Every year at the end of April, high schools in Illinois are faced with the PSAE. Well they are for now, PARCC is coming, but that’s for another post. State mandated testing is simple enough: the state tells you who to test and the school is responsible for testing them. In the case of the […]
Two weeks ago we held a career fair at my school. Now this wasn’t your typical high school career fair for students looking for summer/part-time work. This also wasn’t a career fair for senior students about to graduate and enter the work force. This was a career fair for freshman students. Students who have little […]
Last week was perhaps one of the busiest school weeks I’ve ever experienced in my tenure as an educator. And while the days were long and the stress level was high, it was one of my most rewarding weeks as well. Too often in education, specifically at the high school level, we isolate ourselves in […]
Master scheduling can be difficult because there are so many factors to consider: student conflicts, contractual obligations & limitations, teaming, content area certifications, and general preferences. In the scope of keeping the school and my decisions student centered, I choose to start the scheduling process by looking at potential student conflicts. A master schedule and […]
In the life of a school administrator there are leadership tasks and there are managerial tasks. Pause for a moment and develop your own opinion of a leadership task and a managerial task. What comes to mind? Which is more favorable in your eyes? What type of principal do you have, a leader or a […]
When the general public is talking about teachers, one complaint that you’ll often hear is that those in education have too many days off. It seems like every other week my kid has a day off, a half day, or a late start. Teachers have it so easy; I wish my job had that much […]
As a school counselor I spend a significant part of each day working with students who are struggling academically. There are many reasons why a student may struggle: homework completion, stress at home, poor sleep habits, attention deficits, anxiety, or test taking. Many of these factors are affected by forces beyond the walls of our […]
If your school is anything like mine, or practically the entire Midwest, you’ve had a string of snow days. In fact not only has the polar vortex canceled school this week but also at the start of the year a little over two weeks ago. Students sit next to the phone, waiting, wishing for the […]
As second semester gets underway, students are able to hit the reset button on their class percentages. Whether a student had a 92% or a 62% at the end of first semester if they turn in the first assignment this term, both students will have an A. For many students, this reset button is motivation […]
How do we respond when a student fails? If your school has made the jump to PLCs, essential questions, enduring understandings and understanding by design, you’ve certainly heard this question before. As educators we’re tasked with asking and answering questions: What do we want students to learn, how will we know when they have learned […]
