Voki?
Perhaps I am late to the party, as it were. But, it has taken me some time – perhaps longer than most foreign language teachers – to feel the Voki love, and to jump on its wagon. Just today, I expressed in a tweet to a colleague that beyond creating a wacky avatar, I considered [...]
Over-Thinking Differences?
Is it possible to over-think differences in people? Someone some time ago in my Twitter feed seemed to think so. In fact, she tweeted that we should stop over-thinking differences, and simply teach students. Although I agree with my colleague on the basic premise of what she is saying, where I think that we as [...]
12 Incredibly Inspiring Real-Life Teachers
Please click this link to read the article. It is an incredibly inspiring list. But, where is Marva Collins?! Then, that would have made the list 13. But, who’s superstitious? Are there other incredibly inspiring teachers that you would have included on the list? Related Articles A supernova for every child (theglobeandmail.com)
My PLN
Back in 1989, I was not sure that I even wanted to continue being a teacher. My two-year stint at an independent boarding and day school had been largely unsatisfying: The hours were long, the pay was poor, the duties were insanely numerous – teaching, coaching, advising, and dorm proctoring, and there seemed to be [...]
Projects…
I’ve always been rather ambivalent about them. I don’t build my curriculum to include them, necessarily. However, if I happen upon a project that I like, and that I think will engage my students, then, I create time and space for it to happen. Perhaps I actually have a stronger aversion to projects than mere [...]
Student As Worker
It’s taken me nearly as long as I have been teaching – which is 16 years to be exact – to feel comfortable relinquishing control, even if only a little, to my students. I am finding, however, that the 85-minute blocks – which are not the most ideal conditions for students with attention issues – [...]
The Ugly Truth
I don’t think I am a bad teacher. To the contrary: I am a good, effective, and caring teacher. So, why do I feel lousy when my students don’t do well? Reason #1: Teachers are perfectionists. We strive to do everything well. After all, good students, by and large, become teachers. We’ve been working our [...]
Brilliance in an iPad?
Between lulls during Parent Conference Day, I engaged, on and off, in a Twitter conversation on assistive technology and students with special needs. My colleague possesses a self-confirmed passion for students whose learning needs and learning styles are greatly assisted by technology, and who, as she put it, are locked out by teachers and curricula [...]
Burnout
It may seem strange that I would discuss burnout just as summer vacation is ending. But, here is a story: The other day, I was talking with a neighbor at the apartment complex where she and I reside. She is a fellow educator: An assistant principal, to be exact. She asked me the all-too-common late [...]
