When we enter into the teaching world, we are usually aware of the difficulties that come along with it. The long hours, the low wages, the tough conversations, and the emotional toll it can take. This is fairly well publicized, and many of us know it’s part of the job. What some of us don’t… Continue reading Teachers are Professionals
Category: 2019
An Ode to Poetry
Oh, poetry. You beautiful, expressionist, challenging, frustrating beast. Many struggle to find your deeper meaning, your hidden messages. Children sit in schools, turned off and annoyed by your very existence, writing the same poems (ahem, haikus) year after year. This year I took a new approach to teaching poetry, and it’s one that I wish… Continue reading An Ode to Poetry
On Homework
The past few years, this topic has undergone a barrage of scrutiny. From the arguments of it being absolutely necessary for a student’s development, to the ones reviewing the number of hours students spend at school each day, it’s a hotly contested issue. Then there’s the consideration of including it in an overall grade, or… Continue reading On Homework
Feedback FROM Students
“It is not enough to simply listen to student voice. Educators have an ethical imperative to do something with students, and that is why meaningful student involvement is vital to school improvement.” ― Adam Fletcher, Meaningful Student Involvement Guide to Students as Partners Feedback in the classroom is an important aspect of educational practice. It is… Continue reading Feedback FROM Students
The Missing Half of RTI/MTSS
Response to Intervention (RTI) and Multi-Tiered Systems of Support (MTSS) are two acronyms (of many) that are well known and widely accepted in education circles. The pyramidal structure of these models is one that most practicing educators are familiar with, and have used in their careers and classrooms. MTSS is the newer, updated version of… Continue reading The Missing Half of RTI/MTSS
On grades
Grading has gone through a lot in the past decade. It’s been through a massive overhaul, coming out the other side looking quite different from when it began. Some of the changes, necessary ones in my opinion, are finally beginning to become commonplace in our practice. They are starting to take hold. I’ve written previously… Continue reading On grades
Ready-Made Curricula
Teacher autonomy is a subject I’ve spoken at great length about. I feel incredibly fortunate to work in a district that values our professionalism so highly, and places such confidence in its teachers to make instructional decisions. While at times it’s very demanding and can be a lot of work, I would rather have this… Continue reading Ready-Made Curricula
Let’s talk about new math
I see the hate for “new math” in a lot of different places. Instagram posts, my Facebook newsfeed, even the local news. I know that social media is a bubble, often giving less than accurate portrayals on the general public’s opinion, but it seems like there is a large number of people out there who… Continue reading Let’s talk about new math
Bringing Tough Topics into the Classroom
I often get asked how I approach certain topics with my 6th grade students. It should come as no surprise that I spend quite a lot of my time thinking about and discussing education, and that it comes up in conversation with people in my day to day life. When I share some of the… Continue reading Bringing Tough Topics into the Classroom
Meaningful Vocabulary Instruction
The past few weeks I’ve been doing some reflection on vocabulary instruction. Our language arts curriculum is up for review this year, and it’s led us to have some fantastic conversations about best practice, resources, and instructional methods. I love these nerdy conversations because they’re right up my alley, and they give me an excuse… Continue reading Meaningful Vocabulary Instruction
