“Ooh, Ms. Lane, I saw this TikTok Video that…” One of my students excitedly said to me after class one day. My first thought was to listen but not take the topic seriously. I mean, after all, it was TikTok – a social media platform very effective at making students social, but not in an […]
classroom strategies
Posted inInstruction & Curriculum
Word Games Like Wordle and Mywordle Help Make Language More Accessible for Students
Have you signed up for The Educator’s Room Daily Newsletter? Click here and support independent journalism! Choosing your words sensibly… Wordle is an online word game and, over the past month, has taken the internet by storm. Josh Wardle developed the game in response to his companion’s affection for word games. Now, just a few […]
Posted inInstruction & Curriculum
Instructional Roadblocks? Shifts in Point-of-View Can Help Reveal Viable Solutions
Lauren Ewe The new year has begun, and we find ourselves gearing up for the second stretch of the school year. Many make resolutions, and educators often think about how to better tackle issues that have emerged since the start of school. January tends to be when teachers look to reel in their students and […]
Posted inAdult Learning
The Cakes in the Classroom Lesson Plan That Almost Didn’t Happen
Erika Bailey I graduated with a bachelor’s in history and a master’s in secondary education. I was a math interventionist for elementary and an afterschool program instructor before transitioning to a high school social studies teacher. During my tenure, I also worked as the choreographer for the drama club. Currently, I am pursuing higher education […]
Posted inInstruction & Curriculum
Assigning a Research Paper? Think About Rigor, Responsibility, and Relevance in English/Language Arts
As English language arts teachers, we need to teach the language of doing business along with the literary arts. Thesis We teach literary research and other standard ELA concepts because students will be able to transfer the skills. Simply put, if students can research the imagery of Emily Dickinson’s poems, they can, likewise, research blood-alcohol […]
Posted inInstruction & Curriculum
Do You Still Want to Become a Teacher? – A Student’s Perspective
I remember being in a grocery store line when someone noticed my basket full of snacks and asked if I had a daycare. I smiled and replied, “No, I am a teacher.” The stranger’s smile turned from a friendly smile to a semi-frown, full of what seemed to be concern and pity. She proceeded to touch my arm (which transparently has always made me uncomfortable with strangers) and said sadly, “Oh, wow, a teacher? Thank you for your service.” Service? I felt like I was in the military!
Posted inInstruction & Curriculum
The Echo of a Student’s Voice Pt. 2
I taught an 8th-grade writing class my first year of teaching. The standards allowed for 3 essays: one argumentative, one informative essay, and one narrative. A narrative essay was a strange name for a short story to me. I didn’t entirely understand the difference until I investigated the goals of the narrative essay standard. The […]
Posted inFrom the Front Lines
Using Rituals to Survive Remote Learning
Early in the pandemic I found myself preparing for Passover at home. I would not be traveling home to celebrate the Jewish festival of freedom with my family this year. I was profoundly sad to celebrate this holiday at home alone. But at the same time I found enormous comfort and strength in preparing to […]