For teachers considering a career in Special Education, an area of critical need, reviewer Laura Von Staden fears that those readers may not finish That’s Special feeling equipped or encouraged to teach this group of students and may decide not to enter the field.
Healthy Teaching / It's Not Easy Being Tween
by Cheryl Mizerny · Published 11/29/2015 · Last modified 11/17/2019
Have you been there as a teacher? Overwhelmed, weary, dissatisfied – not taking care of your physical and emotional health – not happy with your professional performance? Cheryl Mizerny got there this fall and shares some of what she’s doing to bounce back.
If demoralizing teachers worked, then our educational system would already have reached a state of perfection. Instead, says reviewer Jenni Miller, policymakers can find a true roadmap for change in Richard DuFour’s “In Praise of American Educators And How They Can Become Even Better.”
Genius Hour is an inquiry-driven, passion-based strategy designed to excite and engage students around the unrestrained joy of learning. Teachers Denise Krebs and Gallit Zvi make a case for the weekly time investment and share tips for getting started.
STEM learning can open up new worlds for elementary kids as it grows problem solving and teamwork skills – all the while building a foundation for the middle grades. Anne Jolly provides elementary teachers with ideas and resources to begin integrated STEM.
Heather Wolpert-Gawron’s passion for PBL goes back to her elementary years. Nowadays she builds units for middle schoolers to encourage their journeys through learning. Here she shares a structure to support students while simplifying teachers’ preparation.
The difficulty students have in writing clearly can be traced to many factors, says literacy consultant Sarah Tantillo, from muddled pre-CCSS standards to weak teaching practices. Here she offers concrete suggestions to correct persistent writing problems in the secondary grades.
It's Not Easy Being Tween / Teacher's Legacy
by Cheryl Mizerny · Published 11/01/2015 · Last modified 11/28/2019
When a graduate class requires Cheryl Mizerny to consider her personal teaching legacy, she finds herself reflecting on how her students will remember their experiences in her classroom. She hopes they will recall joy, challenge, caring, empowerment and inspiration.
You know those times where the kids are so spun up that you suspect nothing you say will be remembered tomorrow? You ask yourself, “Why am I even trying to teach today?!” Veteran educator Patti Grayson casts her votes for the most inattentive days of the year.
Educators may be reluctant to try memoir writing with middle grades students, but the rewards are considerable, says 8th grade teacher-author Jake Wizner. He shares three insights that can help guide teachers as they enrich the student writing experience.
