Blogs

For literacy, I love this school district site: www.wrsd.net/literacy 

On this site, I find scripted mini-lessons for those really important lessons and a year-long calendar of readers workshop minilessons which contains the meat of a teaching objective.  Go to the left-hand side of the page and hover over Elementary Curriculum, then look at both the focus lessons, which are scripted, and the unit trajectories, or curriculum maps. 

I graduated college a year ago and have been looking for a teaching job ever since.  Right now I tutor and substitute teach.  I also have been on a few interviews but it always seems to go to people with more experience then myself.  I live in the LA area which is a tough place to find a teaching job with all the layoffs.  Does anyone have any tips or know of any websites in which to make me a more successful candidate?

      In this my eighth and final week of class I was asked to reflect on emerging technologies.  Despite my graduating from high school in the early nineties, I really still consider myself to be a digital immigrant.  It occurs to me that the students I encounter are the ones that are fascinating because they are seem to come to school with a knowledge of how to use technology.  I watched them in amazement as they marveled over the mobile laptop lab as I wheeled it into the room but then was even more shocked as my class of twenty Kindergardeners mastered the Kidspiration software within minutes and the class was completely silent, with the exception of a few students that needed help with the mouse pad at first.  

I have started to research Autism in infants and toddlers for early intervention. I have never had experience diagnosing or referring a child thus far in my administration time. However I do feel that there is a child that could fit the spectrum. Could anyone give me any pointers of identifying autism in children. 

 I chose the Rcampus website as an example of a Learning Management System that I could use at my school to promote change on my Campus.  In my study group I would suggest that the design team read Marva Collins' book, "The Marva Collins' Way".  Even though her book was written almost twenty years ago, she faced a lot of the same problems we face in the school that I am currently teaching in, low test scores, unmotivated students, and a high drop out rate.  I would suggest that we read the book three chapters at a time, and answer study questions that I would develop.  We would use the ideas implemented by Mrs. Collins and apply them to our students at our school.    My study group can be found on the Rcampus website here:

I am a future teacher, and a current undergraduate student at Illinois State University.  I just want to ask all of you, what are the biggest challenges that you face as  teachers? How do you deal with these struggles and challenges and do these conflicts make you better teachers?

Hello,
We are asking for your assistance, and guidance to get the word out about an

amazing program to make small pets available to grammar school teachers

I haven't seen many opportunities for elementary principals to join in on discussions and share thought this might be a great resource for us.  If you agree and would like to share, please do.  Let's see if this is useful.