I had been teaching for two years when my colleague and future husband was named to the 1998 Olympic team to Nagano Japan. It was a classic story. A full time teacher takes a year off from the daily grind of education, transfers that intensity, focus, dedication and stamina into skiing and wins the one […]
Middle School
Posted inCommon Core, Instruction & Curriculum, Middle School, Uncategorized
Perplexed in CT by Recommendations for EngageNY Curriculum
Perplexed: adj. 1. bewildered; puzzled. 2. complicated; involved; entangled. (o _ 0 ) ? I am perplexed as to why this word is on the EngageNY first grade vocabulary list, and again perplexed when I review the first grade units for English Language Arts (ELA) on this website. I am perplexed because I can see that several units in our […]
Posted inFrom the Front Lines, Middle School, Social Studies, Uncategorized
Week 2- Rollout 1:1 iPads- Introducing Aggregators
Last week’s article, “Teaching in the 1:1 Digital Classroom”, focused on accommodating Luddites and iPad enthusiasts and this week is dedicated to keeping routines. I need transitions towards technology to be smooth or learning will be set aside for entertainment value only. Notability is my go to workflow application for editing and downloading class notes. […]
Posted inCommon Core, Featured, Instruction & Curriculum, Literacy, Middle School
Vocabulary Campaigns in the Content Area
While there are whirlwind changes in education such as new evaluation programs, digital devices in school, or flipped classrooms, one element remains constant: vocabulary. In order for students to succeed, they must understand the content area vocabulary in each subject area. “Vocabulary knowledge is fundamental to reading comprehension; one cannot understand text without knowing what most of the […]
Posted inFrom the Front Lines, Middle School, Opinion
Rethinking Discipline
My first teaching assignment was in an urban middle school, where I was fortunate enough to have several excellent colleagues as mentors. I learned to handle most classroom problems myself, reporting only major violations to administration. Here are a few techniques I used during my 30 year career. 1. Have a sense of humor. If […]
Posted inFeatured, Middle School, Opinion, Principals' Corner
7 Surefire Ways to Help Land a Middle School Job
Note: This article first appeared by the author in the book How to Be Successful in Your First Year of Teaching Middle School: Everything You Need to Know That They Don’t Teach You in School (click here to purchase it on Amazon). It is reprinted with the author’s permission. The best thing about my job is, […]
Posted inMiddle School, Opinion, Principals' Corner
Solution: Let Teachers Teach!
Guest Post By Laura Groves [fusion_builder_container hundred_percent=”yes” overflow=”visible”][fusion_builder_row][fusion_builder_column type=”1_1″ background_position=”left top” background_color=”” border_size=”” border_color=”” border_style=”solid” spacing=”yes” background_image=”” background_repeat=”no-repeat” padding=”” margin_top=”0px” margin_bottom=”0px” class=”” id=”” animation_type=”” animation_speed=”0.3″ animation_direction=”left” hide_on_mobile=”no” center_content=”no” min_height=”none”] We’ve all heard the problems. Low scores. Too much testing. Parenting (or lack thereof). But what about solutions? We know there are lots of educational reforms […]
Posted inCurrent Events in Education, Featured, From the Front Lines, Instruction & Curriculum, Middle School, Opinion, Uncategorized
5 Lessons We All Need to Know in Education
This morning as I was embarking on my morning run/walk, I encountered a hill that was in my way to becoming a more confident runner. The sheer enormity of knowing that I would have to run the entire hill was enough to mentally take me out, but something in me kept telling me to “keep […]