Before I close the chapter on this school year, I want to reflect on my successes and failures to learn how I can improve next year. Here are 3 of my takeaways from this school year: #1 Breaking out of our Bubbles: Creating safe but challenging spaces As a Social Studies teacher I often experience how upbringing

I wanted to start the year not by talking about the course, class expectations or even much of myself. I feel that we—teachers along with students—rarely wonder what’s the purpose of education. This idea was lingering in my mind all summer and I happened to see a Ken Robinson talk specifically on this topic. So,

A colleague just shared an article by William Cronon on the purposes of a Liberal Education. It eloquently argued what characteristics a liberally educated person should have (not what classes they should take or standards they should meet). The 10 traits Cronon identifies are: 1.    They listen and they hear. 2.   They read and they

Dear Students, Parents and Guardians, Throughout the year teachers are constantly sharing what they know with students, learning from students and assessing what students learned. However, rarely do I find (or, more accurately, make) the time to think about and share what I learned. I want to get in the habit of doing that. So,

The classrooms are empty, hallways silent and each final grade recorded.  Yet, the school year feels incomplete. When I was younger and a student in school I was the type of person who was actually a little sad when school was over for the year.  That student is still in my classroom. As sometimes happens,

Glazed eyes and drooping heads–bored students are the bane of any teacher’s existence. That is why I read Daniel Willingham’s book with the provocative title: Why Don’t Students Like Schools?  I found his suggestions for remembering and teaching skills especially fascinating. STUDENTS: What do you think of Willingham’s suggestions–which of them do you think would

The following are notes from an excellent book by Angeline Lillard on the philosophy and practice of Montessori Education. Learning about Montessori Education made me wonder:  Is Montessori Education just good educational practice that all teachers should be applying?   What portions of the model should be applied to a high school setting?  What are the shortcomings/downfalls

How often do we allow students to pursue their passions?  How often do we let students’ curiosity drive their learning?  I know I have often been guilty of deciding what my students study and how they study the topics in our curriculum. That has started to change after I read Dan Pink’s Drive. In his

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rrkrvAUbU9Y&w=560&h=315] I hope to apply his ideas through more innovative projects this semester.  Specifically, I want students to pose more questions and think of more authentic ways of demonstrating their learning.

A constant concern I have as an educator is the fact that I can usually predict what grade a student will earn at the end of the year after just a couple weeks. Namely, I can generally identify which students have the habits necessary to succeed as the school defines it.   However, this also

I just saw this video about the Khan Academy. I have been reading about it for the last couple years and have mixed feelings. I don’t want to replace lecture in the classroom with a lecture on the computer. But his ideas on how Khan Academy and similar endeavors can help do more project based,

For the past few years I have been reading other teachers’ blogs and have found it invaluable to my growth as a teacher. Too often, I find myself applying ideas and taking risks that some teachers at my own school  do not immediately  encourage. There are a number of excellent teachers, but I haven’t had sufficient