Dear Parents of Children with Learning Disabilities, I cannot tell you how many times I’ve sat in an IEP and watched your faces as the team discusses the strengths and weaknesses of your child from an academic viewpoint. I can see the fear, confusion, worry, and sometimes, anger on your face. I can feel your […]
parents
Posted inOpinion
Homeschooling: Making Education Natural Again
This year has been one of change for me. In January, I left teaching to follow a dream and move with my family to an ecovillage in rural Missouri. Since then, we have been homeschooling our two kids. When we were telling my family about our decision to leave mainstream life behind, they were – […]
Posted inAsk a Teacher, Back to School, How to Fix Education, New Teacher Bootcamp, Parents, Technology, The New Teacher Chronicles
8 Ways For Teachers To Communicate With Parents in the 21st Century
In the 21st century, there is a multitude of ways to communicate with parents. I know a large part of the education workforce is comprised of ‘digital immigrants’, but with a little time and motivation, all teachers can (and should) utilize technology to increase communication with parents and students. Here are my eight favorite ways […]
Posted inHow to Fix Education
Parents have Rights. Really!
Parents have rights. In their efforts to promote charter schools, some education reform activists couch their advocacy in language describing “choice,” parent rights and even sometimes suggest that traditional schools and teachers pose a danger to students while going virtually unaccountable. This skewed and theatrical view of reality may be a reason many parents have […]
Posted inCommon Core, Featured, Opinion
School VALUES, not "Standards"
Let’s start talking about shared core values, not common standards, please. My colleagues, my students, their parents, my own children… none of them are “common” or “standard.” This sentiment isn’t new to anyone who is serious about education and has done it for any length of time, or to anyone who has children of their […]
Posted inCommon Core, Featured, Opinion
School VALUES, not “Standards”
Let’s start talking about shared core values, not common standards, please. My colleagues, my students, their parents, my own children… none of them are “common” or “standard.” This sentiment isn’t new to anyone who is serious about education and has done it for any length of time, or to anyone who has children of their […]
Posted inFeatured, From the Front Lines, Opinion, Parents
Out of the Mouths of Parents:10 Things That Parents Have Actually Said
Ahhhhhh….. Christmas break. I’ve been waiting for this vacation since October when the honeymoon phase of a new school year began wearing off and the realization of ‘normality’ set in. This break allows me time to reflect, piece my weary self back together and recall some of the craziest things that parents have said this […]
Posted inFeatured, Opinion
Five Items For EVERY Teacher’s Christmas List
Now that Thanksgiving is in the rear-view mirror and the Christmas season is upon us, it isn’t too early to consider what presents we would like to request from our friends and family. My list is far from exhaustive and highly subjective, but as the New Year beckons, the average teacher is in desperate need […]