Blog

In a perfect world, every student would have two loving parents, a comfortable home in a safe neighborhood, and all their basic needs met. Unfortunately, we don’t live in a perfect world. While we may not like to think about it, many of our students encounter trauma of some sort. Trauma may stem from poverty, violence, neglect, loss, or an...

There’s a saying that has spread through the education sector in the past several years that “kindergarten is the new first grade”. With the adoption of more rigorous standards and the increasing emphasis on standardized tests, schools are eager to get students reading and writing from the first day they walk in the door. There’s one school district, though, that’s...

There’s no doubt that “project-based learning” is something of a buzzword in education right now. Teachers of all subjects and grades are finding ways to engage students in meaningful and open-ended learning tasks. But a closer look reveals that a huge spectrum of activities fit the criteria for “project-based learning”. From hour-long science experiments to semester-long research projects, inquiry-based learning...

When was the last time you had a conflict with someone at work or in your personal life? How did you handle it? Did you rant to another colleague or friend? Did you send a passive aggressive email? Or did you just fume silently to yourself, letting the issue continue to bother you? Growing up doesn't eliminate temper tantrums. It...

Envision your perfect classroom filled with students. What would it look like as students learned new material? What would it sound like as they developed new skills? While obviously, the answers to these questions will vary from teacher to teacher and subject to subject, there are often commonalities that most teachers can agree on. We want students to be genuinely...

Imagine trying to build muscles by going to the gym every day. But instead of lifting weights, you merely watch your personal trainer lift. Needless to say, this wouldn’t get you very far in your quest for strength. We often equate the brain to other muscles in our bodies in that the more use it gets, the stronger it will...

There seem to be no certain answers when it comes to parenting. For every sure-fire approach to raising healthy and happy children, there is an alternative or even opposite theory with just as much evidence. So what if we said there is one thing parents can do that is scientifically proven to help children be more academically successful, have fewer...

Recently, I had the opportunity to meet a very impressive entrepreneur who has created an educational character that is now being viewed across the nation on Florida PBS and the Children’s Television Network which is the in-house station at children’s hospitals. The most amazing part is that the creator of this project is only 13 years old! Adam initially created...

How many decisions do you think you make every day while teaching? While researchers have found a range of answers to this question, many agree that teachers make around 1,500 educational decisions during an average school day. Assuming about 6 hours of instructional time, that averages out to 4 decisions per minute! While some of these decisions can be planned,...

When’s the last time you had to take a timed test at work? I'm willing to bet it’s been a while. What about the last time you had an authentic conversation where you needed to express and support your own ideas? Chances are this second activity is a more likely occurrence. Helping students learn to be conversationalists is a valuable...