My teaching assignment changed this year, about five weeks into the first quarter. Due to a district policy of only counting “bodies in seats,” not enrolled students, our 5th-grade class sizes were huge (36 – 38 students in tiny portable
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“The Dream Catcher” or The Girl Who Championed Self Doubt
I’m not sure if she was solving multiplication problems with the Checkerboard or working in Read Naturally when I called her over. I noticed she took a deep breath and had that faraway look in her eyes, but she shook
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Organized Chaos or The Prepared Learning Environment (Continued)
During our first glance at the prepared learning environment, we looked at how freedom, structure and order, and beauty are key elements that answer the developmental needs of elementary children to create structure. Today, we will look at the last
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Let’s Be Mavens
Are you a trusted expert in your particular field who seeks to pass knowledge and truth on to others? Then you might just be a Maven. Are you a person who networks like crazy? – Maven This past summer
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It Takes Practice
You’d be hard pressed to look through any educational journal or website without coming across the phrase “best practice”. These classroom or school-based approaches are proven to be effective in a range of settings and supported by research studies. Educators that
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Learning About Teaching (and Life) on the Back of a Bike
Stephen R. Covey lists “Sharpen the Saw,” through care of mind, body, and soul, as the habit through which we renew ourselves. So, on the last day of school in May, I bought a sport hybrid bicycle and named her
Read More Organized Chaos aka The Prepared Environment
Am I ready? Before students enter the class from the first day of school to the last, it is the goal of most teachers to have the classroom ready and prepared to receive them. In addition to being functional,
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The True Meaning of Collaboration
After twenty-plus years working in schools, I’ve done it all….almost. I’ve taught various subjects and several grade levels; served as a school principal and college counselor; had my share of hard talks with parents and students; and delivered commencement speeches.
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Should Undocumented Teachers Be Allowed to Cross Professional Borders? Part Two
In an attempt to ease Arizona’s open-position crisis, recently passed Senate Bill 1042 permits schools to hire applicants with content expertise but no coursework in education. The law applies to grades six through twelve, as do the vignettes that follow.
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Should Undocumented Teachers Be Allowed to Cross Professional Borders? Part One
In an attempt to ease Arizona’s open-position crisis, Senate Bill 1042 permits schools to hire applicants with content expertise but no coursework in education. The law applies to grades six through twelve, as do the comments below. (Part Two contains
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