All teachers have college degrees. It is no surprise that we want our students to experience higher education as well. We know the benefits of a college education and want better for them. If I honestly look around my classroom, even my AP classroom, I know statistics tell me that only a third will go to college […]
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Posted inCurrent Events in Education, Elementary School, English Language Learners, How to Fix Education, Instruction & Curriculum, Languages, New Teacher Bootcamp, The New Teacher Chronicles
Advice for New ESOL Teachers: Communicating with Home
By: Jon Hardy Dealing with parents is a very intimidating part of being a new teacher and the normal hurdles are intensified with parents who don’t speak English, or who are learning English themselves. These families may need teachers to put in extra effort to reach out to students but be unsure how to ask […]
Posted inFeatured, High School, Middle School
The Many Hats of a Teacher
Teachers wear many hats. Frank McCourt, famous teacher and author of the Pulitzer Prize-winning autobiography Angela’s Ashes once was quoted saying this: In the high school classroom, you are a drill sergeant, a rabbi, a shoulder to cry on, a disciplinarian, a singer, a low-level scholar, a clerk, a referee, a clown, a counselor, a […]
Posted inCommon Core, How to Fix Education, Instruction & Curriculum, Languages, Literacy, Opinion, Science, Social Studies, Uncategorized
Teacher Collaboration: Scaffolding by Grade Levels
Is your department communicating? It seems like common sense, however, too many times teachers in the same subjects are not communicating from one level to the next. Students shouldn’t have to fill in gaps when they progress within a subject. Teachers need to move beyond the possessive view of students and begin to collaborate across […]
Posted inFeatured, Special Education
How-to Guide for Surviving as a Special Education Teacher
I began working as a special education teacher almost 8 years ago. I came into this job wanting to change children and desiring to make a huge impact on young folk’s lives. Previously, I worked as a Caseworker at a local Social Services agency taking applications for public assistance and I hated the job. I […]
Posted inHigh School, Literacy, Uncategorized
Secure Your Oxygen Mask First in the Classroom
If you’ve ever flown on a commercial airline flight, you are well aware of the instructions that occur before the airplane approaches the runway. It may sound something like, “Ladies and gentlemen, thank you for flying XX airlines…please fasten your seatbelt and make sure that your tray and seat are in the upright position…emergency exits are here, […]
Posted inFeatured, From the Front Lines, Opinion
The Power Of A Teacher
I ran into my first grade teacher the other day while shopping. I knew that she had gone on to be a counselor, then retired a few years ago, after 30+ years of service. I would love to be able to say I told her what an amazing impact she has had on my teaching, […]
Posted inCurrent Events in Education, Featured, How to Fix Education, Opinion
The Resource Desert: Schools in the 21st Century
Dry. Thirsty. Tired. Beaten-down. Hopeless. Stranded. Barren. Arid. Scorched. Desolate. Endless. These words can describe a desert, but they can also describe some of our nation’s resources for education. Taxpayers / community members (their demonym of choice depends on how angry they are) will be the first to tell you that. Property taxes – the most […]