I revisited my roots a bit this week by putting myself in a new teacher’s shoes and looking at the “Pennsylvania Standard Teaching Application.” On the very last page of the application, there are 3 essay choices. I was immediately drawn to one that asked, “What are the qualities of an effective educator?” I challenged […]
School Improvement
Posted inFeatured, School Improvement
40 Quotes for Exceptional Educators
“The mediocre teacher tells. The good teacher explains. The superior demonstrates. The great teacher inspires.” -William Arthur Ward “The truth of it is – the first rudiments of education are given very indiscreetly by most parents.” -Sir Richard Steele “The difficult we do immediately; the impossible takes a little longer.” -US Army […]
Posted inCharter Schools, Current Events in Education, Featured, High School, Opinion, Principals' Corner, School Improvement
Ready or Not? (Charter School Diaries #8)
Week – 2/25 – 3/1 What do you do when you’re a teacher and there is poor instructional leadership capability amongst the administrators within your building or within your district? Usually, if you are in a school and/or district where there is a lack of instructional leaders, there is an overabundance of procedural leaders – […]
Posted inElementary School, Featured, How to Fix Education, Kindergarten, Opinion, School Improvement, Uncategorized
The Bandaid of Efficiency
This is a cross-post from EdGator.com. [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”] Argumentation today consists of little more than two people taking turns misrepresenting one another’s positions. Gone are the days of Socrates, when the point of […]
Posted inInstruction & Curriculum
Written Text or Audiotext in the Classroom? We Should Have Both
I am passing out Brave New World to the 10th graders.“Is there an audiobook for this?” a student asks.“Why not just read the book?” I respond.“I can’t read this without help,” explains the student.“I’ll see,” I sigh. I admit that in the past I had been a little frustrated at these requests. I felt as though the […]
Posted inCommon Core, Featured, Instruction & Curriculum, School Improvement, Uncategorized
Why the Business Model Is Not the Education Model
[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”] Educational reform is on the minds of many business leaders and several leaders have weighed in with their concerns: “We know we are facing a transition, and we must take this […]
Posted inNew Teacher Bootcamp, Parents, School Improvement
Scripting A Parent Phone Call- A Skill All Teachers Need
Today many of our communications with parents are through email, blogs and classroom websites. Interactive conversation is a tool we use less and less often. Sometimes there are sensitive, personal, individual or important topics that should be discussed in person over the phone. A good practice is to send positive notes or emails throughout the […]
Posted inCurrent Events in Education, High School, Instruction & Curriculum, School Improvement, Social Studies
Civic Education: A Forgotten Subject in the World of High Stakes Testing
In this installment of the Civic Education Series, we look at the impact of standardized testing on social studies and civics curriculum. How Did We Get Here? (or, “Yay, History!”) The first half of the 20th century saw several major education “reform” efforts. The federal government inserted itself several times with major legislation, including Eisenhower’s […]