I couldn’t get past reading the first paragraph: The core of the changes are new, tougher national grade-level standards, adopted by Arizona in June 2010. They revamp what skills students must learn and when they learn it to match their peers across the country. Arizona students must take the new national reading and math exams …
What happens when teachers lose their inspiration? But it can’t be good news that a survey of teachers released in March by MetLife found the lowest job satisfaction numbers since 1989, with just 44 percent of respondents describing themselves as “very satisfied” with their classroom careers, down from 59 percent in 2009 and 62 percent …
Writing isn’t entering an unknown world. Even in futuristic societies and the unknown worlds of Ender’s Games and Hunger Games, there is a connection that readers can make to the experiences the characters are having and the way that they are relating to one another. Rosenblatt calls this a “living through” experience that enables readers …
Powerful ponderings from an open pastor: Always, always, always, do not interpret scripture out of its original context. And I repeat: always, always, always do not interpret scripture out of its original context. It would be very easy for us at this juncture to read Isaiah 53:1-6 into story of Jesus– to say that the …
What we often teach students is to work hard so that they can go to college and get a good job, but what about this: High unemployment is hurting many young people as they languish without developing job skills. The United States added just 80,000 jobs in June, the Labor Department reported on Friday: This amount is …
Shocking. Maybe these families weren’t using the food bank as a crutch. Maybe there are families in desperate need surrounding us everyday. And maybe, just maybe they really need our help.
I know that you are tired of my on again off again relationship with Facebook. It must be exhausting to read when I am happy with Facebook and when I am upset. I am sure you are saying to yourself, “Pick a side!” I’d love to. I really would, but there are simply too many …
Buried in this article full of great statics, I found this image: Does this classroom look much different? As a visual learner, I appreciate the graphic, but I am not sure that it looks that much different than the classroom I attended school. For me, that’s disappointing. With the innovation that surrounds us every day, …
Common Core Standards are argued to be guiding student writers who struggle and grapple with what to write about. Here are the guidelines: 1. Write arguments to support claims in an analysis of substantive topics or texts, using valid reasoning and relevant and sufficient evidence. 2. Write informative/explanatory texts to examine and convey complex ideas …
I just read Princess Academy, a young adult novel, recommended by one of my youth. As a teacher, I read it through different eyes and I was amazed at the way it described literacy development in a mountain village. The desire and passion in one student then transfered to the rest of the village. Literacy might …
