As a high school teacher, I already struggled with trying to get freshmen out of the “middle school mentality” long before this pandemic. Now, we have a new generation of students who not only have never set foot in our high school but ones who have missed out on that crucial transition period where they […]
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Posted inAsk a Teacher
Teaching is a Political Act, Just Not Like People Think
Sarah Styf is a 19-year high school English teacher currently on a teaching sabbatical. She lives in the Houston area with her husband and two children. She is passionate about education reform and civic engagement and recently started the podcast Lit Think with a former teaching colleague. She can be found on Instagram @sarah.styf and Twitter @sarahstyf. I sought […]
Posted inCOVID-19
Mental Health Support for Remote Teaching and Learning
Part I: Mental Health Support for Educators On March 15th, Mayor de Blasio announced that non-essential businesses and schools in New York City would close. The past month has been surreal, challenging, inspiring, overwhelming as I’ve tried to adapt to remote learning along with 75,000 other adults and more than one million children At some […]
Posted inConfessions of a Teacher
It Doesn’t Have To Be This Way: When I Knew To Look For Something New
I knew I wanted to be a teacher in my Junior year of high school. This goal drove every one of my academic moves. The strengths of Education programs rooted in my college search. I sought summer jobs and extra-curricular activities imitating teacher-like roles. My holiday breaks volunteering with teachers: grading, organizing, decorating, and planning. […]
Posted inInstruction & Curriculum
Keeping Your Teaching Real: A Teacher’s Role
Education has slowly been changing over the last decade. Classrooms are becoming student-centered and the teacher’s role is changing. While I am very comfortable giving my students choice and voice in my classroom, sometimes I feel lost while they are working. What is my role? How do I know I am meeting their needs? How do […]
Posted inInstruction & Curriculum
Let’s Embrace the Move to Standards-Based Grading
When my Principal mentioned that we would start the move towards Standards-Based grading next year, all I saw were looks of horror on most teachers’ faces. Look, I get it. Change is hard. Super hard. Among all the other tasks teachers are charged with, adding another just seems… impossible. But I also believe that change […]
Posted inBack to School
Why I Create a Class Motto
Why do I spend several lessons during my first weeks of school creating a class motto? There’s so much to do. Students need to learn rules, routines, and procedures. There’s the beginning of the year assessments. And the curriculum isn’t waiting. Still, despite these many pressures, I find it worthwhile to take two or three […]
Posted inBack to School
Want to Be Ready for Middle School? Start With These 4 Skills
Other than the first day of kindergarten, the first day of middle school may be one of the most anxiety-producing days for students and parents alike. The good news is that you and your child CAN and WILL survive this transition – especially if you help develop these 4 skills your child needs before starting […]