This article originally appeared on Bluff City Education on September 30th, 2014 This past week the Tennessee Consortium on Research, Evaluation and Development at Vanderbilt released the results of their 2014 First to the Top Survey of Tennessee Public School Teachers. Notably, their survey data revealed declining support  among teachers for the Common Core State […]
common core
Posted inCurrent Events in Education, Featured, Social Studies
A Call for National History Day
All teachers search for that moment when what you do in the classroom raises administrators’Â eyebrows, students’ hopes, and the goosebumps on our own skin. These pivotal moments in our interconnected lives show us – emotionally – that our job is more than just worksheets and pencil sharpeners; it’s changing lives. One of the most remarkable […]
Posted inFeatured, Interviews, Principals' Corner, Stellar Educator of the Week
#InspirationalEducator – Cheryl Beckwith
[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”] How do you teach for 43 years and still have fun? Cheryl Beckwith, Colorado Rockies MLB All-Star Educator does that every year. Each new school year is a blessing for Cheryl, […]
Posted inCommon Core, Instruction & Curriculum, Mathematics, Uncategorized
The Difference Between Calculation and Mathematics
This piece originally ran on Bluffcityed.com on July 29, 2014; In mid-July last year, I was ready to try something completely different. I had previously taught Algebra I, but I was moving to a new content; geometry. I’d taught it before under the old Tennessee state standards but had left the course feeling like the kids […]
Posted inCurrent Events in Education, Featured, From the Front Lines
Assigning Public Speaking Isn't Teaching
By Erik Palmer I am concerned about student oral communication.  Students don’t generally speak well and almost all of them fear or hate presenting. I also think about the speaking and listening standard of the Common Core State Standards. I realize that so far I am alone in focusing on this standard but I truly […]
Posted inEducational Apps, Featured, Instruction & Curriculum, Middle School, School Improvement
Summer Selfies – Understanding Infographics
[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”] Each summer our school offers flex time for professional development. Most faculty seize this opportunity to meet, work in teams, document our hours for the day and submit our accomplishment which substitute for an In Service […]
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, Middle School, Opinion
Teachers Pay Teachers – The Greatest Program You're Not Using
Let’s face a fact here – the average reader of The Educator’s Room isn’t your average teacher. These are the teacher-leaders of this profession. They work hard. When the public accuses our profession of working minimal hours, we look at the piles of awesome writings, projects, and own curricular material they’ve written on their own […]