I led a training this summer where teachers were introduced to a new science curriculum newly adopted by our district. The room was filled with excited but nervous energy. Many teachers commented about how they were excited to teach the new content and how the new curriculum would be so much better for their students. However, on the flip side of that coin, I also heard, "I'm not sure how I'm going to do this." The echos of this statement are familiar to me because, as an educator, I have whispered those words to myself multiple times over the years. I know how it feels to be presented with something new and being overwhelmed with the time and energy it will take to implement it into my teaching practices. During this training, these teachers were presented with the obstacles of time and technology, and I could almost read the defeat on some of their faces when they realized they were going to have to overcome challenges they weren't prepared to take on this school year. I cannot count how many times I have felt this way myself over the years. Usually, this defeated feeling comes when I'm told I need to collect behavioral data, or when I have to come up with Plan F for student intervention. But what I have learned recently is that it is these moments that are allowing me to grow as an educator. When I lean into the uncomfortable and overwhelming situations with a belief that there is a solution, then I find myself trying instead of letting the feeling of defeat win.

A campus is an extremely important element of college pedagogy. We don't consider everything that it does for us when we are there.

The year was 2008, I was in college and the first black U.S. President was just elected. I had no real direction in college at the time, just taking general classes. The victory of President Obama was a big deal. This is the first presidential election for me after high school. Second, I felt it was time for me to finally get involved and be up to date with politics. I knew, however this required much reading and history. All and any issues the president-elect has, they inherit from before. Their problems are not birthed from a vacuum.

If you are a teacher, it can be exhausting to keep teaching students. Teaching is a very noble profession, but many people do not realize the challenges that come with the profession. There can be days when you feel down, and you need to get motivated to get to work the next day. In this article, some of the techniques show how you, as a teacher, can stay motivated, even when the days are hard.

There are many methods within schools today that work to further facilitate pupil progress and maintain engagement and the motivation to learn. Though it has come far from the traditional schoolrooms of desks and chalkboards, the execution of education is an ever changing concept, with new ideas constantly being put forward and tested in attempt to improve its functionality and success. One of these being the process of experiential learning; the concept of learning through experience. However the debate of how education should be run is often in conflict as traditional ways clash with modern ideas and poses the question; "Does creativity flourish better in an informal classroom where children are responsible for much of their own work and for initiating a great deal of what goes on, or is it at its best in a more formal, structured context?" (Fontana, 1991)

Sometimes there were fights at school, like the time when I was eight and had gotten into a fight with Cynthia Thomas. She had my cheek caught between her teeth, biting down hard. Fortunately, I knew better than to pull away. Meanwhile, as she was biting me, I was pinching her cheek as hard as I could. When I got home, Mama told me to go to the barn and find some chicken feces to rub on my face to prevent scarring and infection. So I had to go around the house with a bruised cheek and smelling like chicken poop for the rest of the day.

Teachers are required to never stop learning. They need to complete several continuing education courses to further their teaching practices and increase their knowledge. These are three ways that teachers can continue their education.

It's August. I'm in that mode of excitement mixed with anxiety as I start to prepare to teach. This often involves gathering up a lot of scraps of paper, things I've saved into MS OneNote and Google Keep, and reviewing the notes I took at the end of last term.

Every child has had one: the teacher who just won’t play nice. Sometimes it’s an older teacher who’s just done like last Thanksgiving’s turkey. Sometimes they love the girls, and you have an ADHD boy. It could just be a bad personality mix. Whatever the situation, you and your child have to learn to play nice. Before you run to the principal to demand a new teacher, try these tips for a more productive parent-teacher relationship.

According to the Association for Educational Communication and Technology, institutional technology is the theory and practice of design, development, utilization, management, and evaluation of processes and resources for learning. According to this definition, it involves ways of making learning effective by incorporating, not only scientific theories, but also other information that provides enough knowledge. Accordingly, the definition is grounded on the concept of instructional technology, which is divided into five interconnected domains. These domains include development, utilization, design, management, and evaluation. Under each domain, there are subdomains, which help in bringing out a clearer meaning of the term in structural technology. Design refers to the process of specifying conditions for learning, development refers to the process of translating design specifications into a physical form, utilization refers to the use of processes and resources for learning, management refers to processes of controlling instructional technology, and evaluation is the process of determining the adequacy of instruction.

Teachers are often underappreciated. They put in a lot of effort to provide a great learning experience for children that are in their classroom each year. They can have very hectic schedules, and it can become difficult to stay organized when there are so many students to pay attention to during the course of the day.

Most educators today are familiar with or have actively engaged in the teachings of Carol Dweck's Mindset. There are so many facets to her research, but the power of the word "yet" is one of the main components of transforming a "fixed mindset" to a "growth mindset." For example, if you say "I can't do this," you have a fixed mindset and will probably give up and never learn to do it. You will believe you are not capable of the skill or concept, and that will become your truth. However, if you say "I can't do this yet, but I will try," you will give yourself the momentum to get through any obstacles to learn the concept or develop the skill you wish to acquire. This is true in your own learning and the learning of your students. If you have not read about Dweck's Mindset research, I highly recommend it for your own growth and the growth of your students. In addition to using the power of the word "yet," I want to introduce you to six more phrases that can foster a growth mindset, and bring positive energy to your classroom.