Reading interventionists, educators, administrators, and publishers have a terminology problem. In contrast to many educators, we in the field of reading have come to accept the normalized use of terms that are not student- and family-positive. They are terms that have emerged from therapeutic approaches to adult addiction. In the context of the teaching of […]
Instruction & Curriculum
Posted inInstruction & Curriculum
LGBTQ+ Students Need Advocates, Not Tolerance
As Pride Month comes to a close, we should consider the needs of our students who are members of the LGBTQ+ community. To be sure, these students have needs that go unmet daily. Considering how homogeneous and patriarchal most curricula are, we have a long way to go to equitably represent the LGBTQ+ community. Rather […]
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When You Can’t Reach Every Student: A Different Type of Teacher Guilt
As we close out this school year, I feel overwhelmed with a different type of teacher guilt. Like everything else during this forced time of distance learning, the pandemic has exaggerated many teachers’ missions of the need to reach every student somehow. When we know that we have put forth the Herculean effort, when we […]
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Equity Check: Changing Our Teaching Practices in Literacy
Reading and writing are essential tools for success in life. Imagine how you would survive, make a living, or even make purchases at the grocery store without basic reading and writing skills. In order to be successful in today’s technology age, students will need to know how to communicate on all platforms. Students will need […]
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Students Are Coming Back to School: How Can We Engage Them Post-Pandemic?
Back to School: I saw online that hand sanitizer is 70% off at Target, which seems akin to a groundhog poking its head above the soil to marvel at Spring’s arrival. What’s the significance of discounts at Target? Well, a discount on hand sanitizer is symbolic of the pandemic nearing an end. Vaccines were so […]
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Teacher Burnout and The Pandemic: The Impact to Mental Health
In 2020, the world was taken by surprise as COVID-19 shut down everything. On March 11, a pandemic was declared by the World Health Organization, resulting in global changes and restrictions. Stores closed, restaurants resorted to take out only, airlines closed flights to need basis only, most businesses converted to either online-only or closed their […]
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Self-Efficacy is the Link to Student Achievement
Every year, students cross into my classroom, and I spend a year educating them on the topics we are told to instruct. We spend time learning their names, their stories, and their lives. As the year progresses, we assist their education with interventions and different strategies for academic success, but how often are those […]
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Surviving The End of the Year: Dealing with the Pre-Summer Slump
I recently went on a local Instagram page and saw a post that commented on how long the last months of school are. When I saw it, I stopped scrolling for almost 10 minutes, re-reading the words, which led me to reflect on my journey this past month. May was a trek, but this year […]