The Opinionated Educator: a blog about all things teaching in today’s classroom
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Pinterest Classroom Decor Pitfall Teachers Should Avoid
As if I’m not opinionated enough on this blog, this week is one of my big soapboxes, so buckle up. I imagine I’m like a caller on one of Greg James’s Unpopular Opinion segments on his BBC Radio 1 morning show. I feel sure I’ll get some pushback on this topic. This week I’m discussing…
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Top Priority: Building Relationships with Your School’s Support Staff
Hi New-to-the-ProfessionTeachers! In this week’s post, I will impart some essential advice. Are you paying attention? As you step into your building, preparing for those exciting first days of school, a critical mission awaits. Get to know the school’s support staff: the fantastic front office staff, the caring school nurse, the talented kitchen staff, and…
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The Power of Two: Overcoming Challenges in Co-Teaching
With an Elementary and Special Education background, I had the opportunity to teach in an Integrated classroom. I was my students’ general and special education teacher, with about six students on an IEP in a class of 21. Alongside a full-time paraeducator, my students on an IEP (Individualized Education Program) stayed with me throughout the…
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Chilling with Curriculum: A Summer Guide to Stress-Free Planning
I remember starting my 5th year of teaching – new school, grade level, teaching model (Integrated Classroom), and district. Despite having 4 years of experience, it felt like starting fresh as I navigated all the newness. For most of that year, I was in the Consciously Unskilled stage, eager to learn and progress. Planning for…
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Turns Out Teaching Kids to Read IS Rocket Science
Last month, my cousin alerted me to a podcast episode from New York Times’s The Daily. Right away, I knew I would take issue with this episode because it was titled “She Taught Millions of Kids the Wrong Way to Read.1” The “she” in that title referred to Lucy Calkins–a pretty famous person in the…
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Summer Break is Not Just a Time to Sit Back and Unwind
Dear Non-Educators, Today marks the last day of school for my local school district. Addressing some common misconceptions regarding teachers and the summer break felt appropriate. When I was still working for a school district, my husband would turn to me sometime in mid-July and say, “There’s Summertime Andrea!” Summertime Andrea was a more relaxed…
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When Teachers Become Targets: Shedding Light on Workplace Bullying in Education
One of the goals of adding social-emotional learning (SEL) as a subject area in the classroom is to prevent bullying among students. Teaching kids self-awareness, social awareness, self-management, decision-making, and relationship skills, has been shown to lower the chances of a student either getting involved in or instigating the bullying of others. With rising concerns…
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How to Build a Diverse Classroom Library
If you were a kid (or a parent) between 1983-2006, you probably are familiar with the iconic PBS show, Reading Rainbow. You immediately think of LeVar Burton and can even sing the theme song. The mission was to promote the love of reading in kids and encourage adults to create rich literacy environments for children.…
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Put a Little Love in Your Heart for Yourself
I’ve noticed that most of the recent posts from the teacher pages I follow focus on the profession’s challenges instead of the joy of teaching. Memes and reels can be hilarious, but I’m taking in a lot of negativity between social media and following the latest news stories about new ridiculous education laws. (I’m looking…
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The Trouble with Old School Grading Practices
Recently, a teen family friend told me about a particular math teacher at her high school. This teacher doesn’t allow a student to retest or redo an assignment. When our friend asked if she could get help understanding a mathematical concept, she was told, “If I help you, you will never learn how to do…