I love to see new teachers join our ranks. In a profession that is being left behind to make more money working at the local 7-11, it’s still good to see fresh faces believing in what we do. The teachers fresh from student teaching, wearing their classroom key around their neck like a badge of […]
School Improvement
The Importance Of Early Intervention
I am a huge advocate for early intervention. Unfortunately, my district doesn’t always share the same philosophy. In my experience, students who are having difficulty in first and second grade (even some students in kindergarten) can be identified and remediated with the right supports. We are doing a huge disservice to children and families by […]
Improving Customer Service: Another Key Aspect of School Culture
Culture matters, whether in Business, Athletics, or K-12 Education, the environment and culture that we create sets the tone. While the popular argument that culture does not exist, as it is a human created concept is valid, the world we live in dictates that the environment in which we find ourselves influences our behavior. Based […]
Creating a Positive School Culture: Why it Really Matters
Culture matters, whether in Business, Athletics, or K-12 Education, the environment and culture that we create sets the tone. While the popular argument that culture does not exist, as it is a human created concept is valid, the world we live in dictates that the environment in which we find ourselves influences our behavior. Based […]
[Opinion] Barack Obama: A Role Model for Teachers and Students
America and the World Today It has been a difficult week for America and the world. American leadership in the world seems to be collapsing as nations considered to be our allies are criticized and nations thought to be adversarial are applauded as friends. The old world order established after World War II where the […]
Taking the Anxiety Out of Student Placement in Special Education
If you are like me you get very invested in your students in special education. So invested that it is difficult to release them to the next special education teacher. I teach kindergarten through third grade mild/moderate special education in a resource room, so some of my kids loop up with me the next year […]
Amidst Declining Mental Health in Teachers, What Can Administrators Do?
In 2017, a survey conducted by the American Federation of Teachers and the Badass Teachers Association indicated that more than half of the teachers surveyed said their mental health was “not good” while a survey from 2015 showed that only 34% of teachers felt this way (USA Today, 2017). Unfortunately, amongst the many teachers I’ve […]
The Politics and Pedagogy of Immigration Policy
The national debate over the Trump Administration policy of separating children from their parents at the southern border has reached a fever pitch. Images and audio of crying children, traumatized by the removal of their parents to detention facilities while the children are detained in what amounts to cages, have preoccupied the national media and gripped […]