The Common Core State Standards (CCSS) were released in 2009. They are now seven years old. I will admit that I was not initially enthusiastic about the English Language Arts literacy standards. I felt they were heavy in non-fiction…(no, wait.. heavy in “informational texts”). The CCSS suggested a typical student should have a reading diet filled with informational texts […]
Opinion
Posted inBack to School
Real Teaching Resolutions
So many people make New Years Resolutions, and many of them are broad and unrealistic. Every year I go into the new semester with my eyes wide open and I think about what I can do to improve. What can I do to make my life easier as a teacher in the New Year? Some […]
Posted inCurrent Events in Education
The U.S. Secretaries of Education, A History: Part 2
In the previous article, we focused on the first five Secretaries of Education. So far my advanced evalumetrics have rated them the following: 0 Unsatisfactory, 1 Needs Improvement, 3 Proficient, 0 Distinguished, and 1 Incomplete. How will the next 5 Secretaries of Education pan out? Let’s have a look: The 1990s Richard Riley, the sixth […]
Posted inOpinion
The Good News In Education We’ve Been Waiting For: ‘Capturing The Spark’ – a Book Review
Palo Alto High School English teacher David B. Cohen has done a favor for the teaching profession by writing Capturing the Spark: Inspired Teaching, Thriving Schools. The book pushes back again a tired and prosaic cynicism about the teaching profession that reflexively asserts that American education is in a sad and dilapidated state, soiled by […]
Posted inChild Development
On Being Responsible Adults
I’ve always taught my students that we live in a democracy. We even practice it on a daily basis, voting on anything that needs settling, with a “majority rules” mentality. We also discuss the importance of good sportsmanship- a lot. So suffice it to say that when we have an election, and people begin rioting about […]
Posted inCurrent Events in Education
I Think I Failed You – A Civics Teacher’s Letter to her Former Students
Dear Former Students, I have started this letter a thousand times in my head in the last week. It’s hard to get past the first line: I fear I may have failed you as your Civics teacher. You have probably known me for many years as the one person in your life with unfailing trust […]
Posted inCurrent Events in Education
Will President-Elect Trump be Good for Education?
This past Tuesday, America elected a new President to provide leadership, guidance, and safety for our great country. On January 20, President Obama will spend his last day in the White House, and President-Elect Trump will take over as Commander in Chief for the United States. This is big stuff, considering the difficult election Americans […]
Posted inTeacher Leaders
150 Articles Later: A Reflection on My Time at The Educator’s Room
In October 2012, my local newspaper published “Exhaustion of the American Teacher” by John Kuhn. I remember reading the article once. Twice. Four-hundred times. It simply spoke every frustrated, burnt out end of my professional being. If you haven’t read it yet, please stop reading this article and go there. So, like any curious reader, […]