posts related to classroom instruction, or applicable to teachers.
ASCA 2014 has kicked off here in Orlando, Florida and once again I am reminded why it is so important that as professional educators we continue to seek out professional development. ASCA is the American School Counselor Association but many of the lessons and sessions I’ll be attending over the next few days can apply […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
Final Exams. Two words that stir anxiety in students like no others. It seems that this time of year as many in the general public are preparing for the holidays, those of us in schools are preparing for final exams. For educators, final exams signal the end of the semester and the start of a […]
I often wonder if the public education system could learn a thing or two from the business world. No were not simply turning out a product each year in the form of high school graduates, but in many ways we are selling a product. Education. For those of you who completely ignore the holiday shopping […]
Last week we looked at the shifts CCSS shifts brought to math. This week lets look at the shifts in English Language Arts (ELA). Like with math, it’s easy to gloss over ELA and say, ‘I don’t teach English, this doesn’t apply to me.’ How untrue that thought would be. Built into the ELA standards […]
