First, a bit of history: Standardized tests began in the early 1900s as a way to determine intelligence. Those IQ tests were used to determine whether high school students should be on an academic track or a commercial track. Later they were be used by the military to determine who would be a good candidate for officer […]
classroom
Posted inFeatured, High School, How to Fix Education, Literacy, Opinion
Growth Mindset: The Power of "Yet"
“Yet.” A powerful three-letter word that means, “an implied time, still, even or nevertheless”. There seems to be a phenomenon going around the world that I personally find amazing! It’s reaching schools, churches, and people in general….it’s the power of the little word “yet.” In a world depleted of hope; in a world of wanting what we want, when we […]
Posted inElementary School, Science, Special Education
Mission Possible: Accommodating for Science
Can you actually accommodate for science for a student whose reading level is far below grade level and still make the curriculum accessible? You can and if you want to remain sane in your classroom, you should. Frustrated students who cannot access the curriculum become eventual behavior problems either (a) because they want to save […]
Posted inCurrent Events in Education, Featured, High School, Literacy, Opinion
The Queasy Mix on Social Media
I uploaded videos of my mother and her sisters to YouTube. Seated together on a sunny summer afternoon, four of seven sisters, they chat about family recipes and stories of their youth. I shared the clip this past summer on the popular video platform so my cousins could also enjoy watching their mothers and aunts. Now, I […]
Posted inFeatured, Fine Arts, Middle School, Series, The International Teacher
The International Teacher: Constructionists, Iterations, Flow in my Classroom
Do not cite deep magic to me…I was there when it was written.” (Chronicles of Narnia); By Melissa Kandido Melissa Kandido teaches IB Art, IB History, IB English, & IB Geography for middle and upper grades at the Windhoek International School in Windhoek, Namibia. She is sharing with us her experiences and adventures this year […]
Posted inFeatured, Fine Arts, Instruction & Curriculum, Middle School, Series, The International Teacher
Broken Beauties—the Art of Brokenness
By Guest Writer Melissa Kandido Melissa Kandido teaches IB Art, IB History, IB English, & IB Geography for middle and upper grades at the Windhoek International School in Windhoek, Namibia. She is sharing with us her experiences and adventures this year as an international educator and IB teacher. The synthesis work I gave to my IBDP12 (International […]
Posted inCurrent Events in Education, Featured, High School, Middle School
Placing Highly Qualified Teachers
Every child deserves excellent teachers. For this reason I and a large number of my colleagues stayed together in a large urban middle school. All of us were not only properly certified and experts in our fields but we were involved in continuing education as well as being teacher leaders within our school and at […]
Posted inCurrent Events in Education, Featured, Middle School
Teaching in the Winter: The Best Time of Year
By Guest Writer Jeffrey Benson [fusion_builder_container hundred_percent=”yes” overflow=”visible”][fusion_builder_row][fusion_builder_column type=”1_1″ background_position=”left top” background_color=”” border_size=”” border_color=”” border_style=”solid” spacing=”yes” background_image=”” background_repeat=”no-repeat” padding=”” margin_top=”0px” margin_bottom=”0px” class=”” id=”” animation_type=”” animation_speed=”0.3″ animation_direction=”left” hide_on_mobile=”no” center_content=”no” min_height=”none”] It’s the middle of winter in the U.S. Northeast. I wake in the dark, there’s snow and ice to scrape off my windshield, and all the […]