Teacher Observation Debate

Recently, a debate on teacher observations emerged on social media. One administrator praised a teacher for rehearsing the lesson before his observation. When the observation took place, the administrator discussed how it showed student engagement. Then, a teacher trainer discussed how teacher observations should not be rehearsed, and observations are not the best tool to…

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How to deal with children who are struggling with behavior

Most children want to behave.  Most children wake up in the morning and want to behave in school and at home, even those who struggle to maintain their behavior.  So, what happened? Many factors influence behavior, such as environment, interactions with peers, interactions with adults, parents, genetics, and societal norms and expectations. Behavior is the…

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Understanding Behaviors

Recently, there have been multiple articles about principals and teachers leaving their positions. Other articles discuss the shortage of teachers at the beginning of the school year. Further articles state that teachers are quitting in masses. Additionally, articles state that students’ misbehaviors are increasing. After many decades of denouncing educators, we are in a place…

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Unexpected Bullies

What is an unexpected bully? Unexpected bullies are bullies that you would not consider bullying you. The most shocking situation is when the bullies are directors in school systems, school board presidents, and other school administrators. We must be aware of school bullies and how to deal with them.   The article The Child Welfare…

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Grit

What is grit? Angela Duckworth describes grit as “sticking with things over the very long term until you master them. The Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines grit as firmness of mind or spirit: unyielding courage in the face of hardship or danger. So, is grit important to teach?   Grit is not something that you are born…

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Patience

Patience is a virtue is a Proverb quote. What does that really mean in education? The Association for Middle-Level Education (AMLE) has an article titled Patient and Tenacious Teaching by Rick Wormeli https://www.amle.org/patient-and-tenacious-teaching/#:~:text=Patience%20to%20Build%20Prior%20Knowledge,to%20something%20already%20in%20storage. States that patience is the most powerful tool with have. It is difficult to use patience in a classroom that is pressurized…

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