Interactive notebooks have been one of the biggest trends in education over the last few years, but are something I’ve never been able to buy into. I’ve tried them in my classroom, and they just weren’t a good fit. Now let me preface by saying this – I know that
A lot of us teach in schools where the grading policy is set and there can be no changes to it. This was refreshing for me when I was a first-year teacher. It was one less decision I had to make for my classroom and I was grateful. When my
Do you want to know the secondary classroom procedure I can’t live without?? So often in teaching when we try something new we wonder, “Why haven’t I done this all along??” Maybe it’s a grading technique or a behavior management strategy that you’ve implemented that you look back and can’t believe
I always feel like there are so many different organizational ideas for elementary school teachers floating around the Internet, but rarely ever do I find organizational ideas for high school teachers. So I decided to write about 5 of my absolute favorite organization products that I’ve found that have worked
I’ve mentioned before that I have a few “series” I want to start writing to on this blog periodically. One of the ones I am excited about is “Teaching Controversy.” Especially as a secondary teacher, there are so many things that teachers debate over. Curve tests, or not? Allow re-takes, or not? Provide study guides, or not? This is because as secondary teachers we are in a tough position. Over a four-year period in our classrooms, students are transitioning from being fresh out of middle school to being 18 years old, about to live on their own. It is such an important time where life skills, critical thinking capabilities, and autonomy need to be cultivated if we want our students to be successful after graduation. But how harsh is too harsh? Where do we draw the line? These issues can be tricky, which is why I want to open the door to discuss some of these controversial issues here. I’d LOVE to hear your opinions because I definitely don’t feel like I have the perfect solution!
We’ve all heard of Common Core. Most of us have also heard of Next Generation Science Standards* (NGSS). So what is the story? What are these standards and what is it we should know about them as science educators? In this post, I am going to give you a background
We all know what this time of year brings. The piles of papers that need to be graded have learned how to asexually reproduce themselves and daily grow to astronomical heights. The Venti at Starbucks disappears before you’ve even put your car in park in the school parking lot. You’ve
I remember going through my education classes in undergrad, and then grad school, then getting my gifted and talented certification, and always thinking – aren’t we all just overcomplicating this a bit? Let me back up by saying I love learning (see previous post if you don’t believe me) and
I have ALWAYS loved school. I was that kid who asked for a white board for Christmas so I could teach my stuffed animals how to write in cursive. I was that kid who couldn’t wait to open a fresh spiral notebook and begin filling it with notes at the