Happy 160th Birthday to President Theodore Roosevelt. The most famous speech Roosevelt ever delivered is one that should be etched into the mind of every American student. Why? Because his particular brand of wisdom is one that is desperately needed by an American citizenry that often finds itself hopelessly adrift. For young people asking themselves […]
Instruction & Curriculum
Posted inInstruction & Curriculum
Abandoning the Factory Model of Education
Guest Writer: Paige Satcher How often do we walk by middle, high school, or college classrooms with students sitting perfectly still in neatly aligned rows, eyes fixed on a textbook or on a teacher in the front of the room? How often do we see those teachers whose classrooms are always pin-drop silent and whose […]
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When Tariffs Impact Schools
“Is the faculty meeting in the cafeteria, or the auditorium?” I ask two of my colleagues, who both give me smiles filled with bemusement. “We don’t have an auditorium,” comes the reply followed by a resentful chuckle. How could I forget that the auditorium is no longer operational and that an entire wing of a […]
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A Conversation with Dr. Jeff Butts, 2019 Indiana Superintendent of the Year
Superintendent Dr. Jeff Butts was recently named the 2019 Indiana Superintendent of the Year by the Indiana Association of Public School Superintendents (IAPSS). He is the superintendent of the Metropolitan School District of Wayne Township, a school district on the west side of Indianapolis. He will represent Indiana in the National Superintendent of the Year competition. […]
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YA Books for Mental Health Awareness
October is Mental Illness Awareness Month. October also happens to be National Bully Prevention Month with the 11th being National Depression Screening Day. (World Suicide Prevention Day was September 10) To honor this, my Classroom Library display and all my book talks for the month focus on mental illness, wellness, ways the brain […]
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I Am a Female Educator in America and I am Triggered
I have been a nervous wreck lately, watching this Brett Kavanaugh fiasco go down. In a profession that is majority female, I know I can not be alone. It wasn’t until I was watching Lady Gaga on Stephen Colbert that I think I understand what is going on with me, and why it’s so hard […]
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The Power and Limits of a Growth Mindset
Like a lot of teachers, I’ve been spending a lot more time thinking and teaching about growth mindset lately. In recent years, growth mindset and its companion, “grit,” have pretty much invaded every educational space. In fact, you can find plenty of articles and resources related to growth mindset right here on The Educator’s Room. […]
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Celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month with Book Talks
Over the past five years, I have built my classroom library from just 104 books to over 1100 high-interest young adult literature spanning from realistic fiction to nonfiction to fantasy & sci-fi to historical fiction. While I routinely do Book Talks each week–among other things–to get kids interested and engaged with my classroom library, I […]