I have lost many hours to the “suggested for you” videos listed on the right side of ted.com. There are times that I believe that their algorithm is broken . . . Really? Do you think I would be interested in “How I became part sea urchin”? More often, however, they nail it. Why, yes, […]
secondary
Posted inInstruction & Curriculum
Disrupting Thinking: Stop Focusing on Leveled Reading
Each summer I try to squeeze at least a couple professional books into my summer reading pile. This year, I knew I wanted to read Kylene Beers and Robert E Probst’s new book, Disrupting Thinking: Why How We Read Matters. Teaching my 8th graders not just to read, but to love to read has been my main goal. […]
Posted inFeatured
Taking The Plunge: Starting a School
When I wrote about starting a school four years ago, I never dreamed I would continually get a steady stream of emails from teachers who were either embarking on the journey or thinking of undertaking this huge calling to buck the system and branch out on their own. But here I am four years later, staring […]
Posted inInstruction & Curriculum
Those Dreaded Words-“I’m Already Done!”
No matter how precisely I plan I always end up with a couple of students who finish some activities early. I used to say what most teachers say, for them to read silently, but I’ve never liked for students to read silently for very long since I don’t really know if they are truly reading […]
Posted inChild Development, Current Events in Education, Elementary School, Featured, From the Front Lines, High School, Instructional Strategies, Kindergarten, Middle School, New Teacher Bootcamp, School Improvement, Teacher Burnout
The Final Days of School
Charles Swindoll said, “Attitude is more important than facts. It is more important than the past, than education, money, circumstances, than failures and success, than what other people think, say or do. It is more important than appearance, ability or skill. It will make or break a business, a home, a friendship, an organization. The […]
Posted inFeatured, Middle School
Teachers: Lift Yourself Up Instead Of Beating Yourself Down
I’m moving into my 20th year of teaching. Two decades. I feel effective. I feel like I can pinpoint character traits, learning styles, academic issues and self-esteem challenges within minutes of meeting a child. I feel like my students love school, demonstrate learning and retain material within a high margin, and if you go off […]
Posted inFeatured, Instruction & Curriculum, Literacy
Creating 'Published' Student Writers
I love to teach writing. Being able to open up the minds of kids and introduce them to the ability they have to create anything they can dream about and put it down on paper is so rewarding to both the student and the teacher. We write about everything and I have clipboards hanging in […]
Posted inFeatured, From the Front Lines, Instruction & Curriculum, Opinion
Don't Be THAT Teacher: Make a Positive Impact Instead
[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”] It happened the other day. One of my ‘friends’ on Facebook had a birthday. I was wishing her well, on her page, when I noticed another person she was friends with. […]