I don’t know exactly how I inspire the students whom I teach but I try to “reach them” every single school day. I teach in the …
The Bell Curve in Elementary
Are you happy when you grade a class set of tests and then average out the class score and it lands somewhere in the 70 …
The School Bell: My Love-Hate Relationship
I have written about how old-school school is these days. I am not the biggest fan of the school bell. But I actually am growing …
Communication, Connecting, and Care: The 3 Most Important C’s in Education
There are many aspects that contribute to a successful school. There are several integral pieces that, when combined, establish a culture that begets academic excellence, …
Keeping Focus Amidst Distractions
One thing about being a teacher hasn’t changed over time, the teacher still has autonomy over her classroom. What has changed is the connectedness between school to …
Those Polite Discussions About Difference
How can we move conversations from raw debate and polite discussions along the continuum towards dialogue? One of the things we are afraid to talk …
Why I Wore my Kaepernick Jersey to School
I really wanted the away jersey, the white base with the red numbers and letters, but I couldn’t find it anywhere. So, I finally settled …
Teaching to the Extremes
Or, Differentiated Instruction… What do you do when you teach a fifth grade class that consists of thirty students and amongst those thirty students, …
A letter to next year’s teacher
Having students write a letter to next year’s teacher is an easy end-of-year activity that is done often at the elementary level. Students jot down …
Your young students aren’t babies
I know, I only teach in elementary school. But I started out teaching middle school-aged kids. Coming from a high school background in teachers’ college, …