In the wee hours of this morning, another of my 24-year-old son’s friends killed himself. I say another because the first one was about a year ago. Two close friends in two years. Here at The Educator’s Room, we constantly talk about self-care. We constantly are saying how important it is to take care of ourselves […]
Special Education
The New Teacher Smell
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 […]
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 […]
The Importance of Communication For IEP Students and Parents
I realize that I am a little on the eccentric side. I like it there, without the boundaries and regiment of the real world. And since I see things from a different perspective than most I also enjoy some things that many teachers find to be less enjoyable. One of those things is IEP meetings. […]
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 […]
Integrating Trends in Education: Lesson Plan Development for the 21st Century
When school starts next year, I’ll be in my thirty-fifth year in education. I feel like the slogan of the Farmer’s Insurance ad, “I know a thing or two because I’ve seen a thing or two.” Group work is now “Cooperative Learning.” Homework and tests are now tagged as “formative” and “summative” assessments. “Bloom’s taxonomy […]
And We Will Rise: Day 3 of the Oklahoma Walkout
We are on day three of the Oklahoma Walkout. Our governor made the comment yesterday that we [teachers] were acting like a bunch of spoiled “teenagers who want a better car.” One of our legislatures went Live on Facebook and said we were never going to be happy and that he “wasn’t supporting teachers anymore!” […]
Today We Walked-The Oklahoma Edition
Today we walked out in Oklahoma. Not out of selfishness or resentment. Not out of discourse for our jobs. Not out of spite. [bctt tweet=”We walked out – for our kids. ” username=””] We walked out because we do not have adequate supplies for our classrooms. We do not have a curriculum for our students. […]