“Never shall I forget that night, the first night in camp, which has turned my life into one long night, seven times cursed and seven times sealed. Never shall I forget that smoke. Never shall I forget the little faces of the children, whose bodies I saw turned into wreaths of smoke beneath a silent […]
Instruction & Curriculum
Posted inInstruction & Curriculum
Our Kids’ New Normal
I have taught through a lot of shootings and other horrible events, both local and national. The first major shooting I remember helping my students through was Sandy Hook, though other incidents had put us on lockdown previously. The fear was palpable. They wanted reassurance for days afterwards. They had the same fear after the […]
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Stuck Like Glue: What Curriculum Adherence Can Do for Your Classroom
By: Jade Porsche The curriculum in my state is in its third year. It is a good curriculum—it’s rigorous, in-depth, and prepares students for the end-of-the-year state assessment with what we call “LEAP like” tasks and academic vocabulary. It gives teachers “Teacher Notes,” creates all the graphic organizers, supplies quizzes, and even give sample student […]
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Water those marigolds! Watch those experienced educators bloom!
In 2003, I made a career leap by changing school districts. I had been in a comfortable position, with eight years teaching middle school social studies in a wealthy suburban school. However, I needed a change. I did not want to teach in a single classroom, in one building, investigating a particular topic for thirty-four […]
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FIVE Ways Modern Teachers Are Being Set Up For Failure
Why are so many American teachers being set up to fail? As a mid-career classroom teacher, my hopes are relatively simple. Really. I want to teach my subject to receptive, well-behaved students in schools with a clear and consistent academic mandate that are safe, well-funded, and nestled within a broader culture that respects the professionalism […]
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American Teachers: Take Off Your Identification Badges; Take Back Your School!
I began my teaching career in 1995. I had no experience with school resource officers, exterior doors at most schools were unlocked during the day, and metal detectors were used only in extreme cases. Then on April 20, 1999, the Columbine tragedy changed the conversation about the nature of schools and about the youth of America. The perpetrators […]
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THREE LIFE LESSONS On John Adams’s 283rd Birthday
Until quite recently, John Adams has been the most underappreciated Founding Father. Thanks to the extraordinary efforts of historians such as David McCullough, Joseph Ellis, and Richard Brookhiser, not to mention HBO, this sad relegation is slowly vanishing from the nation’s psyche. It has been replaced, instead, by a sturdy and scholarly appreciation for the […]
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Why is The Positivity Project Making My Kids So Negative?
Have you heard about the Positivity Project, sometimes referred to as “P2?” Maybe you have seen the hashtag: #OtherPeopleMatter? Or possibly you have seen an adult or child wearing a green shirt or hat with the positivity project logo? The Positivity Project, started by two West Point-trained military veterans, was not initially about schools, but […]