From the time a student enters the classroom, they are assessed and graded on content knowledge and level of understanding. Throughout their time in the education system, they receive report cards with grades for all subjects they have studied. Grades are used to tell students, especially those who do poorly in school, to work and … More What’s In A Grade?
The other day, I overheard a colleague having a conversation with a student. My colleague asked the student, “Why are you here?” The student responded by asking the same question to my colleague. My colleague replied with, “I’m here because I have to be here.” It was at that moment, I knew a learning opportunity … More Attitude Is Everything
The other day, my class was finishing up their last assignment for the day, when I had one student who was refusing to do anything. They were struggling with being focused and having a good attitude. In fact, he was sitting at his table, head down, and loudly rubbing a piece of paper on the … More Just Breathe
Dear New Teacher, Congratulations for making a step into being a positive influence in the lives of young people. The teaching profession is an honorable profession, but is often a very thankless job. There will be times where you will feel overwhelmed, tired, and think you are not making a difference. Let me encourage you … More A Letter to a New Teacher
There used to be a methodology in education, specifically in mathematics, that was called “Drill and Kill.” This was usually used in the early years of education – elementary years. “Drill and Kill” was a way to get students familiar with fact operations. Students were given a worksheet with 20, 40, or even 100 fact … More “How” Then “Why”
Have you ever perused the National Education Association’s (NEA) website? The statements made on the website show the true colors of the association that says they stand for education. However, not once do they focus on real world learning, creating classrooms that work on skills that are needed to be successful beyond the classroom, encouraging … More The NEA Is The Worst Thing For Education
In my last post, I stated that teachers shouldn’t waste precious energy and time on students who don’t care and choose not to put any effort into their learning. This is a very controversial statement, as all students should be supported and encouraged. This is why I followed up my statements with the understanding that … More Can’t Win Them All – Follow Up
This post may be controversial! I remember when I first started teaching that I thought I was going to “change” or “save” each student, and that they would become successful in everything they did. The truth is that I wasn’t going to save, change, or win all of my students. This was a hard pill … More You Can’t Win Them All
Education is an ever changing system. The problem is that it changes for all the wrong reasons. For decades education was focused on preparing students to enter factory work. This is why students sit in rows, work according to a bell schedule, and do monotonous assignments. A shift then occurred after World War II. The … More There Needs To Be A Shift
The classroom is a dangerous place. It can be used to create strong men and women with discipline, work ethic, and integrity, or it can be used to create weak men and women who are selfish, egotistical, and lazy. The teacher has the power to influence which type of individual emerges from their classroom. This … More Use Your Platform Responsibly
Welcome To The Classroom 