“If every student gets good grades, the instruction has lost its rigor.” End of discussion and I fought the urge to throw my pen at him. Continue reading
Good Classroom Management is Not Easy; It is a Learned and Practiced Skill and Art
Field experience tells us that fitting a student management philosophy to a teacher is like fitting shoes. One will feel better, wear better, and be more satisfying than all others. Therefore, teacher prep programs must teach teachers a variety of philosophies and strategies so that a teacher can find a personal plan that refines student behavior and enhances student learning. Continue reading
Improve How We Treat Our Rookies to Resolve Teacher Attrition
First-year teaching is a survival of the fittest contest. National statistics are not changing and 40% of classroom teachers leave teaching in their first five years in the profession. Stop and consider that fact for a moment. A teacher pays $80,000 or more for a baccalaureate degree and teaching license. Their move to a new town and investment in renting or buying a home is a huge emotional as well as financial commitment. Then they walk away from that effort and expense. The reasons must be ginormous. Continue reading
Would I want me to be my teacher?
If the perception we have of our teaching is not the perception have of our teaching, what are we prepared to do about it?
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Career Prep Pathways Need Prioritizing
School boards need to re-evaluate their priorities, acknowledge the 40% of graduates who do not enroll in a college or university, and start paving a CTE curriculum where students’ footprints already exist. Continue reading