To me, the number “four” has always carried special significance. I am the oldest of four siblings and was born in the fourth month of the year. In middle school, two different versions of “4 Minutes,” one a pop song by Madonna feat. Justin Timberlake, the other an R&B song by Avant, earned their positions […]
elementary school
Posted inInstruction & Curriculum
Bringing Project Based Learning to our Classroom
Entering my twenty-third year of education I know there is more. I have been through basal reading, whole language, memorization of facts, conceptual mathematics, hands-on science and many teacher manuals more of “best practices”. The pendulum swings back and forth while teachers and students try to keep afoot and learn. So this year I have […]
Posted inAsk a Teacher
What They Didn’t Teach You in College- How to Have Tough Talks in the Classroom
Guest Writer: Stephanie Machado @givethatgirlasnack Stephanie Machado is an educator and blogger from Central Florida who has a passion for writing and sharing her thoughts with others. She launched the transformational blog and Instagram campaign @givethatgirlasnack where she shares “snack-size” bits of information filled with teaching tips and educational strategies that parents and teachers alike […]
Posted inInstruction & Curriculum
Dear Administrators: Don’t Move Ineffective Teachers to a Lower Grade; Help Them Improve
Guest Writer: Shawnta S. Barnes The great school mix up is one strategy elementary principals use to remove ineffective teachers from upper elementary grades, the grades where state standardized tests are taken. Apparently, moving these teachers to an ‘easier’ grade will magically fix the problems they faced in their upper-grade classroom. There are a few […]
Posted inHow to Fix Education
[Episode 52] Teaching Controversial Topics in Elementary School
“You can start teaching social justice to students when they’re young enough to suffer from social ills.” In this episode of The Educator’s Room podcast, we talk to two elementary school teachers, LaNesha from Education From An Apron and Naomi from Read Like a Rockstar about teaching K-5 students about controversial topics. From Charlottesville to Hispanic Heritage month, these teachers […]
Posted inBack to School
29 Elementary Classrooms That You Want to Teach In!
Secondary teachers always feel a pang of jealousy when looking at elementary classrooms and their grandeur! We’ve pulled together some of the best classrooms from our readers. Enjoy and for a complete list, click here. Click here for the next classroom. Click here for the next classroom.
Posted inInstruction & Curriculum
4 Questions to Celebrate Your School Year
As I write this I’m seven school days away from summer vacation. At this time, I’m filled with the usual mixture of emotions. I’m excited to recharge and relax. I’m sad to be saying goodbye to my students, while wondering if I could have done more. I’m anxious for the next year, wondering how I […]
Posted inHow to Fix Education, Uncategorized
Race and Racisim in the Classroom: 3 Ways to Start a Difficult Conversation
Recently I’ve been doing a lot of thinking, writing and talking about how to discuss race and racism in a classroom setting. As an elementary school teacher, one of the first challenges I have to overcome is convincing people that we should even try to do this. Understandably, a lot of people worry about “exposing” […]