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One method of stopping bullying

Can getting the “popular kids” on board help stem bullying? A new study suggests that. And the researchers found that in the schools where more popular students joined a program that asked them to make their school a more positive place, all students were less likely to be disciplined for bullying and other conflicts between […]




It’s never too late to say thank you to a teacher

Have a favorite teacher that you still think of? You might be surprised to find that they probably remember you. So you can imagine my surprise when fifty years later I receive a letter in the mail. My father had passed away a few months earlier and there had been an obituary in the local […]




Learning outside the calendar

So much of education has become rote through tradition and time. Ever think of what Summer Vacation is really about? Ever notice how much kids forget after it? “So the kid who didn’t do well in Chapter 12, that child is going onto 13 completely unprepared,” said Tonk. “We need to be focusing far more […]




What you get out of school depends on what you put into it

from the ever refreshing mind of Bill Waterson




What if your whole life was determined by a single test?

There is a lot of discussion lately about whether US schools are testing too much… and the pressure it puts on kids. Imagine the pressure if your only way to be allowed into a decent school came down to one test, as is the case for schools in Tanzania: We watch as the children and […]




Pre-Teaching Prep Work

Did you have a year of “interning” before starting to teach? Do you wish you had? Via The Hechinger Report: a post about someone who did and thinks its a great idea. I can tell other new teachers wish they had the coaching and practice my teacher preparation program provided me in my residency year. […]




“A Teacher Like You” – A Blog Liked By Us

A Teacher Like You highlights great teachers from around the country. If you know of one (or happen to be one… ahem) you can submit to their blog. Here’s an example from the latest post: KYLE PHILLIPS: WITHOUT TEACHERS, WHAT HOPE DO WE HAVE? “I got into teaching knowing that I wanted to be a […]




5 Great Sites for Middle School Classrooms

It’s wonderful how many resources are out there when you know where to find them. We’ve rounded up a few great ones. DIY https://diy.org/ DIY is a safe online community for kids to discover new skills, meet friends who are geeks just like them, and be awesome.   Newsela https://www.newsela.com/ Newsela is an innovative way […]




The Trends of 2015 – Going Grade-Less

One of our favorite blogs “A Work In Progress” shared their top 5 posts from 2015 and we think it says a lot about what is happening in education today. Do you see a theme? It’s a lot about doing an entirely different grading system. Read the top 5 posts of 2015 over at EdWeek.org […]




Amazing ideas from inspiring kids

These kids serve as a reminder what nurturing an inquisitive mind can bring to the world… for instance: • a non-profit funded by hand made ornaments that as built $650,000 worth of fresh water wells in the developing world • a low cost filter for airplane cabins that reduce the risk of spreading the flu • a cooler […]