Everyone likes drama. No, not the kind of drama that happens on Monday nights during “The Bachelor” (I know I have better things to do, it’s just that or “Hoarders” at the gym). People enjoy the kind of drama that holds your attention – the kind that makes you gasp, laugh, cry and smile. Students […]
student engagement
Posted inFeatured, From the Front Lines
The Thrill of Victory and the Agony of Defeat
This is a tough time of year for all teachers, not just Physical Education teachers. The winter months seem to drag on. The calendar says it is Spring, but the weather doesn’t feel like it. Children have been in our classes for over half the year and we all know each other’s patterns. “Recess” time […]
Posted inCharter Schools, Current Events in Education, Featured, High School
What Are We Assessing? (Charter School Diaries # 10)
Week 3/11 – 3/15 One of the things that I love doing as a teacher, to keep my students focused on reading their notes from class when at home, is giving pop quizzes in class. My kids hate it… I hated it as a student, but I understand the purpose and I do it often. […]
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 inCommon Core, Featured, From the Front Lines, Instruction & Curriculum, Literacy
Informational Texts: Speeches Delivered with Love from Bruce and Steve
For teachers who are looking for guidance on how to teach informational texts at the high school level, there is a model lesson on Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address at the EngageNY website. The text of the speech delivered by Lincoln on November 19, 1863, is short enough to fit on two pages or two bronze plaques on a memorial […]
Posted inClassroom Management, Featured, Instruction & Curriculum, Literacy, Mathematics, Social Studies
"I'm Done!" – Challenging Students Who Finish Early
“We have noticed our child is not reading near the amount of books he read last year,” a set of parents commented at conferences. “He still has a passion for reading and he reads at home, but we are not getting new books as often.” This same student loves Tuesday in my classroom. Tuesday is […]
Posted inFeatured, From the Front Lines, Instruction & Curriculum, Literacy, Middle School
Teaching Through Trickery: A Snapshot of Theory vs. Reality
During my first year of teaching high school, I inherited a remedial reading class that consisted of about eighteen unmotivated juniors. Having just finished a graduate program in educational psychology with emphasis placed specifically on reading and literacy, I saw this as an opportunity to take all of those research-based best practices and make readers […]