By Anne Guess Part 1: Educate the Children Building a choir program from nothing is a daunting task. I am always amazed at the number of directors that leave floundering choir programs and play the blame game. Directors will blame everyone from the “untalented” student body, their administration that has it “out to get them”, […]
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Posted inFeatured, Instruction & Curriculum, Mathematics, Uncategorized
The Mathematical Workshop Model: How Data, Differentiation, and Classroom Management Combine in an Elementary Classroom
We have all heard of various writing workshop models. Students working diligently on various stages of the writing process: pre-writing, drafting, revising, proofreading and publishing. But how can we incorporate similar structures in the math classroom? To some, this may not be new. Various levels of the math workshop model do exist and so I am […]
Posted inInstruction & Curriculum, Literacy
Gathering Data in a Standards-Based Literacy Classroom
When was the United States founded? What elements are combined to make Nitrous Oxide? What is the slope of 6x + 7? Which word is spelled correctly in this sentence? These questions may seem awfully familiar as these are the type of base level questions we experienced in our formative years in education. Some may […]
Posted inFrom the Front Lines, Opinion, Parents
{Movie Review} Won't Back Down -Told From A Teacher, Mother and Union Member!
The feature film, “Won’t Back Down” premiered this weekend, coinciding with the Education Nation Summit in New York City. I was thrilled to be a part of this amazing experience and excited to view the much talked about film. I was lucky enough to sit in on the interview with the movie’s stars and director […]
Posted inElementary School, From the Front Lines, How to Fix Education, Opinion, School Improvement, Uncategorized
Contextual Accountability
Every school is a microcosm of the community it serves—that is, every school that serves any and all students in the neighborhood. Peaceful schools are nestled in peaceful environs. If there are drugs or violence in the streets, educators will contend with drugs and violence working their way into the school like crickets through unseen […]
Posted inClassroom Management, Instruction & Curriculum
The 21st Century Learning Model: Making the Connection Between Content and Technology
by: Jan Jackson Technology has become very important in our daily lives. Many of us couldn’t function on a daily basis without our cell phones, laptops, and iPads. In addition, our children are overly exposed and stimulated by video games, cell phones, and television on a daily basis. With the big boom of technology in today’s […]
Posted inFeatured, From the Front Lines, Opinion, School Improvement, Uncategorized
The Pundit's Miseducation
If you want to find evidence that American schools are failing, your best bet is to look closely at the tortured logic and disingenuous argumentation issuing from today’s education reform movement. If these people were educated in American public schools, then it’s clear: we failed (miserably) to produce measured, ethical reasoners who rightly wield the […]
Posted inInstruction & Curriculum, Opinion, Uncategorized
The Importance of a Strike: The Chicago Edition
What if all teachers went on strike? What would schools do? How would students learn? How would parent find a safe, productive environment for them? These are all questions that people who live in Chicago are experiencing because as on September 10, 2012 all teachers in Chicago Public Schools went on strike. Everyone […]