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 […]
Opinion
Posted inFeatured
How Humility Is Hurting Teachers
A favorite education professor probably told you that being humble is a trait of an effective teacher. They probably read a 2011 ASCD article about “what makes for an effective teacher” and shared it with their students. They probably also shared the notion that a great teacher continually puts others ahead of themselves. Dave Stuart, Jr. […]
Posted inFeatured
Experiences Matter in Education
I am thankful for my childhood, my family, and all the experiences I have had. I catch myself sometimes making a reflexive mental diagnosis for students who come from broken homes and bad influences.; judgments regarding why work doesn’t get done, why they behave a certain way, and so on. Despite what education attackers want […]
Posted inParents
“RAK” Up Teacher Appreciation Week
Happy Teacher Appreciation Week to our fellow educators! While they’ll hopefully be showered with gifts and praise this week by their school board, community, administrators, students, and parents – we have a project to pitch. We want to make this week not so much about teachers but about the currency of teachers: We want to […]
Posted inAsk a Teacher
4 Unusual Gift Ideas For Teacher Appreciation Week
I walked into my classroom the first morning of Teacher Appreciation Week a bit groggy and bleary-eyed from a terrific weekend – a weekend not spent grading or lesson planning, but instead, spent taking long walks, baking, and digging in my garden. There’s nothing easy about teaching first period English in junior high school – […]
Posted inBook Review
The Secrets of Timeless Teachers: Book Review
The Secrets of Timeless Teachers: Instruction That Works in Every Generation is aptly titled. Great teachers have existed in every age, with every type of technology, and in every nation. It is not the tools that make them great, but rather their form. Such can be said about this book, which is readable for just about […]
Posted inFeatured, Instruction & Curriculum, Opinion
Surviving the Spring “Thing”
Spring Break has come and gone, and every teacher knows what follows thereafter: the Spring “Thing.” The “thing” involves a stretch of days where there are no more holidays until Memorial Day, or in some schools, the end of the year It’s a time when most states dig deep into standardized testing When the “thing” […]
Posted inCurrent Events in Education
10 Reasons Why Teachers Should Host Political Debates
A few weeks back, I examined a hotly contested election for State Senate, and I remarked to a few friends and colleagues that it would be great to host a debate for these candidates seeking the post – and I should be the one to organize it. While all of those folks thought it was a good […]