Make the Most of Summer: Ideas for Teachers

Ideas for teachers It’s hard to believe, but the summer is halfway over, and unless you teach year-round, the summer break is the largest block of time all year that you have to yourself. If you’re like most teachers, you approach summer with anticipation, planning activities and excursions that you might not have time for from September to June. Take a few moments today to reflect on your summer thus far, and use that information to ensure that you spend the next several weeks following through with your plans – so you return to the classroom this fall refreshed and invigorated! Continue reading

Maximize Your Summer: Ideas for Principals (Part II)

Maximizing Summer for principals


With August just around the corner, it’s the perfect time to reflect on how well you’ve managed your schedule so far during the summer. Last week we provided you with several ideas to make the most of your time, including: making staffing decisions early, revising safety procedures if necessary, networking with colleagues, using technology to your advantage, and taking staff input into account.
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A Closer Look At the Common Core State Standards: A Middle School ELA Teacher’s Perspective – Julie Lyons

Transition to the Common Core

Change. The word strikes fear into some educators, while others view it as a welcome breath of fresh air. Teachers are sometimes accused of resisting change, and while that may be true to a certain extent for some, I believe that much of that anxiety results from a fear of the unknown. While it’s true that change takes time and patience, it is important to note that the change we are currently involved in – making the transition to the Common Core – still finds parallels between previous state standards and the new standards.
A Closer Look At the Common Core State Standards: A Middle School ELA Teacher’s Perspective
As a 6th grade teacher in New Jersey, there are definite similarities between the former New Jersey State Standards and the Common Core. Along with those similarities, there are also some differences – especially with respect to the organization of the standards and the level of specificity. Let’s take a closer look at the areas of Reading, Writing, and Language at the sixth grade level… Continue reading