My favorite class to teach was (and will always be) American Literature. There’s something about teaching the sordid history of our country that gave me not only chills but opened my student’s eyes to the meaning of how literature can shape a country. In anticipation for my new group of flippant juniors who were counting down […]
High School
Posted inFeatured, From the Front Lines, High School, Opinion
Why is He in my Class? Dealing with Difficult Students
We all have difficult students and some are more difficult than others. I have never shied away from a challenging student. I have my “projects” than I am determined to save, even they don’t want to be saved because I believe every child deserves someone who believes in him or her. I am proud to […]
Posted inCurrent Events in Education, Elementary School, Featured, From the Front Lines, High School, Instruction & Curriculum, Middle School, Opinion, Parents, Uncategorized
It's Time Teachers Curb Homework
Yesterday, my wife came home with her laptop bag. Again. And it’s not her fault. After working another 9-hour day, that wasn’t enough. She had to put in a bit more time to finish off a few projects so that they were ready for the clients in the morning. My wife doesn’t regularly do this […]
Posted inFeatured, High School, Instruction & Curriculum, Instructional Strategies
Advantages of Asynchronous Learning
The traditional model of classroom learning usually revolves around whole-class pacing. Asynchronous learning means students learn at their own individual pace – often in a learning for mastery model. In traditional classrooms, assignments are all due on the same day for all students, units are planned to last a set amount of days or weeks, […]
Posted inCurrent Events in Education, High School, Opinion
Is Careerism Robbing Our Children of THE GOOD LIFE?
Another week, another conversation with my newly-minted teenage daughter, Lauren, who has decided that “this time,” yes, “this time I know what I want to do when I grow up.” It’s not just that Lauren has big dreams. It’s that she has so many of them. She wants to live in the mountains and hike […]
Posted inCurrent Events in Education, Featured, From the Front Lines, High School, Instruction & Curriculum, Literacy
Staying Student-Centered in a World Gone Mad over Technology
Guest Writer:By: Eliana Lipsky I am a teacher coach, professional developer, and school consultant for a few Jewish day schools in the Chicago area. I’m also a former classroom teacher who left to get my doctorate in education. I recently attended a one-day conference here with over three hundred fellow educators representing over five Chicagoland […]
Posted inHigh School, Instruction & Curriculum, Literacy, Opinion
That Teacher..How A Teacher Is Remembered
Teachers come in all shapes and sizes. They come from different educational backgrounds, choose to teach at different schools, and teach at different grade levels. Just like there are so many of us, there are so many “that teachers.” That teacher could be bad, just like he or she can be good. Just like there […]
Posted inEducational Apps, Featured, High School, Instructional Strategies
Ten Apps and Websites for Teachers
I am a big fan of work smarter not harder, but I am not a fan of technology. Technology is fabulous when it actually works like it should. That being said, here are a few apps and websites that I have used and had a pretty positive success with. Of course, they may not always […]