Shane Trotter is the author of Setting the Bar: Preparing Our Kids to Thrive in an Era of Distraction, Dependency, and Entitlement. As a writer, social studies teacher, and High-School Strength and Conditioning Coordinator, he has been challenging youth development norms for over a decade. He has been published by websites with millions of readers, such […]
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The Echo of a Student’s Voice Pt. 1
Comparing education to business is taboo within the pedagogical workforce. Rebukes of disgust at the nerve of doing such a thing come into play when said comparison is made. Bear with me as I explore the similarities and how they can translate into classroom success. The customer is always right. This is a popular concept […]
Organic Diversity is Needed in Schools
People are like plants. They need the proper climate to grow, and no two plants share the exact same ideal for quality conditions. Students are the same in this individual need for a particular climate. Like an Aspen tree planted in the desert of Arizona, we should not expect students to flourish in environments that […]
The Future Is Co-Teaching
What do the names Costello, Teller, and Pepa have in common? They are incomplete on their own. Abbott doesn’t exist without Costello, Penn without Teller, and Salt without Pepa. The success of these dynamic duos stems from their harmony together. One does not exist at the same level of greatness without the other’s contribution. Few […]
The Missing Link in Culturally Diverse, Anti-Racist Work is Paid Collaboration
We have heard so much about the need for a culturally diverse, anti-racist curriculum, but the question is, are you willing to pay teachers for their time and energy in writing and implementing it? There are many teachers out there who have seen enough seminars and been to enough conferences to have been inspired to […]
Why Every School Needs An Equity Team
Yep, Teaching is Still Political As we get ready to start the year, the political tension of equity work is once again front and center. While Critical Race Theory is not banned in our state, the collective community temperature is boiling. In just the past few weeks, our district has experienced: A hiring and firing […]
Ordering Experience: Transitioning into a Successful September Through Lyrical Poetry
by Melissa Bryan Transitioning Into September Last week, in an online educational leadership course I attended, we viewed a scene from the film Invictus. In it, Nelson Mandela (played by Morgan Freeman) explains to pro-Rugby player Pienaar (played by Matt Damon), what helped him survive imprisonment. Nelson relates that a poem, “Invictus” by William Ernest […]
Keeping Up With the Tech-Savvy Teacher Next Door
Jerremiah Johnson For years I’ve dabbled in technology integration within my classroom, or what I thought was integration. I taught my students to use Word documents and PowerPoint and eventually moved to Google docs and even shared assignments through a Google classroom. I thought I was doing the best I could all while keeping up […]