teacher

All about teachers and the world of teaching; teachers sharing their best and worst interactions with students, best teaching practices, the path to becoming a teacher, and more.

Every Day Is an Adventure
Today, for the first day in a while, I woke up feeling like I was actually ready for the day. My wife’s 5:40 alarm went off, originally set for I know not what, and now ritually ignored. When my daughter asked for some milk, instead of grunting and rolling over, searching for some precious extra moments of sleep, I hopped up and got it for her, started some coffee, and sat down and got to work.
By JM Cox8 years ago in Education
Teaching Literature: Classics or Fantasy?
I am relatively new to teaching, (substitute teacher at all levels for two years, sixth-grade English for another two, and most recently Senior AP literature/Honors tenth grade English) but one thing I've heard far more than I'd like to is that kids "just don't like to read." I hold a firm belief that children who express this sentiment do so because they simply haven't found their genre. Genre is elusive in a sense because we open one door only to step into a room filled with more doors. Anyone who has been asked to explain what kind of music, writing, or art they create has faced this dilemma in trying to put into words just what their art is most like. It sends them on a walking tour through some doors, peeping into others only to back out and choose another. It is confusing and often overwhelming, but possibly more interesting, is it is expansive. The door I most often open is fantasy.
By Storm Shaw8 years ago in Education
Country Teacher in an Alt-Urban School
I grew up in a small town, in an even smaller part of said town. My days consisted of reading, teaching myself to use the computer, and watching Jeopardy with my family at dinner. My school was predominantly white, lower-middle class, "rednecks" with the occasional goth or rich kid thrown in for fun. The minority of my school population was less than my graduating class of 150 out of 600. I grew up around white people, I hung out with white people, and I was forbidden to date anyone other than a white male. Then came college.
By Alysha Clark-Walters8 years ago in Education
What They Don't Tell You about Being a Teacher
"Teaching is easy," is a phrase I often hear. All you have to do is get in front of a group of kids and tell them their ABC's and their 1 2 3's. Have lunch time, nap time, and call it a day, right? There's a lot more to teaching than that. Being a teacher, you have to be ready for anything and everything. Little Jimmy just puked on the carpet? You better know what to do. Alex just stole's Amanda's crayon? Well, you better resolve it fast before Amanda has a tantrum. Classroom management is a huge part of teaching as well as a huge part as to why so many teachers quit. They can't control their classrooms, therefore, they call it quits. Classroom management is tricky, especially on the first day of the job. A new class, a new group of kids, and you don't know what's going to work for them so you just do the whole trial and error thing for the entire year until something works.
By Melody Moon8 years ago in Education
Classroom Management and Substitute Teaching
This is something they never teach you when you’re getting your license. When I went in for my first classroom observation and I saw the horrors of a poorly managed classroom, I wondered why it wasn’t a topic of serious conversation prior to getting my license. Why don’t we get taught this? How does such an important element of education get left out? When do you push and when do you pull back?
By Troy Bernardo8 years ago in Education
From STEM to ESL. Top Story - October 2017.
Having dedicated (or sacrificed, depending on your point of view) the final 5 years of my 20s to taking a foundation degree in physics and maths, followed by a Bachelor’s degree in physics, I am frequently asked why I am an English teacher rather than a physics and/or maths teacher. Allow me to explain.
By Grace English8 years ago in Education
My Personal Philosophy Statement Towards Becoming an Educator
For my profession, my attitude needs to constantly be encouraging, energetic, happy and endearing in the classroom. Personal Beliefs
By Abigail Lieb8 years ago in Education
Grammar In Isolation
The prevailing theory in the modern university classroom, as developed by education bigwigs and based upon their unequivocal research, is that teachers must never give their classes lessons on grammar isolated from other aspects of text. The reasons why sound very compelling to a young teacher or teacher-candidate. The student is easily bored and therefore apt to immediately forget whatever was taught, especially when returning to the realm of available modern technology, where a blind trust in the authority of spell-checkers enables adolescents (and too many adults also) to tolerably get by in the world without looking too much the fools. Education gurus therefore assert that we address grammar as a secondary tier upon methods and concepts that are more likely to hold the students' attention because of their deeper involvement with the text. Perhaps while examining an author's point-of-view (first or third-person) we should look for subject-verb agreement. Perhaps in a wider discourse on description we should find a teachable moment in which to caution against the comma-splice.
By Joel Crow8 years ago in Education
3 Lies About Teaching Special Education
I had always wanted to be a teacher. I thought my natural knack for children, combined with my own intellect, would be enough to hammer facts, skills, and information into young minds. I knew it wouldn't always be easy, but at the same time I didn't expect it to be harder than any other job that I would do.
By Matthew Eyler8 years ago in Education
My Personal Philosophy of Education
My personal philosophy of education is comprised of essential ideals that I believe an effective teacher should possess. Every single child on this earth is different, so how can I assume that a simple lecture is enough for my students? John Dewey professed about teaching to the whole child; that is just one little piece that I think makes an effective teacher. By this I mean that my role as a teacher is to adjust to the individual child and teach to their learning style and their needs. To assist in doing this, the constructivist approach and direct instruction will be actively involved in my classroom. The role of administration and the students’ parents is to be the support system of the students; without an adequate support system, the child will struggle more in classes.
By Rachel Schick8 years ago in Education
Looking Forward in Art
I have never thought of becoming or being anything or anyone extraordinary. I have always thought of my future in a pretty realistic fashion, simply because I believe I have been content all of my life to work toward taking just one step more than I have already walked.
By Dalan Hartmann8 years ago in Education
Monday Blues
Today was one of those teaching days. You going in all prepared and ready for your kids. It's Monday. You have the worksheets printed (or in my case a folder labelled "TO PRINT") you have your lessons planned. Your work ID left on the cupboard at home but you You have your coffee mug ready and raring to go.
By Mel Dobson8 years ago in Education