Working in a school, I’ve learned that there is so much more that happens during the day time than just actual instruction. The instruction of children in the center of what we do as educators, yet everything else going on that surrounds instruction sometimes gains more attention than it should. More often than not, the budget gains […]
effective teachers
Posted inClassroom Management, Featured, Instruction & Curriculum
Online Teaching – the New Frontier for Educators
The nature of education is fast changing, and as a result, teaching itself has begun to take many new forms. Online schools are new avenues that more and more teachers are beginning to explore. Like any new venture, online education must learn effective ways to incorporate skilled teaching and a variety of communication forms between […]
Posted inFeatured, From the Front Lines, Instruction & Curriculum, Middle School, Opinion, Parents
Pay It Backwards: Reach Out to Your Former Teachers
Growing up, I remember learning about Benjamin Franklin explaining life’s assurances: “…in this world nothing can be said to be certain, except death and taxes.” He was explaining to a French pen pal that the American experiment was as raw as it was unpredictable. The Constitution and our fledgling country were trees in the desert, […]
Posted inOpinion, Teacher Branding, The Unemployed Teacher
New Directions: An Unemployed Teacher Looks at the Future and Creates a New Personal Brand
I spent most of the first year after my layoff just wanting to go back. Back to the job I had so passionately loved. Back to the routine that was so familiar. Back to the students with whom I felt so at home with. Back to the career that had been moving along at a […]
Posted inInstruction & Curriculum
High School in 2013 – These are Changing Times
About a month ago, Kelsey Sheehy wrote in US News & World Report that she expects three major changes for high school students in 2013: “Blended Learning,” “Flipped Classrooms,” and “Standards.” I think there may be some other, more stark realities for high school students in 2013, but I’ll comment briefly on her three predictions first. […]
Posted inInstruction & Curriculum, Special Education
Knocking Down Barriers to Inclusion
By now you know that inclusion is here to stay. The education of students with special needs is no longer the responsibility of just special education teachers. The inclusion of students with disabilities in the general education setting is now the norm rather than the exception. However, for many teachers (including special education teachers) there […]
Posted inInstruction & Curriculum, Opinion, Teacher Branding, The Unemployed Teacher
Education is Changing, and We Must be Ready. An Unemployed Teacher Offers a Place to Start for the New Year.
To buy Cari’s book that details her sudden unemployment, “How to Finish the Test When Your Pencil Breaks” please click here. As a teacher who has been out of work for almost two years now, I find the holidays bring an interesting sense of out-of-sync timing. I can clearly remember the visceral relief at the […]
Posted inFeatured, From the Front Lines, Opinion, Parents
Being the Change From the Inside Out
Respect. Responsibility. Perseverance. As teachers we are supposed to not only be good role models for value and character, but we are also supposed to help our students grow in these areas as well. Time and again we hear how society has developed a ‘lack of character’ over the course of several generations. I’ve read numerous articles […]