Have you signed up for The Educator’s Room Daily Newsletter? Click here and support independent journalism! Is it just me, or does the support offered from school administrators seem to be anything but actual support? We get the “hang in there” cat memes in our emails. We get the principal’s winking bitmoji giving us a […]
administrators
Posted inConfessions of a Teacher
Silent Compliance, not Honesty is Wanted in Education
I love to write, so I say more in written form than I tend to say in person. I acknowledge that I am an introvert, but I’m not shy. If I feel the need to verbalize an opinion, I will. Unfortunately, you don’t have to work in education for too to realize that honest feedback […]
Posted inInstruction & Curriculum
Dear Administrators: Don’t Move Ineffective Teachers to a Lower Grade; Help Them Improve
Guest Writer: Shawnta S. Barnes The great school mix up is one strategy elementary principals use to remove ineffective teachers from upper elementary grades, the grades where state standardized tests are taken. Apparently, moving these teachers to an ‘easier’ grade will magically fix the problems they faced in their upper-grade classroom. There are a few […]
Posted inInstruction & Curriculum
When Your Administrator Doesn’t Like You
Have you ever felt like an administrator just doesn’t like you and that no matter what you do, he/she will determine you’re doing it wrong? What do you do when that happens? Run for the hills? Kill them with kindness? Here are some common sense strategies for dealing with an administrator that simply doesn’t want […]
Posted inInstruction & Curriculum
38 Days a Teacher: Leadership, Followership, and Fellowship
I found myself standing in front of 27 students, my first day as their teacher, the Monday after Thanksgiving. I was brought in as their Spanish teacher to pick up the pieces after their previous teacher ran screaming into the night, unable to deal with the behaviors and diverse academic needs of the 130 students […]
Posted inBack to School
Why I’m Quitting After Only Two Weeks of a New School Year
This year would have been my fourteenth year in the secondary classroom, but it won’t be after this week. With a brand new crop of freshly oriented students ready for the year ahead, I will be leaving them for a full-time professorship at the college level. On one hand, it’s a great opportunity – I’ve […]
Posted inHigh School, Interviews, Opinion, Principals' Corner, The Unemployed Teacher
Transition Time: Finding the Right School Fit Over Summer
Summer means leaving a school for greener pastures for many educators, but how is one to know if the new school is going to be better? Here’s a brief checklist I’ve used during interviews in years past to figure out whether a school is a possible home or a major flop: 1. Outlook and attitude […]
Posted inClassroom Management, Current Events in Education, Featured, Opinion, Principals' Corner
Principals, Here’s What Your Teachers Need From You
I’ve been pretty fortunate – in my 10 years in the classroom, I’ve had some stand up and stalwart principals. Beginning with my principal during student-teaching and all the way through my current principal, I’ve come to learn three important characteristics that are present in all great school leaders: Great principals have an open door […]