Warning: This article does contain spoilers for the movie, Eighth Grade The movie, Eighth grade, is the most realistic portrayal of a socially awkward middle school girl I’ve ever seen. The movie follows Kayla (played by Elsie Fisher) through the last few weeks of her 8th grade school year as she prepares to start high […]
Instruction & Curriculum
Posted inInstruction & Curriculum
Reading and Writing Volume Counts
Volume is its own goal. The more we read and write, the better we read and write. That doesn’t mean volume alone leads to excellence. It doesn’t. But progress without volume is almost impossible. Last winter, I was privileged to attend the regional ELA teacher’s conference in Missouri called Write to Learn. Two of the […]
Posted inInstruction & Curriculum
Bringing Project Based Learning to our Classroom
Entering my twenty-third year of education I know there is more. I have been through basal reading, whole language, memorization of facts, conceptual mathematics, hands-on science and many teacher manuals more of “best practices”. The pendulum swings back and forth while teachers and students try to keep afoot and learn. So this year I have […]
Posted inInstruction & Curriculum
What Teachers Get Versus What They Need
I love being a teacher. I know it is my calling. It can be frustrating when you know what you need to be a successful teacher, but you receive something else. Here are a few things teachers get, versus what they really need. What teachers get: No professional development choice What teachers need: Self-selected professional […]
Posted inInstruction & Curriculum
Keep the Engagement Alive: Start the Year with Purpose
Today’s elementary classroom is an active community. This is a great thing as kids are active learners; however, for teachers, this activity can be overwhelming. It is important to think about organizing your activity to make it through the year successfully. Teaching expectations at the beginning of the year will increase engagement all year long. […]
Posted inInstruction & Curriculum
Know Your Rights: Colin Kaepernick and the Human and Civil Rights Award
I’ve never been a huge fan of football. It always seemed unnecessarily violent, even barbaric, to me. After a 2017 article in the New York Times revealed that 111 former NFL player’s brains were donated to science after their deaths, and 110 of them were found to have C.T.E., the “degenerative disease linked to repeated […]
Posted inHow to Fix Education
The Importance Of Early Intervention
I am a huge advocate for early intervention. Unfortunately, my district doesn’t always share the same philosophy. In my experience, students who are having difficulty in first and second grade (even some students in kindergarten) can be identified and remediated with the right supports. We are doing a huge disservice to children and families by […]
Posted inSpecial Education
The Importance of Communication For IEP Students and Parents
I realize that I am a little on the eccentric side. I like it there, without the boundaries and regiment of the real world. And since I see things from a different perspective than most I also enjoy some things that many teachers find to be less enjoyable. One of those things is IEP meetings. […]