Navigating the Decades
I just finished my 25th year of teaching. As this year wound down, I found myself reflecting on my career and how much the students, the world, and I have changed since the early nineties. As a kid, I never imagined I’d be a teacher, much less that I would stay in any profession for…
Top 5 Strategies for Motivating Students
Teachers spend years of hard work and thousands of dollars to become experts in their content areas, with degrees and teaching certification to prove it. We develop curriculum maps and teaching calendars to be sure to cover the appropriate standards. We endure hours of professional development so that we are well versed in all the…
The Inequality of Education
In many countries around the world education has been in the headlines for many reasons, but the one main thread that runs through these stories is this: If we want to see the world as a just and fair place where everyone is given equal opportunities, a quality education is what is required. I work…
How to Save a Class Discussion That’s Dying
Effective whole-class discussions are part thoughtful planning and part luck. Sometimes an instructional approach works so well that we expect the same results the next time we use it. And sometimes, that works out. Other times, we wonder, “What the heck happened?” I thought I had found another consistent way to engage as many of…
The Power of Community and Storytelling
I believe in the power of community to provide support during a time of need. I realized the potential of storytelling within a community on a recent Saturday. I was feeling incredibly low from a challenging week at work – two former students at my school were murdered – one a 17-year-old at a party…
They Will Always Be My Students
It has always baffled me how we as teachers can go from practically adopting our students in September to saying goodbye, sometimes forever, in June. The entirety of my success in teaching has rested on the relationship building I achieve each year. I connect with students, use humor, and focus on changing how they see…
Supporting Our Students Means Supporting Our Teachers
I have the good fortune of leading one of the country’s outstanding education organizations. The National Board for Professional Teaching Standards does many things – we define the standards of accomplished teaching; we run an assessment certifying that teachers teach to those standards; and we advocate for policy that integrates National Board Certification and capitalizes…
Anyone Can Teach
This past year, a member of our second-grade team of three teachers experienced a major illness and could not work at the start of the school year. Our school was able at the last minute to secure one of our frequent substitute teachers to take over the position long term. So, what is the problem…
Embassy Sweets
Growing up in Colombia, South America, we were always exposed to different aspects of life. My dad’s side of the family gets darker the farther back I look and my Afro ancestry is even more obvious. On my mom’s side, they get lighter and the Caucasian genes get stronger. My mom was Catholic and religious…
Five Core Propositions Applied
For those of you who are at the beginning of your journey to become a National Board Certified Teacher (NBCT), you are about to become very familiar with the foundation of National Board Certification: the Five Core Propositions. Since I started my love affair with the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards, I have started…
