“My kids won’t stay on topic.” “My students can’t control themselves.” “My students won’t participate.” “My students won’t interact with kids they don’t like.” Is it worth it to push through all of these “problems” and facilitate conversations? YES! We all have pet peeves, and one of mine is the phrase “My students can’t do… Read more

What does it mean to cognitively engage? As teachers and administrators, we have a tendency to focus on behavioral engagement.  What are my students doing?  What are they not doing? Are they in their seats? Do they have pencils in hand?  Are they quiet?  Are their eyes forward?  Are they copying the notes?  While all… Read more

Though this task can seem daunting, we’ve got to start somewhere. As we are attempting to conquer the boredom and frustration that usually comes from a lack of academic success for Long Term ELs (and a vast majority of students of poverty, for that matter…), we know that the fight for learning has to come… Read more

Teaching Scholars by Reaching Students I was discouraged today. And bored.  I sat in an ELA classroom of 11th graders, and was bored.  So were the kids.  They weren’t challenged.  They didn’t learn.  They weren’t disruptive.  But they were bored.  They were on their phones.  They were sleeping.  They were copying.  But they weren’t learning.… Read more