This year much of the southeast coast was severely damaged. Many of our schools, students, and teachers are still feeling the devasting impact of these storms. They are without homes to live in, supplies to learn with, or even schools to go to. Our thoughts are with everyone who has been affected by Hurricane Florence […]
Have you ever been in a situation and wondered, “Why didn’t someone teach me about this in school?” This past year, I finally got a passport and invested in the stock market. Why did it take me 35 years to learn the value of investing and traveling the world? Because no one had ever taught […]
We’ve reached that time of year again. ‘Tis the season of testing, and it’s not just a stressful time for students. Principals and teachers are also feeling the pressure of end-of-grade exams. Testing anxiety is a growing problem for our nation’s students. Because so many students measure their self-worth with test scores, they stress out […]
Spring is here: the weather is warming up, and April showers and sunshine are bringing flowers and fresh grass. That’s right: spring is the time for “rising up!” But flowers aren’t the only things rising up this spring. Teachers are rising up too, and have already protested in West Virginia, Oklahoma, Kentucky, and Arizona. Teachers […]
Teaching has been my calling since I was a child. At 10 years old, I made my own worksheets and had a chalkboard covered in reading and math problems. I even made my poor younger siblings do my handwritten worksheets and graded each one of them. From an early age, I knew I wanted to […]
This is one of my favorite education-related quotes. I’m not sure where it originated, but I believe it should be shown in every school. It’s a quote by a 6-year-old that reads, “My teacher thought I was smarter than I was, so I was.” These 12 words from a child resonate with me because they […]
Last week, I posted an article titled “Are We Over-Rewarding Our Students?” in which I shared my thoughts on offering incentives to students for things they should already be doing. As I mentioned in that article, we tend to offer rewards because many students don’t see the importance of what we teach them. We […]
What motivates you? Maybe it’s money, your desire to make a difference, your kids, or a fear of failure. We all have our own motivations in life, and our students are no different. Most students aren’t naturally motivated to obey the rules or care about lessons. That’s why teachers use rewards and punishments to control […]
Have you ever seen the TED Talk “Every Kid Needs A Champion” by Rita Pierson? If you haven’t, I urge you to take the time to watch it today. I love Ms. Pierson’s message. Every kid does need a champion! But you know who else needs a champion? Teachers! Teachers Need Champions Too Did you […]
No, President Trump, arming teachers with guns is not the answer our teachers and students need. Educators across our nation have spoken loud and clear last week: we do not want to be armed with guns. But we do need to be armed with a completely new school system, a system that shifts our values […]
