We all have stories that live in our hearts. Stories we come back to over and over again for inspiration, comfort, and assurance that we do make a difference. Stories that represent and remind us of the love we have for our students, for our profession. One of my favorite stories is from early in […]
teachers
Posted inInstruction & Curriculum
38 Days a Teacher: Leadership, Followership, and Fellowship
I found myself standing in front of 27 students, my first day as their teacher, the Monday after Thanksgiving. I was brought in as their Spanish teacher to pick up the pieces after their previous teacher ran screaming into the night, unable to deal with the behaviors and diverse academic needs of the 130 students […]
Posted inInstruction & Curriculum
Budget Cuts? Don’t Take It Out On The Teachers – Or The Students
I spent the day today working with professional educators. This group of experienced teachers gathered to learn more about mentoring those just entering our profession. Technically, we’re there to participate in the California teacher credentialing program, which requires beginning teachers to partner with experienced support providers. But while I was sitting there, learning about learning-focused […]
Posted inCommon Core
Poverty, Parents, Homework and Kitchen Tables
Poverty is more than just an excuse Policymakers and mainstream education reformers have been chronically unwilling to acknowledge education research and evidence indicating the impact of poverty on school children and the need for social and economic reforms. Yet at the same time they demand attention to and respect for the test data they believe […]
Posted inParents, Teacher Burnout
Teacher Sacrifices vs Sacrificing Teachers
This is a snip from an article in my “library,” and was written by a non-teacher lucky enough to have a teacher-spouse. It struck a chord with me, because I wonder sometimes how my wife feels about the time I spend at school, the amount of work I bring home from school, and the amount […]
Posted inParents
Encouraging Children to Read and Write
Originally posted in RealEdReform My own three daughters are insatiable readers, perpetual writers, and the oldest is our first state-level and national level prize winner for her writing. Number two has submitted this year, but she’s only in 10th grade and is just beginning to develop her formidable chops. How did I encourage my children to […]
Posted inInstruction & Curriculum
Supporting Kids with Anxiety in the Elementary Classroom
Guest Post by: Cindy Bourdo, NBCT As each new school year begins, I seem to get a few more students than the previous year in my classroom who suffer from anxiety. It is not always a formal diagnosis, but I usually hear about it from previous teachers or parents just giving me a “heads up” which […]
Posted inConfessions of a Teacher
Fridays: A Teacher Confessional
Rebecca Black took a student’s perspective with her song “Friday,” focusing on the last day of the work week, where she wrote after “gettin’ down on a Friday, everyone’s looking forward to the weekend.” So, what about teachers’ perspectives on Friday? We asked our writers and readers, and here’s how they claimed to end the week: […]