There is another battle this week between parents and teachers against Chicago Public Schools and it centers on testing. Threats from the board include disciplinary action against teachers including the revocation of teacher certification. Next week, the Illinois Standards Achievement Test (ISAT) is administered to grade school students across the city and state. The test takes […]
students
Posted inFeatured, High School, Instruction & Curriculum, Literacy, Middle School, Uncategorized
My Son Only Read One Book in Middle School
This morning as I helped my son organize his bookshelf I asked him a question that came over me as I looked over his Diary of a Wimpy Kid series on his shelf, “what books did you enjoy most while  in 6th and 7th grade?” He looked up at me like only a middle school […]
Posted inAdult Learning, Classroom Management, Featured, Instruction & Curriculum
Building Self-Esteem: The Secret Ingredient to Reaching Your Learning Disability Student
For twelve long years of school and after, he contends with a situation for which he can find no satisfactory solution. When schoolwork becomes insurmountable, the child has few alternative resources. An adult dissatisfied with his job may seek a position elsewhere or find solace outside of his work; he may even endure these difficulties […]
Posted inInstruction & Curriculum
Forming Your Lessons with Formative Assessment
[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”] Testing is not a new idea in education. I remember taking the Iowa Test of Basic Skills when I was young. We had yellow number two pencils, small black circles, and […]
Posted inFeatured, From the Front Lines, Opinion, Parents
When We Lose a Student: Vindication, Forbidding Mourning
[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”] Mothers and fathers often say that the most difficult thing they can ever do is bury their own child. Since I have no children of my own, I’m not yet able […]
Posted inCurrent Events in Education, From the Front Lines, Uncategorized
The Tough Kid
Sometimes it happens at the beginning of the year. Or one January or May morning, the disembodied voice on the intercom announces you have a new student coming up to join your class. Then, there he is. That child, Â is usually a boy, stands at the door, assessing the class. You send up a silent […]
Posted inCommon Core, Current Events in Education, From the Front Lines
{Editorial} A Teacher's Experience with PARCC in Tennessee
By Jon Alfuth In my sophomore year of high school, my AP European History teacher gave us a test on ancient Rome in week two of the course. The problem? We hadn’t learned anything about Roman history! To this day I still don’t understand her decision, but the experience left me with a strong distaste […]
Posted inFeatured, Instruction & Curriculum, Uncategorized
Apple Ad Shows That Students Can Surprise You…
I teach English in a Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) school, and that means that there is  wireless for all kinds of devices: notebooks, kindles, laptops, and phones. Internet access is open along with social media sites, except Facebook, since many teachers use them for resources or to communicate with students. There is a school […]