Posted inElementary School, Featured, Instructional Strategies, Kindergarten, Series, Teacher Leaders

How to Own the Leadership of Your Classroom: Craft a Vision

It’s no secret that teacher burnout is a problem. A commonly cited statistic is that as many as half of teachers leave the profession within their first five years. As retention of teachers gains attention in policy circles, teacher leadership has emerged as one possible solution. Generally teacher leadership means an opportunity to extend a […]

Posted inCurrent Events in Education, Featured, High School

100 Kindergarteners: An Experiment with Our Children!

100! 100 children were placed last year in a Kindergarten class as an experiment in learning. Of course, this isn’t being tried at a private school whose students are children of our country’s top earners. It is being tried in one of the most impoverished neighborhoods in Detroit. The students are all placed in the […]

Posted inElementary School, The Student Teacher Diaries

Student Teaching Diaries: It’s Not Just Teaching

Teaching is more than lessons, assessments, and children.  It involves extra work outside of the classroom.  Seasoned teachers know there are many “extras” that come with the job.  We attend board meetings, committee meetings, planning meetings, curriculum meetings, after-school clubs, summer school sessions, PTO and Site Council presentations, school plays and school-sponsored events outside of the 7:45-3:45 daily […]

Posted inClassroom Management, Instructional Strategies, Middle School, Social Studies, Technology, Uncategorized

21st Century Classroom Management is… Fun?

Recently a veteran colleague and a teacher in training posed questions concerning classroom management and power struggles with students. Years ago the approach to dealing with students who test the boundaries of rules was quick and strict reprimand.  Students were graded on neatness, orderly and timely manners, for being quiet unless called upon. While there […]

Posted inClassroom Management, Featured

Elementary Classroom Hacks for Back to School

Classroom teachers have tricks and shortcuts we use each day.  We need things to help manage and protect time, supplies, organization and classroom management.  According to Merriam-Webster “Hack is to manage successfully or a creative solution.”  Here are some classroom hacks to help with a variety of things in your elementary classroom. * Use old (clean) […]