A New School Year / Kids on the Cusp
by Mary Tarashuk · Published 09/22/2015 · Last modified 11/13/2019
Personal narratives, reading folders, interest inventories – and new nicknames bestowed as the year begins. Mary Tarashuk uses many clues to get to know her 4th graders. PARCC scores haven’t arrived yet. No sweat. All that really matters is arrayed before her.
A New School Year / Kids on the Cusp
by Mary Tarashuk · Published 09/08/2015 · Last modified 08/07/2024
For years Mary Tarashuk engaged her students in a rule-making exercise that felt democratic but produced her desired outcomes. Now her strategy is to help kids think more deeply about respect and have them use their insights to guide the classroom community.
A New School Year / Kids on the Cusp
by Mary Tarashuk · Published 08/25/2015 · Last modified 11/16/2019
Mary Tarashuk is packing for her trip back to Room 106 and her new class of fourth graders. She shares her pre-flight checklist and her new student-centered theme for the year: “In Class 4-T We DO Learning.” Along the way she includes middle grades resources.
Kids on the Cusp / Last Days of School
by Mary Tarashuk · Published 06/17/2015 · Last modified 11/15/2019
Like many teachers, when school ends, new work begins for Mary Tarashuk. “I earn a good salary, but it isn’t enough to pay for ‘summers off.'” There’s professional learning to do, too. But still some time to relax and reflect on the sheer joy of teaching children.
Mary Tarashuk looks beyond her formal annual review to consider her personal assessment portfolio. Her students have learned “a bit about compassion, sympathy, empathy, the importance of friendship and community. This is the true measure of my Affectiveness.”
It remains unclear to Mary Tarashuk how rampant standardized testing is actually helping her fourth graders become successful and enthusiastic learners. As she prepares for her own evaluation, Mary shares pushback from parents, students, and HBO’s John Oliver.
Kids on the Cusp / Making Connections
by Mary Tarashuk · Published 05/05/2015 · Last modified 11/30/2019
Students’ success in making connections – whether listening, writing, or linking ideas with bits of yarn – is essential to learning. Mary Tarashuk sees those connections in her 4th graders’ notebooks and in their eyes. But can PARCC prompts capture them?
Kids on the Cusp / Spring Learning
by Mary Tarashuk · Published 04/20/2015 · Last modified 11/21/2019
As Mary Tarashuk anticipates the second round of PARCC testing this spring, she tackles stacks of paperwork and teacher evaluation forms. She’ll also make sure her 4th graders celebrate Earth Day, revisit engaging writing prompts, and enjoy some fresh air.
Character Building / Kids on the Cusp
by Mary Tarashuk · Published 04/08/2015 · Last modified 12/01/2019
We can teach students the value of speaking out on critical issues while meeting curriculum standards, says Mary Tarashuk, who shares her 6-day unit inspired by the 1992 speech of 12-year old environmentalist Severn Suzuki before global leaders.
Kids on the Cusp / Standardized Testing
by Mary Tarashuk · Published 03/26/2015 · Last modified 11/16/2019
Most teachers Mary Tarashuk knows are salmon, with a deeply embedded instinct that urges them to keep swimming upstream against mighty currents (including CC standardized testing) to find their way back to real teaching that makes real sense for real kids.
