Gratitude is being thankful, showing appreciation and returning kindness. Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa and other holidays celebrated in the December can find a connection to gratitude. Thoughtfully teaching this habit in our classrooms can bring traditions together during the holiday season. Edutopia has a post about helping students reflect and a gratitude journal. As I am thinking […]
Instruction & Curriculum
Posted inFeatured, Instruction & Curriculum
5 Things They Don't Tell You in College About Teaching
After spending 4 years in college, you would think that you would know everything there is to know about teaching. Unfortunately when you break it down, 2 years of undergrad and 2 years of career focused training doesn’t fully prepare you. Now that I have been out of college and am well into my 8th year […]
Posted inInstruction & Curriculum, Mathematics
Accessible Math for Elementary Students AND their Parents
I saw a post on Facebook this week about “Common Core Math.” The idea of the post was if you add 4 apples and 5 oranges you will get an orange haired monkey. Sigh! There is not a perfect curriculum and I don’t believe we will ever know the motivation behind the standards, but they are […]
Posted inFeatured, From the Front Lines, Instruction & Curriculum, Opinion
Don't Be THAT Teacher: Make a Positive Impact Instead
[fusion_builder_container hundred_percent=”yes” overflow=”visible”][fusion_builder_row][fusion_builder_column type=”1_1″ background_position=”left top” background_color=”” border_size=”” border_color=”” border_style=”solid” spacing=”yes” background_image=”” background_repeat=”no-repeat” padding=”” margin_top=”0px” margin_bottom=”0px” class=”” id=”” animation_type=”” animation_speed=”0.3″ animation_direction=”left” hide_on_mobile=”no” center_content=”no” min_height=”none”] It happened the other day. One of my ‘friends’ on Facebook had a birthday. I was wishing her well, on her page, when I noticed another person she was friends with. […]
Posted inInstruction & Curriculum
The Political Educator
I became a political educator early in my career. I was hired after a 3 week strike over an increase in class size to between 40 and 45. I was hired as one of many new teachers to lower class size when the union and school board decided to extend the old contract. Unfortunately, just […]
Posted inClassroom Management, Featured, How to Fix Education, Instruction & Curriculum
Coping with a Different Child
Each class has one, that quirky child who just can’t seem to fit in. Even the nicest kids aren’t sure how to handle them. I could be a psychological issue, a hygiene issue, the desire to cling to everyone, the OCD boss, or the super-social ADHD student who just cannot be quiet. As adults, we […]
Posted inInstruction & Curriculum, Instructional Strategies, Special Education
Teaching with Music: Why it Works
When I play a Flocabulary video, my students groan, but then sit back in their seats and start bobbing their heads to the beat. The mega-minds that started that website now really made a gold mine out of that company. Teaching with music? Genius! I knew when I began teaching seven years ago that my students […]
Posted inCommon Core, Elementary School, Featured, Instruction & Curriculum, Middle School, Social Studies
Teaching Strategy: Adding Primary Sources to Elementary Social Studies
I don’t care which television news channel you select – I hate them all. Why? There are a variety of reasons. For one, they are all emotion, little fact. They focus on sound bites instead of the whole speech. They care way too much about celebrity and not about the common person. Most of all, […]