Have you signed up for The Educator’s Room Daily Newsletter? Click here and support independent journalism! Who is an unaccompanied homeless youth? I’ve written previously about how, in education, we define homelessness under the McKinney-Vento Law. It is a definition that includes those living with others or in hotels due to economic hardship or emergency. […]
Tips for Student Success
7 Picture Books for Earth Day That Aren’t The Lorax
Each year on Earth Day elementary school teachers across the U.S. pull out The Lorax and other tried and true read-alouds. Many elementary teachers – a group that is disproportionately white women – tend to gravitate towards the books they grew up with. This is a problem. And while there’s nothing wrong with the environmental […]
How to Support Students Addicted to Screen Time
Tips for encouraging self-regulation of digital distraction Have you signed up for The Educator’s Room Daily Newsletter? Click here and support independent journalism! As more schools introduce one-to-one iPad or laptop policies, teachers are increasingly worried about students’ dependence on screens. Devices are now a constant part of their environment and have become their ‘go-to’ […]
How I Use Apps to Improve Family Engagement
Have you signed up for The Educator’s Room Daily Newsletter? Click here and support independent journalism! Parent communication is one of the most critical aspects of teaching. Without it, parents will not be informed about what is going on in the classroom, and teachers can feel less supported. It can also get easily pushed aside […]
Why You Should Try a No Cell Phone Policy in Your Classroom
Have you signed up for The Educator’s Room Daily Newsletter? Click here and support independent journalism! If you want to try an interesting experiment, ask your students to turn up the volume on their cell phones and tally how many times in a class period their cell phones signal an alert. We tried it a […]
Lessons for Teachers From a Military Brat
Have you signed up for The Educator’s Room Daily Newsletter? Click here and support independent journalism! What is a Military Brat? Are you familiar with the term “military brat?” This term refers to someone who grew up in a family where one or both parents served in the armed forces. My father served in the […]
How to Support Parents and Educators of Autistic Students
I remember the first student I taught who had been diagnosed with autism very well. “Ms. Lamons, you need to fix the date on the board.” “Ms. Lamons, I need to know what we are doing today.” “Ms. Lamons, I finished my work. Now, what do I do?” John had what some described as a […]
How to Use Social Justice Picture Books With High Schoolers
Have you signed up for The Educator’s Room Daily Newsletter? Click here and support independent journalism! Picture books are colorful, vibrant, and creative…so let’s not ditch them after chapter books come along! As a parent I have re-discovered my love of some classic picture books, but mostly, I am discovering a vast new world of modern children’s literature. Many […]