Have you ever doubted you’re doing the right thing? If all your time spent teaching was actually worth it? If you were really having an impact on students? Does this profession provide you a way to light others’ candles? Or do you find you’re burning so much that you’re doing nothing but burning your candle […]
from the front lines
Posted inCurrent Events in Education, Featured, From the Front Lines, High School, How to Fix Education, Instruction & Curriculum, Opinion
What We Forgot From School
My improv troupe has been going through a time of transition. When I came back this summer after my school hiatus, there were a lot of new faces and a few old ones – and things had changed, not necessarily for the better. Every group goes through highs and lows. The first time I was […]
Posted inFeatured, From the Front Lines, How to Fix Education, Instruction & Curriculum, Opinion
The Museum Trip – The Other Side
[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”] As a museum educator, I work with all types of learners. Multimodal teaching is a phrase I hear on a consistent basis – and as a kinesthetic learner myself, I’m thrilled to […]
Posted inFeatured, Opinion, Uncategorized
Will you be a hero to a child who needs one?
After the teaching staff in her school were once again “warned” that each child must make a year’s growth (for reading) based upon new “MAP” scores which seem to be unreliable, this Pennsylvania teacher couldn’t remain silent. The staff at her school is incredibly hard working and extremely exhausted. So she wrote a letter to […]
Posted inFeatured, From the Front Lines, Instruction & Curriculum, Literacy
The Art of Storytelling
Life is a series of stories. By definition, a story is a chain of events. In both formal and informal education, storytelling is an excellent teaching strategy. Think about it – teaching English, History, Reading, Science, Social Studies, Art and even Math can be enhanced by the use of stories. We’ve all told them, whether […]
Posted inFeatured, From the Front Lines, Opinion
We Believe: An Open Letter on Behalf of Every Teacher
Many Americans live in an era where their jobs present new daily challenges: so many of us are expected to do more with less; others feel underpaid and overworked, while many wish the government would get out of their profession. We take heat when we don’t perform, and we go home soured by the work […]
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, […]