The inside cover of Amanda Ripley’s book asks the question, “What’s it like to be a child in the world’s new education superpowers?” – namely South Korea, Poland, and – yes, of course – Finland. To accomplish this, she follows the lives of three separate American teens who serve as foreign exchange students there. In […]
Instruction & Curriculum
Posted inInstruction & Curriculum
Hiding in the School Building: Why Lockdown Drills Suck
We had our first lockdown drill today. For anyone unfamiliar with these drills, it’s practice for not if, but when we have an armed intruder in our school. It involves hiding all students away from any windows or doors and locking them in a secure place. If I am being completely honest, these drills make […]
Posted inInstruction & Curriculum
The Value of Boredom: Overscheduled Kids and the Destruction of Childhood
A common conversation among parents: “What fall sport is Sara playing?” “Oh, y’know, the usual. Sara plays field hockey from 3:30-5:30 Monday through Thursday, with games on Fridays. She takes piano lessons Tuesday evening, and voice lessons on Thursdays. On Monday and Wednesday nights, she sees her math and English tutor. We leave the weekends […]
Posted inInstruction & Curriculum
Elementary School Resources to Support #Dreamers
Last week Donald Trump made good on yet another one of his campaign threats, and effectively ended the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, or DACA, program. As you’ve probably already heard, this will end the ability for almost 800,000 young people in the United States to go to work, school, and live, out from the […]
Posted inInstruction & Curriculum
Putting Books in Student’s Hands: How to Make the Right Match
Last week school started and a whole new group of 8th graders filled the desks in my classroom. Besides talking about the syllabus, creating a social contract, and handing out all of the many things parents have to sign, my biggest goal was to get a book in the hands of each student. [bctt […]
Posted inInstruction & Curriculum
Class Meetings: A Strategy to Deal With Disruptions to Your Classroom Aura
The school year is off to a great start. You’ve spent the first few weeks building relationships with your students and creating communities where students can share and feel safe enough to be themselves. Your students are learning about you and your teaching style, while you are learning about their individual learning styles. Everything is […]
Posted inInstruction & Curriculum
What I Learned From My First Five Months of Being a New Teacher
by Javiera Green May 30, 2017, ended my first five months as an English educator. Upon starting my first job on January 4, I never thought the end of the year would come. I have learned so much, especially teaching Title 1 English to freshmen and sophomores. As a new teacher, nothing can prepare […]
Posted inHigh School
It’s Time to Build The Case for More Vo-Tech Classes
A recent PDK poll shows that 82% of Americans support job-skills classes, even if it’s at the expense of academic classes. Additionally, 86% believe schools should offer certificate / licensing programs that lead to jobs. But they’re forgetting one very big thing: this type of education already exists. It’s just that everybody forgets vocational-technical training. And […]