Tag: teaching

Best Math Combo EVER!

I wrote about struggles I’ve always had with reading before, but I’ve never really reflected on my struggles with Math. Reading is more prevalent so I face my struggles on a daily basis. My struggles with Math are not as obvious, especially because the types of Math I use daily are Maths I can do …

Continue reading

Permanent link to this article: https://educatoral.com/wordpress/2022/08/01/best-math-combo-ever/

A Student Comment Has Me Thinking

Ever since our district made the decision to reconfigure our main campus from a grades 3-5 Elementary, a grades 6-8 Middle School, and a grades 9-12 High School to a grades 3-6 Elementary and a grades 7-12 Jr/Sr High School I have been thinking a lot about next year. The reconfiguration forces me to choose …

Continue reading

Permanent link to this article: https://educatoral.com/wordpress/2019/04/07/a-student-comment-has-me-thinking/

Playing the Game of School

This post was originally published on the CORELaborate blog! I have heard it before and I agree, school can be considered a game. Think about it. Those kids who do the best have the game all figured out. You show up, do what the teachers tell you to do, be quiet, pretend to listen (or …

Continue reading

Permanent link to this article: https://educatoral.com/wordpress/2017/10/24/playing-the-game-of-school/

Response to the Biggest Challenge Science Teachers Face

Just out on Larry Ferlazzo’s EdWeek Blog, Classroom Q&A with Larry Ferlazzo, is the response to the question about the biggest challenge facing Science Teachers. Last week I shared a link to Larry’s BAM Radio show where I got to share my thoughts on the topic and here’s a link to the follow-up EdWeek blog …

Continue reading

Permanent link to this article: https://educatoral.com/wordpress/2016/11/14/response-to-the-biggest-challenge-science-teachers-face/

Biggest Challenges Facing Science Teachers

I was so happy and honored to be asked by Larry Ferlazzo (check out Larry’s blog if you don’t read it already) to be a panelist on his BAM! Radio Network show, Classroom Q&A! We tackled the topic of solutions to the biggest challenges facing Science Teachers. It was so cool! I’ve embedded it above …

Continue reading

Permanent link to this article: https://educatoral.com/wordpress/2016/11/04/biggest-challenges-facing-science-teachers/

The Core Shifts the Way We Teach

The Common Core English Language Arts (CCSS ELA) standards were developed to provide our kids a relevant, engaging, rigorous education. At the heart of the standards are three major shifts to the way we teach our students. This year I have been fortunate enough to have one of the bloggers on our state’s CoreLaborate blog. …

Continue reading

Permanent link to this article: https://educatoral.com/wordpress/2016/07/08/the-core-shifts-the-way-we-teach/

PLC Work Takes Time

Our middle school’s second year participating in a WA STEM PD grant project is coming to an end. One thing I can see clearly is the time it takes to do PLC work right. Our plan has been to engage in professional development together in our teacher teams. PLC teams in schools are the best …

Continue reading

Permanent link to this article: https://educatoral.com/wordpress/2016/05/04/plc-work-takes-time/

Working in Isolation

I’ve been meaning to write this blog post reflecting on a wonderful STEM summit I attended on Dec 1st, the WA STEM Summit 2015. I was wondering which takeaway I wanted to share the most or what I was going to write about the takeaways. And I will, but this blog post is about the …

Continue reading

Permanent link to this article: https://educatoral.com/wordpress/2015/12/09/working-in-isolation/

Best Practices Collaborative Document

Years ago I started a best practices document. My school district’s tech committee was working on defining what we should be doing in the classroom before we helped teachers integrate technology. Using technology to do the same things that weren’t helping students won’t improve student learning. I made the document editable by all who had …

Continue reading

Permanent link to this article: https://educatoral.com/wordpress/2015/05/27/best-practices-collaborative-document/

Half Life as Educator

At the publication of this blog post I turn 48 years of age. What makes this age cool for me is that it marks exactly half my life spent educating youth in grades 4 through 8.  I started teaching 4th and 5th grade in South Central Los Angeles in 1991. I was 24 years old. …

Continue reading

Permanent link to this article: https://educatoral.com/wordpress/2015/03/02/half-life-as-educator/

Load more