What I Am: A Teacher
Today is my sixtieth birthday. In Chinese tradition, I am told, a person reaching this age begins life anew, starting over as a...
15 December, 2014
Masonry
Inspiring the Teachers of Tomorrow
One of my most profound written assignments happened when I was in elementary school. I remember it because it happened right after an...
18 November, 2014
Making a Grande Difference in Education
Howard Schultz, CEO of Starbucks, once said that in order for the company to be successful, customers were going to have to have...
12 November, 2014
Common Core: A Necessary, But Insufficient, Change In Education Standards
When I first started teaching in 2009, I was surprised by something that was missing from my classroom: We did not have any...
10 November, 2014
Keeping Young Teachers in the Classroom
I teach 8th grade and I am 24. When I started in the classroom two years ago, I was not even a decade...
27 October, 2014
Geography is NOT Destiny: Charter Schools and Choice
Elana’s mom drives past four different schools to get to ours. “It’s a lot of driving,” she says, “but Elana has a home...
20 October, 2014
Rethinking Professional Development
I am cold. Someone is speaking in the front of the room. The PowerPoint presentation lights up the dimmed room like a nightlight...
13 October, 2014
Helping Culinary Students Reach Their Utmost Potential
“Come on, Chef Poole, you know I can’t afford to go to college.” Those are not the words a high school culinary instructor wants...
23 September, 2014
What I Learned in My Graduate Education
What I learned in my graduate education program: if you want to be a teacher, watch a teacher. Let them watch you. A...
15 September, 2014