The Process of Earning Board Certification Made a Difference for Me and My Students
I completed the field experience for my undergraduate degree in education with a brilliant third grade language arts teacher. She was just dynamite in her classroom! Her students loved her. Her lessons were engaging. Her classroom was a positive place where students were actively learning. I was incredibly inspired by her teaching. Yet, there was…
Stop the self-doubt. Why are you afraid of your idea?
I’ll bet you have an idea. It’s been itching in your brain. Keeping you up at night more than a newborn baby. This idea is not one of those maybe I’ll try this in class tomorrow kinds of ideas. More like one of those massive, life-consuming, I’m so scared ideas. But it’s also one of…
The Disillusionment Phase Hits Mentor Teachers, Too
National Board Certified Teachers seem to have the mentoring gene built into their DNA. NBCTs often serve in both formal and informal mentoring roles for those new to the profession – which means you already know what season it is. The New Teacher Center calls the weeks between mid-October and Thanksgiving break the Disillusionment Phase.…
Why More High Schools Should Have a Block Schedule
When I started teaching in 1995 at an alternative high school in Chicago (a school that gave dropouts a second chance at a diploma), we were on a block schedule. I saw students every other day for about 90 minutes a class. I hated it. As a new teacher then, I found it difficult to…
Renewing my certification was meaningful to me, important to my students
This week 3,384 National Board Certified Teachers learned that they renewed their certification. I want to offer my congratulations to those educators for their notable achievement. They teach to high standards, they are committed to continually improving their teaching practice and, perhaps above all, they are committed to students and their learning. This is the…
“Ms. Robinson, why do we need to know this?”
How many teachers hear this phrase on a day-to-day basis? When I first started teaching, I was thrown into a classroom with little more than a pacing guide and a projector to keep my head afloat. I was 23, a neophyte, and barely able to stay ahead of my students during instruction. I found that…
Amp up your Classroom: Collaborate with your School Librarian
We’re all better when we work together. I’m lucky as a school librarian because my job is all about collaborating with the other adults in my building; my program depends on it. I’m lucky to be in a building that values and fosters collaboration among adults; we already have built in curriculum meetings for teachers…
Benefits of Project-Based Learning
Over the years there have been many changes in the way instruction is delivered to students in public education. Gaining popularity in recent years, one of the most promising models of instruction is project-based learning (PBL). In PBL, students gain knowledge and skills by working for an extended period of time to investigate and respond…
Know Your Students
As a science teacher, I send a safety contract home with all the other beginning-of-the-year paperwork for my students and a parent, guardian, or other family member to read together and sign. Their signatures indicate that that they read and understand the course information and syllabus, the school’s electronics policy, the Student Rights and Responsibilities…
