My first teaching job was at a very small private school, where I was the only English teacher for all four grades. I made very little money, our health insurance was threatened by financial woes, and I was severely overworked. I almost left teaching after my third year and I have been forever grateful for […]
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Posted inMental Health
First-Year Teachers: Raise Your Hand If You’ve Been Bullied Too.
By Lanee Higgins Teachers should share our workplace bullying experiences in shouts instead of whispers, but I understand why we don’t. Seven years ago, I kept a record of the workplace bullying that I endured as a first-year teacher in 2014. Seven years later, rereading it leaves my stomach full of needles, my thoughts racing, […]
Posted inInstruction & Curriculum
Post-Pandemic Education: What Worked Well with Distance Learning
“The best teachers are like hip-hop producers: study the classics, select the best parts, then add some new flavor” (Chris Emdin, Professor/Author). This quote sums up my journey into distance learning very well. I was fortunate to have some experience in online education, having used it at the college level, but I was not prepared […]
Posted inInstruction & Curriculum
School Librarians and Teachers Must Work Together To Make School Fun
How together school librarians and teachers can make school fun and more enjoyable for students through collaboration.
Posted inInstruction & Curriculum
Fire the Canon: Curriculum is the Vehicle, Not the Destination
Fire the Canon: Curriculum is the Vehicle, Not the Destination It feels like every year around this time, the English department has a serious discussion about the curriculum. We start with valid PLC questions about key skills and standards at each grade level, but quickly devolve into how we taught specific canonical books and the […]
Posted inCOVID-19
#PandemicPedagogy: It’s Time to Break Up With This School Year
As the school year comes to a close, it is common for educators to reflect on the last ten months and think about how they’ll make next year even better. But as this whirlwind of a year winds down, many of us have not even an ounce left to give – for reflection, improvement, or […]
Posted inCoronavirus
Reinventing Pandemic Schooling: More than Making Lemonade from Lemons
Dr. Helen Hoffman is a veteran teacher, author, and advocate for better schools. With 30 years of teaching at both the high school and college level, Helen’s mission is to shape the future of education by helping teachers create school experiences that are more engaging, enjoyable, and purposeful than our current ones. Her new book, […]
Posted inAdult Learning
Surviving Pandemic Teaching: Teachers, Secure Your Own Self-Care Oxygen Mask
We have all heard the guidelines around how to properly use an oxygen mask in case of emergency while flying. Whether you have flown Spirit, Delta, American, Frontier, United, Southwest, or Allegiant you have heard “…and remember to always put your own mask on first before helping others” (American Airlines Safety Video). But, why don’t […]