On Friday, May 8, 2020, I hit the empty, quarantined streets of my local Atlanta neighborhood and united in solidarity with people around the United States as we ran 2.23 miles in honor of Ahmaud Arbery. It was on February 23 that the unarmed Arbery was shot and killed while jogging in Glynn County, Georgia […]
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Posted inOpinion
Teacher Professional Development and Training is Ridiculously Out of Touch
Guest Writer: Jill Jackson About a year ago, I was sitting in a hotel lobby with a group of very smart, talented and super motivated leaders from a district I know well. They know what’s up and they are busy at work every single day. I admire them and what they do. We were casually […]
Posted inSpecial Education
Special Educator: What She Is and What She Isn’t
I graduated from with college dual licensure and degrees in elementary education and special education. This qualifies me to teach all subject areas grades K through 6 and special education grades Pre-K through 12. Inclusivity was and remains a strong value of mine. I felt a calling to incorporating my knowledge of special education as […]
Posted inAsk a Teacher
Opinion: Why Teachers Shouldn’t Write Curriculum
The word “curriculum,” as it pertains to education, can include everything from the materials used to teach our students to the planned learning experiences. If we think of the Common Core standards as the academic destination for our students (the “what” we want them to know and be able to do), our curriculum is the […]
Posted inInstruction & Curriculum
It’s time to talk about the culture of fear around standardized testing
The temperatures are warming. The skies are bright. The birds are chirping. Spring fever is in full effect, and everyone is awaiting summertime! Unfortunately for educators and students, there is a huge hump to get over…standardized testing. End of the year assessments are looming over us. It seems like the entire school year comes down […]
Posted inInstruction & Curriculum
Teaching Romeo and Juliet to Beginning Level English Learners
Guest Writer: Karissa Knox Sorrell Teaching English Learners who are new to the country and are non-English speakers is a challenge at every grade, but it can be particularly challenging at the high school level when students have to earn credits, pass multiple state end-of-course exams, and engage with complex texts on a daily basis. With […]
Posted inElectives & Special Areas
Black History Month and PBL: Ideas for Educators
As we enter February, 2018, schools across America will engage in activities celebrating Black History Month in the United States. There is a strong current in secondary education today where the goal is to move classroom activities away from teacher-centered activities toward “project-based learning” or PBL. This trend has specific criteria that ensure rigorous learning […]
Posted inInstruction & Curriculum
Coaching the Coaches: the Benefits of Instructional Coaches
Many teachers consider themselves to be coaches rather than just instructors. We are not just imparting knowledge, but we are there to mentor our students and develop them into becoming better thinkers, writers, readers, doers. We don’t bark orders, rather we kneel down and workshop papers and assist in labs and calculations. It is reasonable to […]