by Jen Teaching allows me to: Articulate Inspire Motivate Create Discover Smile Laugh Cry Read Write Think Calculate Communicate Collaborate Mediate Watch Learn Grow Explore Sing Investigate Plan Anticipate Expect Differentiate Individualize Share Celebrate Understand Demonstrate Experience Advocate Discern Problem
Read MoreWhy Do You Think I Teach?
I posted the above question to my class today to hear their thoughts. If my reasons for teaching were true and evident, surely they would be clear to my own students, right? "You want us to learn and grow
Read MoreWhy I teach?
by Annie This past week was American Education Week and it was suggested to post a” Why I teach?” Blog. I pondered this notion for the entire week…I realize, as an educator that people probably think most teachers should easily
Read MoreThose Are Some Big Pockets….
Believe it or not, I'm going to be brief. Because my other posts are excessively long, in a Bill Clinton speech – meets Martin Scorsese movie – kind of way, I figure this will help reduce my overall word average
Read MoreAnd the Winner…!
Well, the winner wasn't me! I got my rejection letter in the mail. "Dear Mr. Dicus, Thank you for letting us observe your classroom and meeting with you. You're nomination for this award is a huge accomplishment. Unfortunately, ……" (I
Read MoreAn Enlightening Crying Episode
As some students cry and tell their parents they do not want to go to school on the first day, I found myself doing the same thing on the second day of school of my first year of teaching. My
Read MoreThe Drive Back Home for a Teacher on the Reservation
It's a Sunday afternoon in Phoenix, Arizona. Beautiful. It isn't too hot, and it's relaxing to walk in the park with children. I kiss my niece and nephew farewell and tell them I look forward to Thanksgiving break. Now, it's time to drive
Read MoreNo, It’s a Child.
Yesterday my colleagues and I had the pleasure of a good old-fashioned read-aloud (no post-its to track our thinking, or an explicit strategy think aloud). We gathered in the library for our PLC Wednesday and our principal began the afternoon
Read MoreThose Who Can, Make Movies
At a Microsoft conference for educators last summer I got to take home a bunch of pink erasers (I was hoping for something sleeker). The erasers read “make mistakes”. The folks at one of the most successful corporations on the planet know that mistakes lead to great ideas and that they should be made regularly. We need to start rewarding innovation and risk-taking if we want good, or even great teachers. And those are the very things that will be punished if we think that a standardized test taken by a hungry or moody teenager can tell us everything we need to know about good teaching.
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