An Interview With Art Teacher, Jan Barzottini Have you signed up for The Educator’s Room Daily Newsletter? Click here and support independent journalism! As arts programs continue to be cut across K-12 schools, I am reflecting on the importance of arts in education. In “Arts Integration in School: 10 Reasons Why It’s Important,” Sandra Larson […]
Instruction & Curriculum
Posted inPedagogy
How Background Knowledge Supports Reading Comprehension
Essential Components In part 1 of my series on effective literacy, I discussed the Science of Reading, the role of the brain when learning to read, and the importance of explicit phonics instruction when teaching reading. Explicit phonics instruction is critical when learning to read, but word recognition is not the only component that creates […]
Posted inPedagogy
Why I Stopped Using Writing Rubrics
Have you signed up for The Educator’s Room Daily Newsletter? Click here and support independent journalism! In my English and writing courses, I always love to share the following Anne Lamott quote with students: “…writing needs to breathe and move.” To further expand on this quote, I explain that writing cannot be constricted in a […]
Posted inInstruction & Curriculum
Teacher Appreciation Week Deals 2024
In 2024, Teacher Appreciation Week is May 6-10. Teacher Appreciation Day, or National Teachers Day, is Tuesday, May 7. Food Sonic Drive-In is celebrating teachers by offering a free cheeseburger with any purchase, as long as they are enrolled in the SONIC Teachers’ Circle — a free rewards program for educators on the SONIC App. The restaurant […]
Posted inOpinion
Forget College Readiness, We Need Citizenship Readiness
Have you signed up for The Educator’s Room Daily Newsletter? Click here and support independent journalism! When I started teaching high school English twenty years ago, my main focus was on preparing my students for college. It took me years of teaching, parenthood, a graduate degree, and personal distress about our national politics to finally […]
Posted inPedagogy
6 Ways Teachers Can Support Students With Autism
Have you signed up for The Educator’s Room Daily Newsletter? Click here and support independent journalism! Thinking back on my experience as a teacher in a Texas charter school, I cringe at the lack of knowledge I had about autism. It wasn’t covered in my certification program, it was never brought up during our professional […]
Posted inInstruction & Curriculum
Getting Honest About Teaching: An Interview with Honest Teacher Vibes
Have you signed up for The Educator’s Room Daily Newsletter? Click here and support independent journalism! Since the start of the pandemic, many educators have left the classroom or are considering leaving. Many cite poor management, staffing shortage, lack of respect, and class management as their reasons for leaving. Three weeks ago Briana Richardson, the […]
Posted inInstruction & Curriculum
7 Picture Books for Earth Day That Aren’t The Lorax
Each year on Earth Day elementary school teachers across the U.S. pull out The Lorax and other tried and true read-alouds. Many elementary teachers – a group that is disproportionately white women – tend to gravitate towards the books they grew up with. This is a problem. And while there’s nothing wrong with the environmental […]