The time has come for our July 2019 Self-Care Calendar. Please download and enjoy!
Instruction & Curriculum
Chasing the Sands of Time: Why Teachers Stand High in the Stream of History
Once in a while in the midst of life’s serpentine journey, the clockwork of life seems to slow for just a few moments. Something enormous and significant seems to swell within. Until very recently in human history, a person would describe this rare sensation as a rousing of “the soul,” an opening of the heavens, […]
The Summer Migration: Starting a New Teaching Job
It’s time for the summer migration. Do you have a new teaching job? There are some teachers who are already relaxing, enjoying their #TERSchoolFreeSummer without a care in the world. Their classroom materials are put up nicely in their classroom of 3+ years. They already know how they’re going to set up their room for […]
Teachers – Your Impact on Students is Greater Than You Know!
The impact teachers have on students often goes unnoticed. It’s quite amazing and encouraging when you see it with your own eyes. I am writing this article for those of you who have doubts about whether or not you make a difference. I realize my decision to remain in one middle school for my thirty-year […]
The Importance of Cuts in Educational Theatre
You are fourteen years old. You got up the guts to try out for the school play, something you had dreamed of for years but was too embarrassed to do. You also know involvement in school activities looks great on college applications, so you are willing to work hard and give it your all. Perhaps […]
Deep Dive: The case for single point rubrics
Rubrics have fundamentally changed how teachers approach assessing student work. That is a good thing. On the other hand, standard analytical rubrics have not been without limitations. In response, different types of rubrics and strategies for implementing rubrics have emerged. Most recently, variations of a single point rubric have been developed and publicized. Single point […]
Celebrate Pride With Your Classroom Library
Each month, I put up a “Featured Books” display in my classroom library focusing on national awareness or celebrations that take place during that month. For example, National Mental Health Awareness Week takes place in October, so I feature books in my display that deal with mental health issues. June is Pride month, and what […]
Are We Setting Unrealistic Expectations for Administrators?
This week, I was personally dealing with having to acknowledge the unrealistic expectations for someone in my life. While addressing them, I also revealed that I had been trying to live up to unrealistic expectations that someone else set for me…or that I felt were being set without the person ever telling me. It caused […]
