tweenteacher.com

OK, don't tell my husband, but I have a fictional crush.  That is, I have a crush based on a fictitious character.  I think I've always had one, but the object of my literary love has always changed with my ...

Yes, it's true.  I'm reviewing a movie review.  But when you watch it, you'll understand why. Spike Jonze of "Being John Malkovich" fame (amongst other image-rich movies and videos) is directing a movie version of the Maurice Sendak classic, Where the ...

Know a teacher who got a pink slip?  Maybe my newest post at Teacher Magazine can help.  Click here for the article. It's Step 1 of my Top Secret New Teacher Handbook.  Hope it creates some shortcuts, a machete even, through ...

OK, guys.  So I got it from the horse's mouth at CUE.  According to the ISTE Director of Governmental Affairs, No Child Left Behind is not going away.   In the weeks leading up to the election, the Obama administration talked ...

I believe a classroom library is the heartbeat of a teacher's environment.  It is the window into their own personality, and it reflects the importance of literacy in the classroom.  I believe every teacher, no matter the subject taught, should ...

Occasionally, I repost this article so that new readers can find it more easily.  Based on some very enthusiastic feedback, it has since morphed into a book proposal called The Top Secret New Teachers Handbook.  I'll share more as it ...

So, CATE (the California Association of Teachers of English) just came to an end.  The hotel was lovely.  All ran smoothly.  We were greeted with smiles aplenty, and everything ran on time.  Sheridan Blau, Kelly Gallagher, Carol Booth Olson, Taylor ...

I recently heard Judy Willis (of "syn-naps" fame) speak at a conference.  In her pre-teaching life, she was a neurologist and she brings her knowledge to the classroom and to her lectures.  (See my recently published article in Teacher Magazine, "My ...

OK, so my first period's "Advanced" group went up 40% between their 1st district assessment and their 2nd. Another period went up 37%.  Even my Honors class went from 81% Advanced to 97% Advanced, with only 1 student found in ...

Science Daily is reporting that there has been a shift in how students are thinking as a result of their use of technology.  They believe it possibly lowers critical thinking skills and analysis.  Additionally, they wonder just how much schools ...