Category: education
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Hard Work Pays Off
A few weeks ago, my students took their third quarter benchmark, a test covering all of the required state standards and intended to predict student results on the official state tests coming up in a little less than a month. I will not rehash my opinion on high stakes testing here. Rather, I want to…
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Broadening Horizons
Last year I went to my first Model United Nations conference and fell in love. I came home from that conference, where several students had mentioned wanting to go to more conferences, and started googling. I did not find the specific conference we discussed but I did find one that takes place in New York…
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Crossing the Line and Repercussion
In previous posts I have described how things have happened at school that made me contemplate crossing “the line.” My professor from last semester described “the line” as your ethical tipping point. As a leader, as a person even, we have to make decisions as to what we will address or not address various issues…
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Strength Enough
When this school year began, I had clues in abundance that I likely took on too much or at least enough to force me out of my comfort zone. Add in some important family functions and I reach yet another month where I hope that I will emerge from the “desperate dog paddle” mode. For…
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Issues Facing Educators of English Language Learners
I wrote the following originally to satisfy the requirements of graduate class I took this summer. I publish it here due to the fact that many of the issues I describe herein continue to be my priority as an educator. Since 2006, the population of English language learners (ELLs) in American K12 schools has increased…
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A New Program
Throughout my entire life, I have thought about, dreamed about, all sorts of post-graduate degrees from a medical degree with specialization in pediatric oncology to a doctorate in history or perhaps a law degree. I have two Master’s degrees, one in teaching and one in history, and have considered many more from finance and accounting…
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Income Inequality and Its Effects on Education
The following is an essay I wrote for one of my economics classes this summer. I hope to follow up on this research as I progress in my profession and my own further education. Greenville County School District’s three Title I middle schools sit in Greenville County’s west side, an area with a population of…
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The Problem with Teachers Teaching Teachers
Every teacher knows the sinking, annoyed feeling that comes with mandatory PD or professional development classes. Teachers feel like they sit through class after class hearing things they already know or things that do not apply or even vague proclamations of best practices with no instructions on how to implement them. That should not be…
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Stepping Away from Pragmatism
A while ago, I discussed the series of pragmatic choices that led me to where I am today. Yet, I did not define what I meant by “pragmatic.” The dictionary defines “pragmatic” as “dealing with things sensibly and realistically in a way that is based on practical rather than theoretical considerations.” I have used it…
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Reflections on the Year
These types of posts usually appear in December and January. For teachers, years last from the end of August to the beginning of June with a few weeks off to recover anything left of our sanity and will to live. Okay, I indulged in a bit of hyperbole there. Since I have spent all but…