It happened, not two weeks into the school year. A student vomited during class. Now, this is something for which my teaching credential program did not prepare me. The cheerleader shrieked, the surrounding students rapidly pushed back their desks, and the room was consumed with student reactions and freak-outs. Meanwhile, Chad sat there, as if […]
teaching
Posted inAsk a Teacher, Common Core, Current Events in Education, From the Front Lines, Uncategorized
Education Reformers Without Classroom Experience Lack Credibility
In these days of education reform, teachers want one of their own, someone who has been in the classroom, to make the important decisions that impact the policies they must implement. They want someone who has taught a lesson with content, assessed that lesson, retaught that lesson, reassessed that lesson, and evaluated that lesson for […]
Posted inFeatured, From the Front Lines
Surviving Teach for America: What I Learned from the Corps
[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 I just finished my two-year commitment with Teach for America, I cannot help but think back on this journey I have just completed. Never in a million years did I […]
Posted inFeatured, Opinion
The Absent Teacher
OK. Can I just rant a minute? I totally understand that teachers are people too. We have normal lives that involve doctor’s appointments, our own sick kids, funerals and professional development conferences during the school day. I get this. But what about that ONE teacher who we all know that seems to have unending amounts […]
Posted inBook Review, Opinion
"The Well-Balanced Teacher" – A Book Review
The Well-Balanced Teacher: How to Work Smarter and Stay Sane Inside the Classroom and OutBy Mike Anderson Publisher: ASCD, 2010 I was raised on the basis of ‘work smarter, not harder.’ This adage rings in my ears for just about everything I try to accomplish. However, we all know about the road of good […]
Posted inFeatured, Opinion
Teachers Should Stand Alone, Stand Together
I have read several articles over the past month that, in a nutshell, explain that The United States was founded on the premise of greed. And even as I’ve taught Social Studies this year to my elementary kids, I find myself making that link as well: the pilgrims came over because they were being forced […]
Posted inAsk a Teacher, Featured, From the Front Lines, Opinion
Why Do I Stay? I Stay to Share Stories
Why do I stay? This question is circulating on blogs and in videos by teachers from across the country. My friend Catherine, a teacher and literacy specialist, brought this question to my attention in her post this week. She was participating in a challenge organized by Two Writing Teachers called  The Slice of Life. The instructions for participating are […]
Posted inInstruction & Curriculum, Social Studies
{Conference Recap} Georgia Council for the Social Studies Statewide Conference
On October 25 and 26, I had the opportunity to participate in the Georgia Council for the Social Studies statewide conference in Athens, GA. It was my first time attending a major conference like this, and I am glad I did. Not only did I get to attend various subjects on teaching methods, where social […]