I have a few questions about your experience with teaching and students.  I ask that you please take a quick moment to respond to my questions as I am trying to conduct a research study that links education to the general welfare of students and society as a whole.    Thank you! 1.   In what ways do you find ...

I created this blog because I want to find out from teachers, administrators, and parents their thoughts on implementing a more diversified curriculum for students. The current curriculum, I feel based on my own experiences with the educational system, is extremely limited.  We need to be pro-active with students if we want them to become ...

I have heard the word toppers used to describe people who always have a better story.  There could also be interrupter toppers (ITs) who can't wait for a story to end before beginning theirs.  Then, there are those who never really listen. They sort of get the gist of what someone is ...

Texas has had its share of headaches when it comes to testing.  Does anyone else remember the TECAT?  That was a test that every Texas teacher had to take to keep on trucking.  It was an absurd, expensive ordeal where teachers were treated like cattle because lawmakers weren't sure that they were educated enough ...

A video on the growing dilemma of how to successfully educate middle schoolers discusses doing away with middle schools altogether.  One possibility is to keep students in elementary school through the 8th grade.  Another choice is to house 6th through 12th graders ...

Being neutral on important issues is a hard line to walk in the classroom.  Students question teachers constantly on how they plan to vote or how they feel about current topics in the news.  Legislators in Arizona want to force teachers to keep their opinions to themselves. In any class, any issue could be discussed as long as the ...

There are so many teachable moments for preschoolers that Teach For America is launching an early childhood pilot program.  Founded in 1990 by then-college student Wendy Kopp, the New York City-based TFA has prepared 17,000 teachers through a program that includes an intensive summer training course and four weeks of student ...

Mentoring programs are not new.  Veteran teachers are often paired with new teachers in order to help launch successful teaching careers.  This was not the case when I first started teaching.  I started my first year in a third grade classroom in a tough neighborhood school.  Most of my students had ...

In an effort to increase state money flowing to universities, Rick Perry, the governor of Texas, has outlined a plan that ties funds to students graduating from college earlier and willing to pursue high demand engineering and computer degrees. The money, a net increase of $1.7 billion over two years for schools, also would be ...

The superintendent for Anne Arundel is making an entire staff of a high school reapply for their jobs.  This includes teachers, administrators, custodians, and secretaries.  Get out the broom, and get ready for a clean sweep.  Annapolis High School has failed to meet No Child Left Behind guidelines for four ...