Last year, I wrote to the Glendale Unified school board urging a bell-to-bell ban on smartphones. Since then, the landscape has shifted in ways that sharpen the argument. The Los Angeles Unified School District rolled out its own ban in February 2025 and lessons learned have now accumulated. Gov. Gavin Newsom’s Phone-Free School Act requires every California district to […]
Instruction & Curriculum
Posted inInstruction & Curriculum
If We Don’t Teach Students How to Use A.I., We Teach Them How to Cheat
The first time a teacher spoke to me about their student’s use of A.I. in the classroom, they said, “The students are using A.I. to cheat!” My question was, “ How do you know?” The teacher’s response was, “they just copied it word for word from their computer and pasted it to their paper. Look, […]
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The Morning Meeting Remix: What Happens When Someone Else Runs Your Routine
I Almost Missed It I had a parent meeting this morning. By the time I slipped back into the classroom, morning meeting was already underway — my support teacher at the front of the room, my students gathered on the rug, and my routine unfolding without me. I almost kept walking. Instead, I stopped at […]
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Gratitude Tour: Sheila Ray Cooper
Sheila Ray Cooper and I met in the first grade at Giffin Elementary School in South Knoxville, TN. She was Sheila Ray in those days and was one of a handful of friends with whom I attended school from 1962 to 1975. I admired her friendliness most of all. Even though she toppled me every single time in spelling bees and […]
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Learning to Slow Down and Let Students Lead the Learning
In a world driven by rigid pacing guides and shifting benchmarks, classrooms often feel like a race toward a moving finish line. Many educators believe constant instruction equals real learning. Silence can feel uncomfortable. Yet, that quiet space may actually be where students begin thinking, questioning, and forming their own understanding. However, the most profound […]
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What Is Speech Language Pathology?
What Is Speech Language Pathology? Communication is the cornerstone of daily interactions, shaping your personal, social, and professional life. Central to the field of communication disorders lies Speech Language Pathology (SLP), a discipline focused on diagnosing and treating a wide range of speech, language, and communication challenges. This article explores the essence of Speech Language […]
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Teaching Across Borders and Possibilities: The Global Vision of Dr. Angello Villarreal
In classrooms across America, educators often speak about the power of representation, belonging, and resilience. Few embody those values as fully as Angello Villarreal, a scholar, teacher, and community leader whose journey from Peru to New Jersey classrooms reflects the transformative potential of education itself. Dr. Villarreal teaches at Freehold Township High School and RAISE […]
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The Power of Connection: Lessons from the Teachers We Never Forget
It surely takes little effort for most of us visiting The Educator’s Room to conjure up memories of favorite teachers and in our imaginations picture them in their classroom kingdoms. Mr. Hemphill is the teacher I see, a square-built man with thinning sandy-colored hair, who always wore a tie and white shirt with its sleeves […]