Have you signed up for The Educator’s Room Daily Newsletter? Click here and support independent journalism! As a young teacher, I spent a lot of time bemoaning the fact that my students didn’t follow even the smallest instructions. I told them how to format their papers using careful MLA guidelines, and they would turn in […]
Google Classroom
Google Classroom Part 3: First Year Reflections
I surveyed 42 of my juniors for this article. The questionnaire asked them to comment on benefits and frustrations with Google Classroom and Google Apps. Every student agreed that they felt more connected to students and curriculum by using Google Classroom. Most students said they preferred to virtually collaborate because of convenience, connection to teacher, […]
Google Classroom Series Part 1: Why I Use It
I love the feel of paper in my hands. My husband has desperately been trying to convert me to the Kindle, but I keep buying more printed books. Yes, we’re running out of bookshelf space (but isn’t it every English teacher’s dream to own an in-home library?), and yes, digital copies are cheaper, but I […]
Adventures in Going Paperless: Step One, Taking the Leap
urnA few years ago, my best teacher friend and I decided the entire population of the world could be dived into two kinds of people: spreadsheet people and stack people. Spreadsheet people sort and file. They label and color-code. Their organizational world is akin to the beloved spreadsheet after which they are named and on […]
The Problem of the Chronically Absent Student
It’s not even a month into the school year and already it’s clear that my 7th period has a problem. Overall, they seem like a nice group of kids. They participate, they ask questions, and they are pretty easy to redirect if we get off task…but still, there is a problem. The problem is that […]