There are two types of professional development situations teachers find themselves in. There is the type that excites us and motivates us to be better teachers. The type where you immediately log in to Pinterest to extend the lessons you participated in during the training. Immediately you are on Amazon Prime ordering a book related […]
Instruction & Curriculum
Posted inInstruction & Curriculum
I Wish My Teacher Knew: Beneath the Surface
In April of 2015, Colorado teacher Kyle Schwartz facilitated a writing activity in her third-grade classroom she called “I Wish My Teacher Knew.” Schwartz prompted students to complete the sentence “I wish my teacher knew…” with their own truths, hoping to understand her students on a deeper level. The activity yielded heart-wrenching responses from “I […]
Posted inInstruction & Curriculum
Maintaining a Growth Mindset in a “Gotcha” Environment
On the wall of my teammate’s classroom is a big display about the power of YET! At my school, we focus hard on creating a growth mindset in our students because we know the research says that the brain is malleable. We know that we can change a fixed mindset, or the inability to see the […]
Posted inInstruction & Curriculum
[Season 1: Episode 2]The Truth Behind The US News’ College Rankings.
In Spring 2018, we launched our second podcast entitled, College and Coffee, hosted by Mike Dunn, a College and Career Counselor. Stay tuned for a season of information for parents, students, and other stakeholders. Season 1: The Regular Drip: Episode 2- The Truth Behind College Rankings Mike tackles the issue of rankings and how they can impact a […]
Posted inInstruction & Curriculum
[Season 1: Episode 1] Thinking Positively About Managing Stress Through The College Process
In Spring 2018, we launched our second podcast entitled, College and Coffee, hosted by Mike Dunn, a College and Career Counselor. Stay tuned for a season of information for parents, students, and other stakeholders. Season 1: The Regular Drip: In this inaugural episode, Mike Dunn interviews Stacey Cunitz from The Crefeld School and Blue Moon Educational Consulting […]
Posted inHow to Fix Education
In Defense of Standardized Testing: A Reflection
Standardized testing: just the thought of these assessments strikes terror in the hearts of teachers. If only our students cared as much about how they score on state-mandated tests. Most of the educational literature reflects a negative view of standardized testing, but they serve an important purpose in American education: to indicate teacher effectiveness through […]
Posted inInstruction & Curriculum
Save the Turtles: A Lesson in Teacher Excitement!
By Guest Writer: Rebecca Linam “Don’t step on the turtles!” Mrs. Hays’ voice rang out across the crowded hallway. A dozen students screeched to a halt with another dozen crashing into them from behind. “What? Where?!” one of them asked, panicked. Mrs. Hays pointed to an empty spot on the tiled floor between her […]
Posted inHow to Fix Education
The Dangers of For-Profit Education
Betsy DeVos, the current education secretary, has made headlines again regarding investigations of fraudulent for-profit colleges. On May 13 2018, The New York Times reported that investigations on several for-profit colleges had “ground to a halt”. Many of the team members appointed by DeVos were former employees at those entities being investigated, most notably, Julian […]