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Time as a Commodity
For many teachers around the country, today is the first student day of school. A new school year, a new opportunity for teachers to shine. The school district that we live in begins on Thursday while today is the teachers first day back. Most schools in Pennsylvania only have three days to prepare for a […]
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Music in the Classroom: Working Around the Myth
Listening to classical music, specifically Mozart, does NOT make you smarter. I’m not sure where the myth came from but I had always heard of other benefits of listening to classical music many of which are beneficial for students. Lower blood pressure. All the problems associated with high pressure are devastating so why not aim […]
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Inflating Grades
How many grades do you need? Does the amount of points make a difference? The easiest, simplest answer to the first question is, “Whatever your administration says.” I was told students need ample opportunities to earn good grades and this message is probably repeated in most American schools. Although, I have to admit, that I […]
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Summer Breaks
I just read an article in the New York Times about a drug-addicted lawyer who died of an overdose. It went on to state one in three lawyers suffers with alcohol abuse. 28% report depression and 19% report anxiety. One in six doctors suffers with alcohol abuse. It is believed somewhere between 10 – 15% […]
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Article Reactions, Volume 1
PBS has a great education series, MindShift that pops up on my Facebook. The articles always interest me, make me think, and probably most importantly, question what they have presented. I can’t address every question because this will suddenly take on book form so I will address my top four reactions. The article that I […]
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Word Walls
I love word walls. Word walls are definitely not just for elementary schools and as the popularity of word walls grow so do the subjects and grade level willing to utilize them. And why not? Word walls are an incredibly effective way to introduce your students to important vocabulary and create interesting lesson plans that […]