Today marks the 129th year that Punxsutawney Phil (well, maybe the 30th version of him) will come out of his burrow to either see his shadow or not, declaring whether winter will be extended by 6 weeks, or whether spring is pending. However, after today, there’s still 20 more weeks of blizzards to endure. They […]
Opinion
Posted inFrom the Front Lines, Opinion, Uncategorized
There's More To a Student than Just A Number
I was so angry. How could anyone just give up on a child because of a number! Let me back up. Way back to this past summer. Bear with me. I tutor during the summer. I had a family contact me about tutoring their foster children, a soon-to-be first grader and a fifth grader. They […]
Posted inCurrent Events in Education, Featured, Instruction & Curriculum, Opinion, Science, Social Studies
The Challenger Disaster: Revisiting a Lost Teacher, 30 Years Later
[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”] For many of us teachers, January 28, 1986 was a tough day. Why? We lost one of our own. Christa McAuliffe, social studies teacher at Bristol High School in New Hampshire, […]
Posted inCurrent Events in Education, High School, Opinion
Is Careerism Robbing Our Children of THE GOOD LIFE?
Another week, another conversation with my newly-minted teenage daughter, Lauren, who has decided that “this time,” yes, “this time I know what I want to do when I grow up.” It’s not just that Lauren has big dreams. It’s that she has so many of them. She wants to live in the mountains and hike […]
Posted inCurrent Events in Education, Featured, From the Front Lines, Opinion, Parents
"I'm Looking For…" On Mispronouncing Names, A Teacher's Guide
This week on Twitter, the hashtag #growingupwithmyname has release an outpouring catharsis from people all around the world whose name is a bit… different. Whether it’s a(n): -Spelling of a name – Justin Bieber jested that “he’d be a millionaire” if he had a $1 for every time someone spelled his name wrong. -Pronunciation of […]
Posted inCurrent Events in Education, Opinion, Principals' Corner, Uncategorized
A Chicago Teacher's Dream
The system I work in, Chicago Public Schools, is in trouble. I realize that Chicago’s education problems need a book to explain, not an article, but I will attempt to summarize it. The governor of Illinois, Bruce Rauner, wants CPS to declare bankruptcy. The mayor of Chicago, Rahm Emanuel, says “No-no-no!” but he has done […]
Posted inHigh School, Instruction & Curriculum, Literacy, Opinion
That Teacher..How A Teacher Is Remembered
Teachers come in all shapes and sizes. They come from different educational backgrounds, choose to teach at different schools, and teach at different grade levels. Just like there are so many of us, there are so many “that teachers.” That teacher could be bad, just like he or she can be good. Just like there […]
Posted inFeatured, From the Front Lines, Instructional Strategies, Literacy, Opinion, The International Teacher, The Traveling Teacher
Taiwan English Teaching Assistant: Things I Learned in My First Five Months of Teaching
from Kinmen, Taiwan It is almost time for us to go on our 2 ½ week vacation for Chinese New Year (Spring Festival) and I wanted to share some things I learned in my first few months of teaching English in Taiwan. Think inside the box– In my first month of teaching I felt pressured to […]