Peaceful art Why adults should play children’s games Positivity and perseverance can get you to your goals Be yourself and follow your passion The value of the Venus Fly Trap How to solve the Pyraminx Living with epilepsy does not have to dampen dreams…. These are not articles by the latest education expert or motivational […]
classroom strategies
Posted inMathematics
Four Strategies to Help Struggling Math Students
I have heard a million excuses from my students when asked why they have a bad grade in math. It’s too boring. I don’t get it. The teacher hates me. Whatever the reason, there are some strategies teachers can use in the math classroom to better reach students who may have thrown in the towel. […]
Posted inCommon Core
Teaching Writing With Hyperdocs
If you’re looking for a new approach to teaching writing, you’ve got to try teaching with hyperdocs. What are hyperdocs? According to their creators, Lisa Highfill, Kelly Hilton and Sarah Landis, hyperdocs are “a transformative, interactive, personalized engaging too to help facilitate student creativity and collaboration” (The Hyperdoc Handbook). And I can testify that hyperdocs […]
Posted inElementary School
Don’t Fear Conflict in Your Classroom
I’m in my eighth year of teaching, and I’m still constantly realizing new things about teaching. Most recently, I realized that I was afraid of conflict in my classroom. Since I started teaching, it’s been drilled into my head that the first and foremost marker of a successful teacher is strong classroom management. Classroom management can […]
Posted inTeacher Leaders
Watch from the Balcony, Lead on the Floor
Readers were recently asked to complete the following survey: Below is a list of 10 characteristics of successful schools. Which 3 do you think are most important? A comprehensive approach to the needs of the whole child A relentless focus on standards and having students meet them Very high expectations for student behavior Multi-modal, hands-on […]
Posted inInstruction & Curriculum
Teaching Empathy with Concrete Examples
“They just want to sleep in their own bed” The first 50-plus days of Donald Trump’s presidency have provoked an intense mixture of anxiety, fear, anger, and urgency for many Americans. As the great-grandson of immigrants who fled anti-Semitic pogroms in Eastern Europe, it’s heartbreaking to see our president close the country’s doors to refugees and […]
Posted inTeacher Leaders
Yes, You Do Have to Help Everyone
Yes, you do have to help everyone. I cannot tell you deeply it irks my soul when teachers give up on kids. Of course, if you asked them, they would insist that they haven’t given up. I disagree. Being willing to help a student who asks for it is not enough. It is not enough […]
Posted inProfessional Development
The Reality Conundrum: What We Know Works vs. What We are Required To Do
The reality is this: what we know works and what we are required to do as teachers often don’t align. The conundrum is how to choose. We want to choose what we know is best for our students 100% of the time. Sadly, our institutional inertia and regulation and testing means that too often isn’t possible. […]