Teachers everywhere are clamoring to prepare for the impending arrival of students. The teacher workdays often get filled with required workshops and meetings, so we must prioritize our time with the most essential items to ensure we’re prepared as much as possible. The fact is, we will only get done what we get done, […]
classroom
Posted inClassroom Management, Featured, Instruction & Curriculum
Utilizing Journals Across Subjects
One of the skills I see kids lacking consistently is the ability to find information on their own. Resourcefulness used to come almost innately, but nowadays it’s missing in action. One of the ways I try to teach this skill is with journals. We use journals for just about everything in my class. Most of […]
Posted inInstructional Strategies, Middle School, Uncategorized
Common Core and Mathematics
During my entire career, there were always standards in mathematics. Whether I was dealing with the mathematics standards of the School District of Philadelphia, the standards of the state of Pennsylvania, or the standards of the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM), I followed some standards in the teaching of mathematics. With this as […]
Posted inCurrent Events in Education, Featured, From the Front Lines, Instruction & Curriculum, Opinion, Parents
Let's Talk School Start-Up–Again
[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”] Ever since I wrote my first piece about starting my own school I receive at least four emails a week asking for more information as to how other individuals can start […]
Posted inCurrent Events in Education, Elementary School, Featured, From the Front Lines, High School, Principals' Corner
Working for My Public School Is Just Like Working for the Mob
I am a mob movie fanatic. I’ve watched all of the classics (to my husband’s dismay), from Godfather, American Gangster to my all-time favorite, Goodfellas. Even though I know how the movies will end, I still get a rush right before the villain is outed and the mob boss brings the harsh retribution. Long after […]
Posted inHigh School, Literacy, Opinion
Sharing a Blessing in Teaching
Do you know what it means by giving/receiving a “Blessing”? This was a new concept to me when I heard this phrase a few years ago, but I have since come to understand the importance of its meaning. What is a blessing? It’s approval, it’s unconditional love, it’s showing someone that you do not necessarily approve […]
Posted inClassroom Management, Middle School, Opinion, Social Studies
It's Not Just a Classroom; It Could be a Museum
I think every teacher has been asked the following question: What does your ideal classroom look like? I know some teachers think about the answer to this question every day. Some answers include an interactive whiteboard, a few computers or tablets – preferably iPads and MacBooks or Chromebooks, and round tables over desks. In a […]
Posted inInstruction & Curriculum, Mathematics, Opinion
Math Principles to Actions: An Invitation and a Demand
I heard a refreshing voice today. One that silenced the annoying diatribe I have encountered in the past regarding the mathematics dilemma. (Caution: a moment of personal trajectory coming in 3…2…) As an African-American woman, I am twice marginalized by the discipline of mathematics, and yet access to it has catapulted me to levels of […]