Last year, due to a drop in enrolments, I taught a class of six students. It was mostly delightful, but it also meant that the two kids who didn’t want to be there comprised one third of the class, and stood out like the proverbial sore thumbs. This […]
Opinions of two veteran teachers Under plan their lessons – when you first start out, it’s best to over-plan rather than under plan. You do not want to be stuck at the end of the lesson with nothing left to run with. If you’re experienced, you have the […]
It’s a non-issue. I’m a college professor. There is a statement on my syllabus that says that if your cellphone goes off in class, or if you make a call in the classroom, you are required to dance in front of the class. I tend to use the […]
You work closely with your faculty and staff every day within your school. You trust their judgement in the classroom, their desire to further your mission, and their dedication to helping your students succeed. But sometimes a teacher in your school doesn’t quite fit the mold. Their actions […]
These are the rules of several teachers I won’t talk over students. I rarely raise my voice above a normal “presenter” volume. If students start talking while I’m trying to teach, I just stop and wait for them to finish. What doesn’t get done in class just becomes […]
School rules vary from school to school and district to district, so these might not be true for all schools. Just all of the ones I’ve worked at: We cannot leave students unsupervised for even a minute. That’s why we’re on our phones sometimes… we’re chatting with our […]
Warning Signs No clear sense of purpose. If school administrators and teachers don’t share a common goal, they will work toward their own agenda, which will eventually create conflict. Hostile relations among staff, students, and parents. When elephants fight, it’s the grass that suffers. When the adults in […]
