Have the teacher dreams started? Does your heart pound when you see the school supply section at Target? While you’re relaxing on the beach, have you defaulted to lesson planning over novels? To help calm your nerves, I’ve compiled notes about five top things every teacher should do before school starts – and guarantee you’ll […]
New Teacher Bootcamp
Posted inAdult Learning, Instruction & Curriculum, New Teacher Bootcamp, The New Teacher Chronicles
Summer Reading For Teachers: How To Fly A Horse
One of the most engaging and sometimes infuriating side effects of being a teacher is that we see connections to teaching in the world around us all the time. We are constantly aware of how a trip to the museum or the beach could be a field trip, how TV shows portray school and teachers […]
Posted inAdult Learning, Featured, Instruction & Curriculum, New Teacher Bootcamp, The New Teacher Chronicles
Dispelling Myths about Teachers
“Stop being such a martyr.” “All these teachers do is whine about how bad they have it.” “It is your choice to put so many hours in. No one is forcing you to do all this.” And my favorite, “You knew what you were getting into.” Yes, I write about the realities of education and […]
Posted inFeatured
Educational Consultants..The Case for More Teachers
We’ve all been there. An educational consultant comes into your school for professional learning and all you get is a glorified PowerPoint Presentation full of strategies you’ve already used that don’t work. You leave the meeting angry that once again forty-five minutes of your time was wasted just to garble up a bunch of acronyms. […]
Posted inFeatured
6 Ways for Teachers to Earn Some Extra Money From Home
It’s the summer and many teachers are thankful for a short break to recalibrate and refocus for the upcoming school year. We are no longer confined to using the restroom in under 30 seconds or eating lunch in 20 minutes. We have actual time to plan and execute our plans for the upcoming year. Despite […]
Posted inInstruction & Curriculum
Can Teachers Give Up Power and Keep Their Authority?
When I started teaching in 2007, I came in with very democratic ideals. I wanted my classroom to be a place where kids’ voices were honored. But as a first-year teacher with just seven weeks of training to prepare me, I was totally unequipped to make this vision a reality. At the end of that […]
Posted inCurrent Events in Education
Teachers Must Take on Trump
As a teacher, I’ve always felt pressure to keep my personal political views out of my classroom. In fact, in New York City’s public schools the Chancellor’s Regulations which lay out a wide range of rules, regulations and policies, explicitly forbids teachers from mixing any sort of political activity with their teaching. But lately, it’s become […]