In the last post I suggested that teachers find others, who are far away, and conduct joint projects. One potential problem is...how do I find teachers who are far away? Here are some possible solutions.1. Do you know anyone who lives far away? It doesn't matter if they are or are not teachers? Ask them if they know any teachers who might like to ...

Have you heard of TeacherTube? It's online at http://www.teachertube.com/ The site says, ''Our goal is to provide an online community for sharing instructional videos. We seek to fill a need for a more educationally focused, safe venue for teachers, schools, and home learners. It is a site to provide anytime, anywhere professional development ...

I was talking to a colleague of mine today and she reminded me of the joys of putting on our annual dog and pony show…whoa!! Was that out loud? I’m sorry. I mean, our annual assembly that celebrates and brilliantly displays student learning. Let me take this opportunity to say I HATE ASSSEMBLIES!!! Let me calm down. I mean, what’s the ...

Tip toe through the tulips… Setting: A busy city street outside of the subway entrance. Two teachers walk the few blocks from the subway to work. 7:15 a.m. I felt lucky because I ran into my girlfriend and co-worker on the subway today. It always makes the commute easier when I have someone to chat with…you, know the death march I usually hear ...

She showed you her WHAT??!? My kids came back from recess today and one of my girls was conspicuously missing from my line. I say conspicuously because she NEVER STOPS TALKING and therefore is hard to miss. It is common practice for our vice principal to lash out sporadically (meaning they have no system…watch out my little friends, you never ...

This blog is dedicated to all the ass-kicking teachers out there (especially those in public elementary schools- holla)!! I have taught in the public system myself for many years and am currently pursuing my second advanced degree in education. Teaching is my passion and I love nothing more than being with my students. However...teaching isn't ...

In the grand effort to reform schools, a new and trendy idea has been to hire adults to work with the teachers rather than the children, a.k.a. a staff developer. In theory, it sounds like a great premise in which teachers are able to stay current on their practice and learn exciting methods of pedagogy. Ah, but there is the rub my friends…don’t ...

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 ...

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 My Teenagers' Homework Ate Their Free Time, an article written by Jay Matthews of the Washington Post, a mother wishes her children actually had time to watch TV.  In responding to a question about homework vs. TV, she wrote: Although homework can be valuable for reinforcing and applying learned material, I think it has spun out of ...