Some people think when kids can read for themselves they don’t need to be read aloud to. I could not agree less. I read novels to my second graders daily. In my classroom, there were moments when we just couldn’t settle. I would call everyone to the rug and pick up our novel. The class […]
Opinion
Posted inFeatured, Opinion
A Living Memorial
This last Memorial Day Sunday, our preacher spoke of the past. Do you know the name of your great-great-great grandmother? How about your great-great-grandfather? Do you know the name of your great-grandmother? Who was your grandma? While our family lineage is long, it does not take many generations to forget the names. I do not know the […]
Posted inFeatured, Opinion
Three Months Off; The New Math
[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”] I’m not a math teacher, I’m an English teacher, and I admit it: math and I have never been good friends. But we do speak occasionally, and that’s why I’ve never […]
Posted inFeatured, Opinion
Why Teachers Should Attend Graduation
Firefighters regularly press their uniform and cap, polish their trucks, and look their best to march in Memorial Day parades. It’s a way for the entire firehouse to forge together, in a common bond, for the good of their department and to showcase their best for their community. They don’t get paid for it, and […]
Posted inClassroom Management, Featured, Opinion
School is Almost Out!
“Four more days!” “Yea!” Teachers are counting down, too. Some teachers have had grades done a while ago; especially the benchmark grades when a student’s passing or failing “the test” determines if she goes to the next grade. The rest of us are scrambling to get everything into the computer. The rooms have to be […]
Posted inFeatured, How to Fix Education, Middle School, Opinion, Parents
Unschooling: When There is No End to the School Year
This time of year is filled with so many conflicting feelings for teachers. I remember my time in the classroom as I faced June: elation, anxiousness, constant review of what needed to get done, finalizing grades and projects, planning for next year, thinking about the summer… The end of the school year is a huge […]
Posted inOpinion, Parents
Beyond the Learning: An Elementary Reflection
My son, Sport, had his eighth grade promotion Monday. Although an antiquated practice, it followed my heart and mind with memories of his journey. I was filled with pride at the man he is becoming and hope for his future. School goes beyond academics. I remember dropping Sport off at preschool in the morning and […]
Posted inInstruction & Curriculum, Opinion
AP Test Season: A Cocoon That Never Becomes The Butterfly
[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”] Every year I tell myself I am not going to do it. This will be the year when I don’t work myself into a frenzied state of irrational dissonance from which […]