I was born and raised in Indiana, and I still reside in Indiana today. One fact about Indiana is at some point the weather will get bad enough to delay or even cancel school. When I was a kid, if school was canceled, days were added to the end of the school year. Now, as […]
Opinion
Posted inAsk a Teacher
Dissing the Family Crazies: A Christmas Story
Ahhhh… the two weeks teachers wait for that never seem to get here fast enough. I was so ready to be done with 2018 I had a collection of white flags hidden in my desk that I found myself waving ever so slightly throughout that last week of school. So as I got off of […]
Posted inAsk a Teacher
Band-Aiding The Mental Health of Our Children
I deal with the most difficult of kids. In all of my years of teaching, I have been called The Pied Piper for Children’s Behavior and a Child Whisperer. But one thing that has never gotten easier is seeing seven, eight and nine-year-old children on medications that can eventually cause more harm than good. [bctt […]
Posted inEducational Apps
Gratefully Addicted to Remind.com
Do you use Remind? I am currently enrolled in fourteen Remind groups. Fourteen may sound excessive, but I am grateful for each membership because it has increased my connection to my students and my children’s school life. In case you are unfamiliar with my favorite technology, please allow me to explain. The Remind App is […]
Posted inFeatured
5 Things to Consider Before Coming out as LGBTQ+ in the Classroom
By: Tory Waggoner I came out to my students as both queer and gender-nonconforming while working in a district just outside of Portland, OR. I was not prepared for the backlash I faced from colleagues, students, and parents. I thought in the liberal mecca of the Portland metro area that I would be relatively safe, but […]
Posted inFeatured
Watch Your Demonstrative Adjectives: Culturally Responsive Teacher Talk
Guest Writer By LaToya Morrison The Adjectives Demonstrative adjectives are simply adjectives that are used to modify or describe a noun. Grammatically, they are necessary so that one knows which specific person, place or thing is mentioned. In the context of language and grammar study, demonstrative adjectives are important; however, in the context of teacher […]
Posted inOpinion
THREE LESSONS On John Marshall’s 263rd Birthday For Living a Better Life . . .
Happy 263rd Birthday Chief Justice John Marshall! On this day little fanfare and even less discussion will center on this national milestone. This is unfortunate, perhaps even a little bit tragic. For when Marshall passed away in 1835 the Liberty Bell was tolled for the last time—in commemorating the sad news the bell was forever […]
Posted inOpinion
Creating Dialogue: Teaching Conversation in the 21st Century Classroom
Like fingerprints, each student comes with their own unique perspective; and on top of that, their perspective will also be influenced by social, cultural and political practices. It is this diversity that makes our lives interesting. When we accept that these differences occur, it gives us the ability to learn, to develop our own ideas […]