The looming presidential election this fall provides the kismet to see our last four years through the standard “Are you better off now than you were four years ago?” while posing that same question to ourselves as public educators: Am I, as a teacher in America, better off now than I was four years ago? […]
Instruction & Curriculum
Posted inInstruction & Curriculum
The Scaffold and The Lift: Differentiation to support every student
In a single school day, teachers make approximately 1,500 decisions. If, in one 45-minute class period, a high school teacher makes roughly 218 decisions as they teach, then they have only a short window of time to create lesson plans, update grades, upload assignments, write emails, and perform other tasks that can distract attention from […]
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The effects of holistic review on college admissions
COVID-19 swept the globe in 2020, resulting in the most profound disruption in the history of education through widespread school closures. Although the full extent of its effects continues to be understood, the immediate consequence on student learning was evident as we quickly recognized the shortcomings of remote learning. Studies consistently show the pandemic led […]
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Unlock the Power of Data: Your invitation to a transformative virtual summit
Feeling frustrated with data in your classroom or school? Our upcoming virtual summit, Data in Education, is designed to change that. We’ll help you transform data from a source of stress into a source of power, leading to better teaching, improved student outcomes, and smarter decision-making. What to expect at the summit: Is this summit […]
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Home Visits: Building a classroom family in Room 18
Last summer, I attended an educators’ conference focused on building a positive climate and culture in schools. The conference offered a variety of break-out sessions addressing topics such as engagement, retention, cultural competency, and relationship-building. What are home visits? I quickly noticed “home visits” as a commonly discussed practice at the conference: educators visiting the […]
Posted inInstruction & Curriculum
Collaborative Teaching? Evidence tells us it works
I came to the United States to teach during the height of the pandemic, where all students and teachers were teaching and learning online. It is in this platform of teaching, where I experienced daily interaction and collaboration among my colleagues on how to navigate teaching through the virtual world as this was something new […]
Posted inInstruction & Curriculum
Use Holidays to Teach Apostrophes
One thing students – and adults, for that matter – struggle with is the use of apostrophes. It’s difficult to watch people of all ages butcher the proper use of this fickle piece of punctuation, but it seems to baffle those young and old. A simple way to teach apostrophe usage is to use holidays. […]
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The Bullied Teacher
Bullying has received increased attention in the past few years. Administrations have placed harder and clearer rules against student bullying, clubs, and organizations have formed in schools to address bullying, and legal actions have taken place against students who have bullied other students to the point of self-harm. Bullying, as we well know, can take […]