Taking notes has always been the downfall of many of my students. They can copy what is on the board, but sometimes it is just not organized or even legible. Many students will just jot down the numbers, not writing down any part of the discussion or copying anything given during instruction. The students that […]
effective teachers
Posted inFeatured, Opinion
Taking Charge of Our Own Profession – Part 1: We're Selling Ourselves Short!
[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”] Like all teachers around the country, I am saddened by the indictments of administrators and teachers in Atlanta for cheating on the state’s standardized tests. It’s disheartening, embarrassing, and maddening to […]
Posted inClassroom Management, From the Front Lines
6 Ways to Not Take Work Home To Your Family!
If someone told me 11 years ago that I could still be a teacher and not take home any papers to grade, lesson plans to write, or parents to call, I would never have believed them. How can teachers not take any work home? That’s part of the unwritten portions of a teacher contract of […]
Posted inClassroom Management, Featured, Opinion
Administrators, Listen to Your Teachers Before Assigning Classes
I do not pretend that I can fulfill the role of an administrator. In fact, I have no desire to become an administrator – I do not want that kind of stress. I respect those who effectively transition to the part; we need you! Instead, I would like to offer some advice to administrators that […]
Posted inFeatured, Opinion
Ramblings of a Betrayed Teacher
I feel betrayed. Hurt. Education has betrayed me and hurt me. It has turned on me like a rabid dog in the noonday sun on the hottest day in July. I thought that I was valued as a part of this great institution called “education.” Even before I became a teacher, I knew the value […]
Posted inCharter Schools, Current Events in Education, Featured, Middle School
Politics As Usual – Pt.1 (Charter School Diaries #12)
Week 3/25-3/29 [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”] In any job, there is always office politicking going on. In public education, district-wide politicking is the norm. The cycle is never ending. Policymakers are pressured by parents who […]
Posted inClassroom Management, Featured, Instruction & Curriculum
Did You Lose More Than Daylight Savings Time?
Daylight Savings Time is a practice I don’t understand. In the spring it costs an hour. Time is precious and something I hate to waste. Every year I dread the clocks springing forward and watching precious time being taken away. I read an article recently published on Edutopia about “Beating the Clock in the Classroom” […]
Posted inFeatured, Fine Arts, From the Front Lines
Drama in the Classroom
Everyone likes drama. No, not the kind of drama that happens on Monday nights during “The Bachelor” (I know I have better things to do, it’s just that or “Hoarders” at the gym). People enjoy the kind of drama that holds your attention – the kind that makes you gasp, laugh, cry and smile. Students […]