Aaah, May. The time of year when many of us look at our students with a sigh of “what could I have done better?” At my school, we have only five class meetings left, and while I am doing the best I can with the time we have, I have found myself focusing on how […]
classroom management
Posted inCharter Schools, High School, School Improvement
The Necessity of Redundancy about our Students (Charter School Diaries #19)
Week 5/13 – 5/17 Many of my articles revolve around teachers and students, and I fear that I am redundant at times. But then I have to remember that I am writing about school experiences that include teachers and students; among whom there is never a dull moment. One thing I am sure about when it comes […]
Posted inOpinion
Jeff Bliss: Ignorance Is Bliss Or Is Bliss Just Ignorant?
Recently, I saw this video in which an angry student named Jeff Bliss went on a tirade against his teacher because he felt she wasn’t actively teaching the students in her class. After a few minutes of Internet surfing, I stumbled upon this article, in which Bliss is touted as the poster boy for educational […]
Posted inClassroom Management, Instruction & Curriculum
“Mom, I Mean Ms…” Classroom Management Ideas I Learned From My Mom
My mother is an amazing woman. She has a calm sense about her in every situation I have ever observed her in. She has four unique and different children she has watched struggle, grow, develop, fail and succeed. She is my center and what I strive to be. In the classroom, we are mothers to […]
Posted inCharter Schools, Current Events in Education, Featured, Middle School
Modeling Respectful Behavior (Charter School Diaries #17)
Week 4/29 – 5/3 I am a loner at work… well, maybe it is better said that I don’t go out of my way to be seen. I really just keep to myself; chalk that up to the fact that I am an only child. I really don’t want to be bothered with people – […]
Posted inCurrent Events in Education, High School, Middle School, Uncategorized
A Day in the Life of a Teacher in An Urban School
Many times I’m asked what it’s like to work in an urban school in an urban area. Knowing they are genuinely interested, I usually just laugh and tell them to come visit my my classroom. Knowing the 99.9% of them won’t, I decided to give a real “no holds barred” look at what a day is like […]
Posted inBook Review, Opinion
“World Peace and Other 4th-Grade Achievements” A Book Review
World Peace and Other 4th Grade Achievements, by John Hunter Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, April 2013 As teachers we need inspiration and support. If you are feeling a need to think about your purpose in the classroom and the meaning you have on those in your path, pick up a copy of World Peace and […]
Posted inFeatured, High School, Instruction & Curriculum, Uncategorized
4 Rules for Working in a High Poverty Environment
My life changed forever when I decided to take a position as a teacher in the largest school district in Tennessee, Memphis City Schools. From the moment I took the position, I had people question if I was “ready” to work in an high poverty environment where many of the students came from backgrounds that […]