Diverse Classroom Library: Our classroom libraries are in trouble. Just as more teachers are learning that their libraries need books that reflect their student populations, they also have to fight policies at the district and state levels that ban many of these same books from their libraries. Florida, for example, is banning certain materials in classroom libraries […]
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Posted inPedagogy
“Let’s Make This Happen”: Following Student Interests to Interest-Based Mentorships
Nothing is more exciting than helping a child find their passion – but are the adults ready? Have you signed up for The Educator’s Room Daily Newsletter? Click here and support independent journalism! In twenty years of helping children, families, and schools harness the power of interest-based mentoring, I’ve seen how it provides transformative educational experiences. Along the way, I’ve […]
Posted inOpinion
Want to Keep Special Education Teachers? Try Mentorship
“[O]ne of the most vital ways we sustain ourselves is by building communities of resistance, places where we know we are not alone.” -bell hooks Isolation island seems to be the name of the game when you enter into the special education profession. It’s often a sink or swim mentality which results in teacher retention […]
Posted inOpinion
The Secret Lives of Young People
How Interest-Based Mentorships Can Transform Education Have you signed up for The Educator’s Room Daily Newsletter? Click here and support independent journalism! Late in the spring of my first year teaching, we paused academic classes and bussed over to an auditorium for something called a “Mentorship Festival.” I had little idea what to expect. At […]
Posted inCurrent Events in Education
Why You Should Be Celebrating Religious Freedom Day in Your Classroom
Have you signed up for The Educator’s Room Daily Newsletter? Click here and support independent journalism! Religion is a touchy subject in most American classrooms, especially for those of us working in public schools. It is a slippery slope that many teachers navigate very carefully; no one wants to offend a student, parent, or co-worker […]
Posted inOpinion
Teaching About Tragedy: The Execution of the Dakota 38
Have you signed up for The Educator’s Room Daily Newsletter? Click here and support independent journalism! December 26 marks the 160th anniversary of the largest mass execution in U.S. history. In 1862, at the height of the Civil War, 38 Dakota men were hanged in Mankato, Minnesota, on the day after Christmas. The events leading up to the war, […]
Posted inPedagogy
Use the World Cup to Score Higher Engagement with Middle Schoolers
Have you signed up for The Educator’s Room Daily Newsletter? Click here and support independent journalism! Studies have shown over and over again that students learn best when they find the content relevant and engaging. Lately, I’ve found my middle school students to be super engaged with the World Cup. Rather than repeating, “Guys, please […]
Posted inPedagogy
Combine the World Cup and Learning in Your Elementary Classroom
Have you signed up for The Educator’s Room Daily Newsletter? Click here and support independent journalism! Students have been buzzing in my fourth-grade class since the World Cup began on November 20. It was evident this was an event they were interested in, but knowing very little about soccer, I was unsure how I could share […]