Guest Writer: Kristina Kramer After 30 years of teaching and 14 years of being a parent, it wasn’t the books, the courses, or the counseling that would so clearly encapsulate the purpose of my job as an educator and mom. It would be a 30-second video clip of a 10-year-old boy on a bike that […]
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Posted inLGBTQ+
Why We Need LGBTQ+ Inclusive Classrooms
The PBS Kids show “Arthur,” which began in 1996, recently aired an episode in which Arthur’s teacher, Mr. Ratburn, marries his partner who turns out to be a man. Although this isn’t the first children’s program with openly gay characters, it got me thinking: if there are increasing numbers of LGBTQ+ characters in children’s television, […]
Posted inConfessions of a Teacher
Teacher Confession: The Student I’ll Never Forget
I have a teacher confession to make. I failed him. Not “gave him an F” failed him but failed him as a young man. A student with a future ahead of him, someone who could one day be a father, a councilman, or even president. But I failed him. It was my second year as […]
Posted inConfessions of a Teacher
Are Elementary Teachers Jacks of All Trades or Masters of None?
Recently, I was facilitating a discussion with high school teachers about Kylene Beers book When Kids Can’t Read What Teachers Can Do – A Guide for Teachers 6-12. In chapter four, Beers explained that one of her students did not understand how to find the main idea and that she did not do a good […]
Posted inAsk a Teacher
TEACHING RESPECT: Removing Creativity Hinders Respect for Teachers
Lack of respect is something that I’ve discussed with many of my fellow educators, as it has seemingly run rampant in recent years. The product of our discussions usually center around our love for teaching, but also, we discuss how difficult it has become to maintain in an environment where we do not feel respected […]
Posted inParents
When Your “Helicopter” Parent is a Teacher
I am enough years into teaching to have experienced a few of those parents. You know the type I mean: near daily notes, frequent phone calls and messages, surprise visits at school, requests for some special treatment or accommodation for their child, and occasionally an offering of personal information you might wish had never been […]
Posted inOpinion, School Improvement
Digging into Learning: Deep Learning Takes Root in the School Garden
“Peanut Butter! Peanut Butter!” squeals a spirited 3rd grader and instantly everyone stops, racing over to see what’s been found this time. You see, “peanut butter” is the code word students agreed upon to alert others when they find something cool. It can be a squirmy worm, a gorging caterpillar, an oddly shaped seed, […]
Posted inInstruction & Curriculum
TED Talks in the Classroom: Students Become the Teachers
Peaceful art Why adults should play children’s games Positivity and perseverance can get you to your goals Be yourself and follow your passion The value of the Venus Fly Trap How to solve the Pyraminx Living with epilepsy does not have to dampen dreams…. These are not articles by the latest education expert or motivational […]