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
Tag: teaching
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
On Teacher Culture
Culture is an important component to any well-functioning classroom. Because of this, we’re often discussing methods to create a more supportive, responsive environment for our students to learn. One that respects and values each individual, giving them room to experiment and learn from their mistakes. The time we spend developing this culture for our students… Continue reading On Teacher Culture
Redefining professional development
Professional development is an interesting concept. When most of us hear it, undoubtedly our minds go straight to an all-day conference with a keynote speaker, breakout sessions, and a hopefully free lunch. Hastily grabbing the official paper on the way out the door so you can log these hours into your licensure system, and ensuring… Continue reading Redefining professional development
The Passion Project
This school year, much of my focus has been on student empowerment. My district has undergone some massive shifts, all centralized around the concept of personalized learning. It has been a powerful overhaul, and one that has involved a lot of time and effort from devoted teachers. A majority of us have taken huge steps… Continue reading The Passion Project
Being Human
Did you ever run into your teacher outside of school when you were a kid? It was weird, right? Like they had an actual life, outside of school, where they bought groceries and hung out with their friends and family. It was so hard to fathom then that my teachers were real, human people. As… Continue reading Being Human
Becoming a better writing teacher
These past couple years as a language arts teacher have been life changing. I have discovered my passion for teaching this subject area and am so glad I do. I love connecting with students over different books, discussing our reading preferences, and helping students discover the magic within writing. I speak to the beauties of… Continue reading Becoming a better writing teacher
Reading Motivation
English language arts teachers are faced with a myriad of challenging tasks, from critical literacy skills to grammatical understanding. A unique, yet equally difficult, undertaking involves motivating our students to read, which is complicated even further as students enter adolescence. By the middle grades, those students who have been consistently reluctant as readers often view… Continue reading Reading Motivation
