Yesterday, I went to Facebook and noticed a trend. Many of my teacher friends were vocal in their criticisms of their child’s teachers. I saw posts like, “Can you believe the ridiculous homework packet he gets?” and “My son said
Read More
Fitting In
I teach preschool students with autism and severe communication delays. It’s likely that my students will face some challenges fitting in during their life. As their teacher and advocate, it can be hard for me to fit in, too. The
Read More
Dear A+ Student
The following is based on an actual letter I gave to a student. I’ve changed the names and particulars to protect identities. Dear Estrella, I’m writing because frankly I think that if we had this conversation in person you would
Read More
Confessions of a Forty-Hour-a-Week Teacher
I was excited about going back to school on Monday. I know, I know. This flies in the face of all the Facebook posts and memes about wanting just one more day of vacation. However, I was ready to be back.
Read MoreClosed Door Policy
Most administrators tell faculty and staff that they have an open-door policy. However, it is important to remember that, besides the restrooms, there are two metaphorical doors in a school: the administrator’s office and the teacher’s classroom. Many writers about
Read MoreShould We Still Teach Analog Clocks?
On Friday, my colleague Steve Andre wrote in a staff wide email that he was considering teaching how to tell time on an analog clock to his seventh grade computer students because they can’t read the one on his wall
Read MoreGuest Teaching as Civic Duty
Like jurors, substitute teachers should be drawn from the public as part of one’s civic duty, at least according to a colleague. Among other things, pulling subs from the public could create more awareness of life in our public schools, get
Read MoreMy Quiet Rage: Against Objectives
I’ll just say it: I resent writing objectives. For those of you who may not teach, I offer a brief primer. Teachers are required to teach to the standards. Teachers generally plan units which target specific standards. Within each daily
Read More
A Neglected Anniversary in Science Education
We didn’t light the autumn sky with homemade rockets or harness the wind to electrify remote villages. But in 1974 a group of juniors sitting in the back of biology hung on every word our teacher said, because we never knew when
Read MoreI Don’t Use Rewards — But My School Does
When I set up my classroom as a first-year teacher, I created a daily game system where students would compete Jeopardy-style, for intellectual dominance. The winning groups would receive candy bars. I also added a Spencer Store, with photocopied artificial
Read More