Blog

April 20, 2017

Typhoid fever, cholera, and dysentery – if you didn’t heed the warnings of those around you on the Oregon Trail, you were bound to get one of these deadly diseases. I still remember the first time I played the computer game more than 20 years...

April 18, 2017

Every year, it becomes increasingly clear to me that many teachers are not only deeply invested in their classrooms and students, but also in the legislation and policy that impacts their work. As the links I’ve shared below indicate, teachers are sharing their experiences and...

April 17, 2017

We hosted a Twitter chat this month to hear what teachers think about the Every Student Succeeds Act and what they’d like to tell policymakers if they had the chance. The discussion covered their thoughts on education policy and then how to better involve teachers...

April 13, 2017

Perhaps nothing has become more politicized, polarizing, and dividing in education currently than the Common Core State Standards. From heated discussions about a state’s right to choose curriculum, to bad worksheets from terrible websites, social media is constantly abuzz with pictures, stories, and articles all...

March 21, 2017

As a former teacher, I am pretty shocked by House Bill 2443, SB 524 and numerous other pieces of legislation currently being considered by the West Virginia state legislature. The bill would force West Virginia schools to stop using the academic standards they currently have – and instead start using...

March 16, 2017

Spring is always a great opportunity to do a bit of cleaning in my classroom. After teaching for 25 years, I’ve accumulated quite a few books, binders, and resources. I also enjoy how sorting through all these items is always a walk through my history...