lines, Literacy
Up, Up, My Friend…and Quit Your Close Reading!
The Common Core Literacy Standards encourage “close reading”, the careful inspection of a text for analysis, but I believe that the British poet William Wordsworth offers his sly opinion on that practice in one of his poems The Tables Turned. The poem is a plea to the reader to throw down the books with poems […]