heather
Do You Remember the Moment When You First Learned “Grit?”
OK, so here’s my confession: I’m not so sure that grit can be taught. I know, however, from experience, that it can be learned. So I think it’s time we all had a frank conversation about the role of school
Can you trick a student into thinking critically? Or is it just a trick?
So my students are currently taking a publisher’s online pilot test. We are doing it for three reasons: 1. This gives the students practice for the SBAC online test. The format of these practice tests is meant to mimic that
Big ‘Ol List of CUE Resources
Hey all! For those who saw me present at CUE in Palm Springs, here is the list of many of the resources I mentioned in my presentation, “From Pencils to Paperless: Developing a Blended Environment for Teens.” You may have
Speech and Debate Secret Sauce: Building Community in Any Classroom
As I’ve recently written, I am the coach of a very successful and very large middle school speech & debate team. It’s a huge job to coach all of these kids, but it’s amazingly rewarding. It’s rewarding to know that
Let’s Talk About Speech, Baby: Speech & Debate and the Common Core
Besides being a Language Arts teacher, I am also a Speech and Debate coach. I haven’t written about it too much, not for any reason other than I spend a lot of time geeking out over curriculum design in teaching
What do Jeff Wilhelm and Ashton Kutcher Have in Common? : Teaching for Character
Earlier this December, I attended the UCI Writing Project annual conference. Every year, this conference douses a teacher in strategies to teach writing and literacy, and every year I come away with valuable methods and implementation goals. This year, the
Tips on Embedding Evidence: Writing with Numeracy
As we journey deeper into the world of Common Core, the need for factual evidence rather than emotional opinion becomes more and more vital. So that got me thinking in a more targeted way: as an ELA teacher, what are
Tween Brains, Part III: How to Work It Out In The Classroom
In part 1 and part 2 of my series on the tween brain, I covered why teachers need to become brain hobbiests and some key terms when learning about the brain. In this final post on the tween’s crazy cranium,
The Obsession with Self-Quantification and the Consequence in Education
I recently read a commentary in Time Magazine by Kathleen Parker called, Count Me Out. It was a fascinating little diatribe about our obsession with self-tracking and quantifying success. She was looking through the lens of folks who find ways
Going Paperless: The Digital Binder
I wanted to share a bit of what I’m doing in my various classrooms as a means to go paperless. To me, the need to go paperless is about two things: 1. The reams of paper that are used in
The Work Around
The image in this post is a metaphor for what this year is all about so far: the Work Around. Let me explain: I know that the ideal way to wear a Nike is to wear a sock that is
When Life Turns on a Dime, You Discover Your Family
I want to tell you a little about what happened to me this summer, but I promise that it will come around and relate to school. Cruddy hook, I know, but I wanted you to know there was a method
Classroom Goal: Learn 10 New Things a Week (about them)
I recently checked out a link from a Facebook friend. It is apparently an ongoing list about current science discoveries called “10 Things We Didn’t Know Last Week.” It was interesting, but it really got me thinking about a new
I’m Confused. What Am I Fighting For? Who Am I Supposed to Be Fighting?
I find myself confused about my profession and, as a result, confused about my path within it. I entered teaching with a feeling of pride about my purpose, feeling the system was working with me to help prepare students for
10 Weeks Left of School for the 8th grade class? Think Again…
There are 10 Weeks left of school for our 8th grade class. Wait! Not so fast. Let’s do the math. Take our initial timeline of 10 weeks and begin to subtract the end-of-the-year obligations: Minus one week for some teachers
Honors Classes: The Need for More Diversity – Part II
In my recent Edutopia post, I posed a problem that is plaguing many schools today: that of racial inequity in our honors classes. Many of us at the middle school level are wondering what our role is in bridging gaps
Sir Ken Robinson: live at CUE 2013
I had the privilege of seeing Sir Ken Robinson as the keynote speaker at the CUE conference earlier today. For those who may not know of whom I speak, here is his now famous TED speech on “Do Schools Kill
“Managing the Hidden Differences in Your Classroom” : Bam Radio
We must embrace our diversity if we are to emerge a country that is a leader in this global community. I would like to think that it starts in our schools. And if it starts in our schools, and is
BYOD? They Already Do
A short post today on how the debate about bringing your own device to school is superfluous and antiquated. After all, they already do. Case in point: when a student wants to borrow a pencil, I have them leave collateral
A 1st Grader’s iPad Contract: An Acceptable Use Policy for the Home (Updated)
A few weeks ago, my parents called to tell me that my mom was getting the new iPad. They wanted to know if they could give my 6 year-old, Ben, her original one. We hadn’t been planning on getting him
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