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 […]
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Posted inTeacher Leaders
The Writing Gap: Why a Renaissance in Writing Instruction is Imperative
“Appositive?” “What is an appositive?” “Is that even a word?” These were snippets of conversations overheard in a teacher’s book study at Liverpool High School, a large, suburban school north of Syracuse, NY. The assembled teachers, from a variety of disciplines including World Languages, English, Social Studies, Science, Mathematics and Special Education, comprise a group studying […]
Posted inInstruction & Curriculum
Stress and Mess: Deliberate Practice and Professional Obligation — Part I
Editor’s Note: Writers Dan McConnell and Jake Miller teamed up to take on two driving buzz words – “deliberate practice” and “professional obligation” – and explore how they’re driving teachers to stress. DAN: Teacher Stress Is Not Blessed Teacher stress is a very real problem, and without reforms where they are truly needed, that is […]
Posted inInstruction & Curriculum
Can Teachers Give Up Power and Keep Their Authority?
When I started teaching in 2007, I came in with very democratic ideals. I wanted my classroom to be a place where kids’ voices were honored. But as a first-year teacher with just seven weeks of training to prepare me, I was totally unequipped to make this vision a reality. At the end of that […]
Posted inClassroom Management, Common Core, Current Events in Education, Featured, From the Front Lines, Opinion, Uncategorized
Standardized Protesting
Most Americans are quite aware of their First Amendment rights, namely their freedom of speech, freedom of religion, and freedom of the press. One of the most often overlooked freedoms in that all-too-important amendment is the freedom to protest, and it’s something that teachers should consider when it comes to standardized testing. They can standardized […]
Posted inFeatured, How to Fix Education, Instruction & Curriculum, Instructional Strategies, Mathematics
What is Complex Math Instruction?
I teach 5th grade Math at an elementary school, and I have noticed that many elementary teachers and instructional support personnel have not yet made the shift to more complex math instruction. The school in which I work is still trying to push small group instruction, where the teacher teaches a small group and the other […]
Posted inCurrent Events in Education, Elementary School, Instruction & Curriculum, Instructional Strategies, Mathematics
5 Do's and Don'ts for Teaching Elementary Mathematics
Have you ever heard math content specialists say that elementary teachers have poor math content knowledge, but they have great instructional strategies? While this may be seen as harsh but for the most part it is true. Through not fault of their own colleges did not prepare elementary teachers to specialize in mathematics. When a […]
Posted inCurrent Events in Education, Featured, Opinion, Social Studies
Landmine Ahead! – How to Traverse Politics with Students
We have almost 11 more months of dealing with pollsters, pundits, politicians, and partisans who have opinions about the presidential race. Each of the presidential candidates will take the podium, attempting to address the ills of our nation, and often chief among them is the role of education. Additionally, students will harbor their own opinion for a […]