teacher
All about teachers and the world of teaching; teachers sharing their best and worst interactions with students, best teaching practices, the path to becoming a teacher, and more.
Relax and (un)wind
Shortly after my older son was born I found myself, as parents often do, in a series of waiting rooms: doctors, dentists, the reception area at school, the lobby of the martial arts studio. Though being a parent is often exhausting, at the same time I cannot sit idle either. There is in me some frantic urge to make every moment productive, and although I have tried to silence it with meditation and other forms of mindfulness practices it simply will not be quiet, so I have decided to embrace it as healthfully as I can. Dragging around delicate beading project or piecing a quilt top in a waiting room or studio lobby is impractical, and yet I had to have something to keep my hands lightly occupied. (The obvious question here is why not just read a book? The answer is that I’m a librarian for a reason, and a book can keep me so engrossed I will miss all social cues like shuffling feet, throats clearing, doors opening, and my poor child will be left standing there waiting while I finish the chapter.) I began knitting in seventh grade and took a long hiatus while the demands of my early career were in full force, but found it was the perfect solution to the waiting-room problem: fits into my handbag, easy to pick up or put down as needed and produces excellent accessories for giving or keeping. With every knitting project I have started, I’ve aimed to teach myself one new skill, and I have been careful to choose patterns that are not only easy enough to avoid frustration but challenging enough to avoid boredom. Selecting the right yarn for each project is as satisfying as finding the right ingredients for a delicious dish, and I've gotten into the habit of trying to pick up at least a ball or two at an independent yarn store in any new city I visit - the best kind of travel souvenir.
By Alyssa Mandel3 years ago in Education
Scrap Attack
My sister and I grew up in a household with two educator parents; our mom started as a special education teacher and, by the time she retired, was an autism consultant and a low vision consultant. Our dad was a school psychologist for over 35 years. As you can imagine, dinner table discussions revolved largely around LEARNING and KIDS, and something must have rubbed off, because my sister and I both ended up becoming educators and then moms! I (Lindsey) became a special education teacher and a Board-Certified Behavior Analyst (BCBA) with 3 kids of my own, and my sister Kristin is a college chemistry instructor with 2 kids. We both spent years studying and researching the ways in which people learn and master difficult skills and have applied those lessons both to our young children and to our students.
By Lindsey BenGera3 years ago in Education
Prepared To Inspire
Prepared to Inspire At the end of the school year when we have exhausted all of our energy and strength, there is nothing more exciting than preparing our classrooms for the excitement that lies ahead. After having a few summer months off to recuperate from giving everything inside us to our children, it is a joy to take the scissors to cut out the many different patterns, words, letters, and pictures of all the knowledge we plan to teach the following year.
By Seletha Head Tucker3 years ago in Education
Meant To Be
When I first started working for the school district, I had no idea what I was getting into. I’d been laid off for the first time about a month earlier, and I was just trying to get a new job. I got hired to be a teaching assistant for the junior high class for the at-risk and state custody program in the school district. It was going to be more of a transitional job, and I was only planning on being there until I could find a ‘real’ job. I had been a nanny before, so I knew I could work with kids. I thought I was ready.
By Heather Linde3 years ago in Education
using impediMENTS TO GROW
This project of mine has consumed me into making it my lifestyle. The nerve of it, right. It has taken a life of its own and I am just the vessel to bring it into everyone else’s life. It brings me joy to share my passion and the love of my life. In memory of my brother, Ahmad Akim, I am setting out to curate an iSTEAM school for individuals with impediments. Each of us have our fair share of impediments or figments of our imagination that could potentially be stopping us from pursuing our passions; for whatever reason. Whatever your impediment is, it is used as leverage within our iSTEAM camps. Nothing is blocking your growth when you enter into our campgrounds. Individuals with disabilities might have obvious scars of war and have an inability to cover up their differences to the world. Individuals with impediments can share the disabling qualities as those with disabilities, however they might have the ability to disguise their scars; thus trying to fit into a world where you are considered weird. The curation of the iSTEAM camps is solely to make everyone feel comfortable in their skin and allow anyone with impediments – which we all have some – to feel comfortable as they learn at their level.
By Amina Fatimah Hart3 years ago in Education
There's a tool for every task...
A creative imagination belongs to every child. If one is adequately encouraged, these attributes can extend into adolescence and far beyond. I took my dream into adulthood and developed my love of design and creativity through my explorations in the visual arts and my unique puppet characters, each with a story to tell.
By Michelle Puhl-Price3 years ago in Education
Teaching is My Craft. Top Story - June 2021.
When I got my first teaching placement, my husband's grandmother, who had taught for more than thirty years in her day, gave me two things: a long sit-down talk full of her best advice and a pair of pink, razor sharp Fiskars scissors.
By L.A. Hancock3 years ago in Education