People are raised hearing all kinds of information about themselves from those around them. From a young age, we overhear the conversations our parents have about how great we are at sports, how academically gifted we are, or the kinds of things we struggle with. This constant narration of our strengths and downfalls begins to […]
High School
Posted inCurrent Events in Education
The Argument for Multi-Grade Classrooms in Today’s Schools
The idea behind having a variety of ages, or grades, in one classroom, should not be a foreign concept. On any given day, most adults interact with individuals from an assortment of populations: family members, co-workers, neighbors, service personnel, teammates, etc… Rarely outside of schools do you see individuals grouped based on a specific age. […]
Posted inOpinion
From (AP) Hell to (Oxford) Heaven and Back: A Summer Confession
34,000 Feet – Somewhere Over the Atlantic I was utterly crushed. There is absolutely no other word to describe it. On the eve of my last day of a magical family holiday, I got the bad news. For the second year in a row my AP scores were disappointing…VERY disappointing. In the wake of last year’s […]
Posted inHigh School, Instructional Strategies, Teacher Leaders
The Student Who Can, but Won’t
Every teacher is told that they must teach to all learning styles, that they must follow 504 plans and Individual Education Plans (IEPs), and that they are responsible for differentiating assignments so that all students can learn equally. What if a teacher does all of these things, but a student simply won’t learn? Believe it […]
Posted inHigh School
Project Archaeology Leadership Academy
Summer is not only a time for reading and gardening. It’s a time for professional development. This week, I have been attending a program called Project Archaeology Leadership Academy (PALA). Project Archaeology is a national educational organization that is run in partnership with the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and Montana State University. Educators, museum […]
Posted inHigh School
Curbing Student Failure
Students facing failure is one aspect of teaching that we are familiar with. The term “failure” can take on many meanings depending upon the age of the student, course, and whether we mean earning a poor grade or not making satisfactory progress required to meet the class expectations. There are many signs that a teacher […]
Posted inHow to Fix Education
The STEM Revolution in Higher Education
I just got back from a fascinating conference about the state of STEM in U.S. schools, sponsored by U.S. News and World Report! I was compelled by the idea of a STEM revolution in higher education; as a middle school teacher, it really didn’t occur to me that colleges would be reacting in a similar […]
Posted inInstruction & Curriculum
Teaching the Environment in the Social Studies and Humanities (and Everywhere Else)
When we get close to the end of the year I like to leave my students with a bit of reflection for the future. In a matter-of-fact and “non-preachy” way, I tell them that the most crucial issue that their generation will inherit is the environment. In fact, despite what students hear from many political […]