Posts Tagged ‘New Teachers’
Balancing the Life and What To Do Over Summer
A lot of teachers talk to me about their personal lives, or should I say, lack thereof. They complain about the rigors of the job, and wonder how one can possibly go about being a regular, sane person during the year. In fact, some even wonder how [...]
Remembering Why We Do It
Photography by Jeremy SchulzI’ve said it before. In public education, there are more sad stories than happy endings. Even so, after graduation this year I have to admit that the happy endings might outweigh all that bad stuff. Well, not [...]
Ending the Year on a Real Note
With all the pink slips going out this year, I can’t help but being reminded of a story my mentor told me about when she first began her teaching career. She received her first pink slip in the mail from our district “Postage Due.” That’s [...]
The Ambitions of Ghetto Youth: Too Small
You want to know the hardest thing about motivating students? It’s this: Every student out there wants to have one of three jobs. They want to be an actor, a musician, or an athlete. That’s it. Three jobs.I remember talking to a 9th grader [...]
Michael Shaughnessy interviews Matt Amaral of Teach4Real.com
Matthew, you have a web site called Teach4Real.com. What led you to set up this site?Well, first and foremost I wanted it to be a place for new teachers in our toughest schools. I have noticed an alarming trend in first year teachers at my [...]
Let’s Make a Deal: How to Help Fading (and Failing) Students at the End of the Year
Everyone loves the end of the school year, especially the teachers and students. The parents, maybe not so much.The reason I like the end of the year so much is because it is such a clean break. At no point during the regular school year do I [...]
An Open Letter to Teachers Seeking Balance
Guest Author Dr. Jeff Duncan-AndradeWhen I talk with educators about the intense effort that will be required from them to be successful in our communities, it is nearly always the case that some of them will ask me: How can I do all of this and [...]
Giving Homework in Good Conscience
Two years ago I taught a “Strategic” 10th grade English class. “Strategic” is the No Child Left Behind term for students far below basic. Before that it was called “Sheltered.” A hundred different schools have a hundred different names [...]
Music—Probably the Worst Thing Out There
I was in Argentina for three weeks this year. My wife and I were checking into a hotel, and the young man helping us behind the counter was in his early twenties. There was a radio on behind him, and when a new song began to play, he smiled and [...]
The Myth of the After School Conversation
Six Tips on How to Have the Talk I love it. I love it love it love it when I hear people give their two cents about how we should handle our worst students in our worst public schools.Whether it is idle chat I overhear at Starbucks, or on a [...]