Month: June 2015

The Guardian is a blogpost for many teachers, and is also a Pulitzer prize website. In this blog, english teacher, Alan Gillespie, shares his advice on teaching creative writing. First, he talks about how there isn’t a set of rules for writing, and that they can write whatever they would like. However, just because he encourages his students to write whatever they like, and that all good stories do not have to have an attention-grabber opening, turning point, and a twisted ending, he still offers his advice on writing. He informs us readers that all students should have at least two sets of rules for writing, and that is, “show, don’t tell” and “all adverbs must die.” What’s important is a way to expand what the character does in the story, versus saying what they are doing, almost as if we’re in the character’s shoes. He also goes in depth about characterization, and that Homer Simpson is a model on what makes them unique. How is the character feeling, what’s their goals, and how do they react to various situations. As a teacher, tell a student jot down some notes and details about a character, and how they can write a dialogue and story about them. This sort of writing style, will produce a complex style of writing.

Gillespie, also goes in detail how video clips can play a role of a student to write, be inspired, and find motivations. How to write, how to redraft, and how they can learn from other writers and teachers. Last, he goes into talking about the Narrative distance, and how a reader’s experience, is to get close to a character’s thoughts we also would see what goes on in the story, the atmosphere, and the supporting characters. It’s a way that we extend what’s going on in the moment, and who’s voice we’re reading the story in. Last, he goes into advice that the best way for students to learn, and continue their writing, are writing from story prompts. This is where we would see them write non-stop, and agree to stay within the parameters of the guidelines of the prompt, all by writing for five minutes. Usually, it’s great to have the students figure out how to go on, and how to think about what is coming next when they are stumped on something.

These are great tips to teach to high school students, and I also would like to mention that reading is also a great tool to learn how to write, and even get creative ideas. It’s guidelines to make a student’s story sound better, and it’s great to have your students be free, as it allows them to go in depth. I would also like to point out that there are various other resources from this blog, that other teachers can get information, and post about.

Teaching American History, is a blog source that is a leading online resources for American History teachers and students. By going through this blog I have discovered countless posts from educators and students to write something about history. Whether it’s something that pertains to a certain subject, or a literary piece about a historical time period, it is still relevant to History. What’s unique about this blog, is that it contains teacher resources that I can pull down. Some of the history that is not being taught in schools, can also be found within this blog. For example, one of the posts that was written by Ellen Tucker, talked about FDR’s D-Day Prayer. What she did, was took a specific point in life, and turned it into a literary journalism, which drew emotion, setting, character, and wrote specifically the prayer. You can also find podcasts, and even subscribe to what others are talking about. As time goes on, more things are added, tweaked, and updated. I really like this site because, it provides more than just a website of educational posts. It provides contests, events, professional development resources, seminars and webinars. I can always use this for great ideas in my classroom, and would love to fulfill and broaden the knowledge of history, in the students.

This may not be a true teacher’s blog, but I do know that TED, a nonprofit organization, is dedicated to spread the ideas of leaders within their communities, and schools. In this post, I want to share with you a High School principal from Philadelphia, offering her beliefs on where she came from, how she leads a school, and made sure that it became a school with standards. Building the school from the ground up, she knows that it is hard to deal with students who live at a low poverty rate, and those who come to school and not take advantage of their education. The school, Strawberry Mansion High School, was a school that was listed on the federal Persistently Dangerous Schools list.

While the video goes along with this post, I want to go ahead and list her main points.

First, “If you’re going to lead, lead.” What happens in a school is always up to the principal. “So what? Now What?” is another way of meaning, that you have to get rid of a lot, and begin to tackle from the bround up. That also means on to focus on every issue there is. Also, for every child to focus on building their dreams, instead of tearing them down of fear, because of the environment that they live in.

Although this is great for a principal use, it’s still great for a teacher to learn. Every teacher may have the rules, core values, and classroom guidelines posted on their wall in their classroom, but that doesn’t mean it represents the teacher, one hundred percent of the time. As an educator, it’s more than what you put in the classroom. It’s about what you feel is morally right, and how much you can do to help the standard. A teacher’s standards may be professional, but is it enough that can truly help a student? I think this is a great video to share, as well as her other personal blogs that are on this website.

Education to the Core is a great resource for many teachers. This provides tips, links, and resource materials that teachers can pull off. In this blog article, Emily Liscom, who is also an author of Education to the Core educator, discusses what she has observed in the classroom. From her first time of being a teacher, to being in another classroom, she really breaks down the ideas of is acceptable for teachers to discipline their students. Here are the five steps that she has outlined for educators.

1. Adjust your tone: speaking in a stern tone.
2. Make your students own their behavior: correcting their behavior through talking.
3. Give your students a choice: having them think about their behavior instead of you telling them what to do. Similar to give them choices.
4. Say what you mean, and mean what you say.
5. Practice what you preach.

The first thing that had caught my attention was, “When I was a new teacher, the last thing I thought I would need help with with classroom management.” Notice that there was a typo in that quote, but I get what the author is trying to say. The point of the matter is, discipline should be every teacher’s top concern, more so their second concern. I found that this blog article had some really good facts to use in the classroom, however, will it work in any classroom and student? Perhaps not. Reason why I say this is, every student comes from a different environment and background. Some students might need more discipline than what the teacher can give. Parents could also be a good source to discipline their child in the classroom, and it doesn’t have to involve them of being IN the classroom. What are some great alternate approaches, or what about those who are in need of special education?