We all know how it feels to attend a half-hearted PD session we don’t think will be useful in our classrooms. Maybe it’s the content that feels irrelevant or the structure of the session. Whatever the cause, teachers are tired of attending PD that doesn’t fit our personal needs or the needs of our school […]
Professional Development
Posted inAdult Learning
Teaching With Minecraft EDU
I’m one of those crazies that actually enjoy professional development workshops, at least the ones that we don’t have to do every single year like blood-borne pathogens and diabetes.  Recently, I had the opportunity to attend the best professional development: Minecraft EDU. This session was based on the popular game Minecraft but with an educational […]
Posted inAsk a Teacher
This is Why Teachers Quit
Looking for a message about your value as an educator? Well then, an over-the-top active shooter drill is a perfect addition to the “reasons why teachers quit” list. Teachers know there are better ways to save lives. Subjecting children, schools, and teachers to the sick, sad theater of these drills is just one more trauma […]
Posted inHow to Fix Education
Self-Care Is Priority One for This Teacher
January is finally over. I swear this month had 974 days in it. After returning from Winter Break I felt as if I just could not keep up with myself. There is always so much to do and so very few hours in the day to balance everything. Normally this is when my really bad […]
Posted inAsk a Teacher
Preparing Students For Teacher Absences
I was gone two days this week because my fiancé had back surgery. Two. Whole. Days. This may not seem like much to most, but I teach special education with some very routine-oriented students and this was a huge whammy in their little lives. I know we want our classrooms to become autonomous and for […]
Posted inHow to Fix Education
Respect in the Classroom: Earned, Not Expected
There was a sub for one of my paras a couple of weeks ago and she set up shop in my classroom. We went through the day as usual, with her thoroughly enjoying her role after being out of the classroom for the past few years. At the end of the day, as I was […]
Posted inProfessional Development
My Experience with PTSD as an Educator
As an Army wife, it feels strange writing about my own experience with PTSD. I do not take the experiences of veterans who have suffered from PTSD lightly. But the reality is that PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder) is more common than most people think. It doesn’t just occur as a response to being in […]
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 […]