Why I Almost Quit Teaching
We all have our reasons for why we stay in teaching, some of us even have reasons for why we contemplate (or are currently contemplating) leaving teaching. In this post, you will find the four key reasons why I genuinely considered leaving teaching, as well as some reasons why I still consider leaving the profession...
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Game Changing Education Apps
Authentic Assessment: 3 Considerations
I wanted to make learning fun with cool activities that prepared students for the real world and beyond. My class was going to be fun and laughter, but my students were going to learn more than they ever had in any of their other English classes simply because of my amazing authentic learning activities.
I thought I knew what authentic learning tasks were. I had no idea... |
Engaging Students in Socratic Smackdowns
When I was young, I tuned into WWF Monday Night Raw, every night, to watch The Rock lay the smackdown on his opponents. He was the most electrifying man in sports entertainment and his energy inspired my teaching approach (discussion for another time). While I’m not delivering The People’s Elbow or the Rockbottom in front of millions of screaming fans, I am frequently participating in another type of Smackdown...
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Let's Talk About Race |
4 Formative Assessment Activities Students Will Love |
I am Black. My students are white. The issues we discuss in class...not so much...
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There is an infinite number of ways to assess student learning and understanding.
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Not Everything is Essential
Not everything we teach is essential.
I have no doubt that everything we teach is important or we wouldn’t choose to teach it, right? There is, however, an elephant sized difference between what is important and what is essential when it comes to what we teach and who we are teaching...
I have no doubt that everything we teach is important or we wouldn’t choose to teach it, right? There is, however, an elephant sized difference between what is important and what is essential when it comes to what we teach and who we are teaching...
Using Stations to Build Class Culture |
Putting Students in the Driver's Seat with Self-Paced Learning |
I used to bore kids, and myself, on the first day of school by discussing the syllabus and previewing content and going over expectations. We trudged through these formalities and transitioned into some superficial get-to-know-you activities. I wasn’t creating the culture that I had hoped for. So, I started exploring how I can use blended learning practices to help introduce students to my courses and simultaneously establish a positive learning culture. Learning stations allowed me to do both...
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All students learn at their own pace. All teachers know this, but to what extent do our curriculums support this?
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What is Blended Learning?Last Spring, when my school district transitioned from face-to-face instruction to COVID crisis learning, the term blended learning popped up in every single conversation, Zoom meeting, and email. It quickly usurped the traditional education buzzword canon and, just as quickly, took on inconsistent meanings. To teachers, blended learning meant online learning. To administration, blended learning meant creating the same online assignments for all students...
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