So, it’s directed reading time. I have my readers grouped according to ability and the groups are reading different books, which I have geared toward the students in the particular groups. I have a group who collectively love animals, so we are reading Trouble According to Humphrey. I have another group who are mostly boys […]
From the Front Lines
Posted inFeatured, From the Front Lines, Middle School, New Teacher Bootcamp, Opinion, Technology
Classroom Technology: When you Can't Beat Them, Join Them
I am not a technically savvy person. At. All. I’d rather use a dry erase board than my smartboard. I’d rather hand write notes than type them. How a land line phone works fascinates me. My smart phone freaks me out. I have two iPads and several laptops available to my class to use on […]
Posted inCommon Core, Current Events in Education, From the Front Lines, Instruction & Curriculum, Languages, Literacy
What Common Core ELA Is Doing For Me
“When we are no longer able to change a situation, we are challenged to change ourselves.” ~Victor Frank I think it is exciting to see the changes coming with the Common Core State Standards Initiative, especially with regard to English Language Arts. I have been learning how these standards will impact my students; it is […]
Posted inFrom the Front Lines, Stellar Educator of the Week
Melodie R. – Our Stellar Educator of the Week!
Name: Melodie R. School: Orange County Public Schools (FL) Years Teaching: 5-6 years Specialty: English/ Language Arts, Science, Mathematics, Social Studies Congratulations to Melodie R., our Stellar Educator of the Week! Melodie is currently an ESE teacher, but is certified in Middle Grades Curriculum ESOL, English and Elementary Ed.  She was nominated by one […]
Posted inCharter Schools, From the Front Lines, Uncategorized
Charter School Diaries #4 – Order in the Court
Working in a school, I’ve learned that there is so much more that happens during the day time than just actual instruction. The instruction of children in the center of what we do as educators, yet everything else going on that surrounds instruction sometimes gains more attention than it should. More often than not, the budget gains […]
Posted inInstruction & Curriculum
They’re Not Digital Natives, They’re Digital Tourists!
To all those who claim that all students today are digital “natives,” I beg to disagree. Digital natives are defined as those people who have grown up using technology daily beginning in the 1960s, but the term is more commonly used to describe those born in the 21st Century. According to the PBS Frontline Website, Digital Natives […]
Posted inFeatured, From the Front Lines, Uncategorized
4 Ways to Make Your PLC Meetings More Productive!
The quickest way to send any teacher into a frenzy is to make us sit in an ineffective PLC (professional learning community) meeting. We’d rather grade a million essays, meet with an irate parent or even hear nails scratched on our chalkboard–anything but another meeting that tells us how to use graphic organizers. After […]
Posted inFeatured, From the Front Lines, Instruction & Curriculum, Literacy, Opinion
What Are We Accelerating in the Classroom?
As teachers we know how important it is to encourage reading in our classrooms, no matter what subject we teach. We equate reading success to lifelong success all around. As teachers we also know how incredibly busy our days are and how difficult it can be to meet children’s needs who either need daily remediation […]