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.
Affirmation
An unfamiliar street name in Santa Clara, California, glimpsed on the return address label as she signed for a certified letter, set off a rapid-fire mental slideshow of potential senders. She knew of three or four long-ago classmates and neighbors who had migrated. Or maybe her sister had moved again. But then, why would that merit certified mail instead of a phone call or e-mail? Bad news or good? Could it be (hope, hope, hope) some kind of happy surprise never imagined?
By Connie Burket3 years ago in Education
The Perfect Day
I walked back into my classroom, and there it was sitting on my desk. My first thought was maybe this was my black notebook. I keep one in my bottom drawer at all times for brainstorming and ideas generation. This is a classic move for a “Teacher-preneur” like me, but when I saw the beautifully crafted thank you sticker I knew it wasn’t mine. I was tempted to call the office and see if anyone had lost it, then I noticed my whole name embossed in gold in the right corner. How could that be? Who put this here? My door was locked how did they get it in here? Should I open it? After at least 3 minutes of internal struggle with what to do next, I opened it.
By Tracey H Sydnor 3 years ago in Education
our students can teach adults how to treat one another
I love teaching. I’ve been doing it for 22 years. But really, I would call it learning. Every day, my students and I learn alongside one another, growing and discovering stuff together. I use my experience and knowledge to help them hang out with words and language and global events, trying to scrape the “learning” from all of it using critical thinking skills. It. is. my. passion.
By Carrie Wisehart3 years ago in Education
My First Year Teaching
"What are you doing out of class Melanie?" "Mrs. Anderson, my water broke!" So if this sounds crazy, it was. My first year as a teacher was anything but traditional. I had just graduated from college with my teaching certificate when I landed my first teaching job. It was at an all girls alternative school called the Teenage Mothers' School or TAMS for short. My students ranged in ages from 14 to 18 where I taught Freshmen English through Senior English. What a year it was! Besides just graduating from college, I had also just gotten married and now had to prepare four different lesson plans. My poor husband was lucky to see me before sundown most days. Still I had so much fun with my students. We all cried, laughed and learned together. The lessons went beyond English Language Arts and literature. I always used humor to lighten the mood and break the ice. So one April Fool's Day, I decided to play a joke on my students. However, little did I know that the joke would be on me.
By patricia anderson3 years ago in Education
5 Tips for Teaching Abroad During a World-Wide Pandemic
As I like to joke, I chose a hell of a year to go teach abroad in Spain. My experiences taught me a few valuable lessons which I am happy to share. If you are looking to go teach abroad during this pandemic here are some helpful tips to move you along.
By yanina maysonet3 years ago in Education
Closing The Gap
Picture yourself sitting in an IEP meeting and the team is discussing services for a student. Let’s say the student has a Specific Learning Disability in Reading Comprehension and Basic Reading Skills. As the team moves into discussing services, the district proposes 60 minutes a day for specialized instruction (For some reason, 30 minutes per area has become a “magic” number). They further propose the services be conducted in the special education setting, i.e., outside the regular education classroom. You may be saying to yourself, “That sounds reasonable”. I say it isn’t and here is why….
By Victoria Ballew3 years ago in Education
Rate My Professor/Teacher: Helpful or Not?
So, for those who don't know, Rate My Prof is, essentially, a very useful site. But you kind of need to take it with a grain of salt. The site gives students the opportunity to rate and review the professors they've had and leave tips from their experience in their class. Which is great if you are a student going into the class and want to know what to expect. It also gives students a chance to back out of classes where the teacher or professor may not be the best, or may just have a teaching style that will not benefit the student.
By Sasha Nichols3 years ago in Education