Tuesday, August 16, 2011

"The Best Teaching Tip Ever"

This post comes as a tip of my hat to my cooperating teacher for internship. As we worked together during pre-planning she, and I quote, gave "the best teaching tip ever." Are you ready for this?

Wait for it.....

Here it is: PRINT ALL OF YOUR TESTS ON RED COPY PAPER.

You probably weren't expecting that were you? Well according to her experience in the classroom of 30+ years this prevents students from cheating on the test because they cannot accurately read another student's answers.

Boom. So, start stocking up on red copy paper fellow teachers! Enjoy!

Friday, August 5, 2011

Changing Education Paradigms

Every single individual involved in education today should take 10 minutes and watch this video. It is inspiring, informative, and important. Enjoy!

A Poem A Day

Might make the doctor go away, but it certainly will expose your students to the world of poetry and perhaps instill an interest in this form of literary expression.

My excellent internship teacher gave me the heads up about Poetry 180 that provides a poem for every day of the school year.

Check it out and be inspired to make poetry a part of your every day curriculum! Also due my inspiration from Poetry 180, I have included one of my absolute favorite poems by X. J. Kennedy called "Nothing In Heaven Functions As It Ought" Enjoy!

Nothing in Heaven functions as it ought:

Peter's bifocals, blindly sat on, crack;

His gates lurch wide with the cackle of a cock,

Not turn with a hush of gold as Milton had thought;

Gangs of the slaughtered innocents keep huffing

The nimbus off the Venerable Bede

Like that of an old dandelion gone to seed;

And the beatific choir keep breaking up, coughing.


But Hell, sleek Hell, hath no freewheeling part:

None takes his own sweet time, none quickens pace.

Ask anyone, "How come you here, poor heart?"—

And he will slot a quarter through his face.

You'll hear an instant click, a tear will start

Imprinted with an abstract of his case.