It is important to remind parents not only of the importance of outside playtime, but of the time spent with their children as well. While working in the yard today, my daughter called me over to sit by her and we watched earth worms wiggling about in the dirt together.

Spending time with our children is even more important than spending time outside, so send your kids out to play, and dedicate some play time of your own to spend with them.

Related posts:

1. Teaching Kids to Deal with a Bully
2. How to Make Silly Putty
3. Online Games for Kids

Seeing a Child Finally Understand a New Concept:

One teacher had trouble putting it into words and yet described it so well: “The light bulb! That pride you feel when you know that your kids finally get it! Or that one child that could not get it before, when he or she finally does. That’s the best part.”

Another teacher put it like this: “The kids faces when they light up from that AHA! moment is sweet bliss. I love to hear them say, “Oh, I get it!” or “This is so easy now!” or even, “I love this math!” That one bright smile makes it all seem worth it.”

Making a Difference in the Life of a Child:

Another common theme among the responses I received for what was the best part of being a teacher, was the knowledge that they were making a difference. This one is interesting to me, because there is no measure by which these teachers decided whether they were making a difference in the life of a child. Instead, it was just the knowledge that they were making a difference that made teaching worth while.

Does teaching provide proof of making a difference in the life of a child? Or does the knowledge that a good teacher can touch the life of a child provide incentive enough for you?

Related posts:

1. Students Acting up in Class
2. Three Things All Teachers Should Know

One highschool teacher told me how she uses Twitter to assign students work each day. Here are some of her points :

1. Using Twitter to sent assignments helps her connect to students who are absent from school that day.

2. Using Twitter allows her to build a relationship with students who are focused on technology.

3. Twitter provides her the ability to take away any excuse a student has for not knowing what an assignment was.

What a great example of using social media to further educational goals!

Related posts:

1. The Role of Social Media in Education
2. Internet Slang

Find lesson ideas for science, history, reading/phonics, math and language arts.

Lesson plans organize activities found on the internet to create a thorough look at each topic and can provide excellent resources and ideas for supplementing the school curriculum.

Additional information for homeschoolers is prolific on the site as this is a great resource for homeschool families wishing to use the lesson plans for their home school curriculum.

Find out more at Lesson Pathways.

Related posts:

1. Back to School Tips for Teachers

In Providence, Rhode Island, Central Falls district has made the striking decision to fire every teacher on staff at Central Falls High School. In all, 93 were fired, including teachers, principal, guidance counselors, reading specialists, 3 vice principals, school psychologist, and physical education teachers.

This was one option available to the school officials who were required to take drastic measures to turn around what was labeled as a chronically low-preforming school. The preferred method of extreme reform failed as the union and school officials were unable to come to an agreement. The school officials were asking teachers to take on additional tasks for no or little pay. Now, instead, all the teachers will be fired.

The school is allowed to hire back no more than 50% of those teachers fired, so all is not lost for every employee let go. Teachers from across the state, parents and students all gathered in support of the fired teachers, but Secretary Duncan said, “when schools continue to struggle we have a collective obligation to take action.”

Related posts:

1. The Problem with the Public School System
2. Zero-Tolerance Policy for Weapons
3. Students Acting up in Class

Of worthy note:

• An increase of 4.5 billion dollars of discretionary funds.
• An increase of 1.35 billion dollars towards Race to the Top incentives
• 500 million for the investing in innovation program, a competitive awards program.
• 900 million for the school turnaround grants designed to help administrators turn around the 5,000 lowest preforming schools over 5 years
• 950 million for teacher and leader innovation program, creating incentives for effective teachers
• 405 million for teacher and leader pathways, promoting alternate certification routes
• 1 billion for effective teaching and learning for a complete education, a new program to support college and career readiness.
• 490 million for expanding educational options, which consolidates 5 programs into one, focused on charter schools and public school choice.
• 450 million for Assessing Achievement authority, which will help improve assessments for ESL students and students with disabilities, among other assessment developments.
• 210 million for the Promise Neighborhoods initiative, a competitive award for neighborhood programs working against poverty.
• 410 million to consolidate 6 authorities into one Successful, Safe, and Healthy Student authority. This program will provide communities the ability to focus on improving school climate and safety for students.
• 7.5 billion over 10 year to expand the income-based repayment options in post-secondary student loan programs.

Note among the proposals the amount of funds that are provided as rewards, awards and grants. This is a huge shift towards incentive based pay, a concept that many in administrative positions think is the solution for raising student test scores.

The fact, though, is that restructuring the way teachers are paid will not have a significant impact on the student test scores. Changes need to be made in the resources available to teachers as well – curriculum options, how time is spent during the school day, and similar changes.

What do you think will make a difference? Will these proposed budget changes bring about the needed turn-about in public education?

Related posts:

1. Changing the Focus of Education
2. No Child Left Behind?
3. Firing Entire Staff of Teachers?

Here are some tips for improving test scores based on research from the National Center for Educational Statistics. Check out these tips for improving test scores, then follow the links to read more and find out what surprising things actually make no difference in the test scores.

First, my opinion – be sure that in the ever present push to get through each standard on the state mandated curriculum, that children are learning why they need to know the information. Understanding the facts may help them pass a test, but understanding how that information is applicable to their lives is priceless and will ultimately result in better educated adults. It may also be worthy of note to reduce test stress.

Here are research-based specific things that teachers can do to ensure higher test scores.

To Improve Elementary Reading Test Scores:

1. Make reading a fun and enjoyable activity. Research shows that students who preform well on standardized reading tests enjoy reading and find it fun.
2. Focus on building student vocabulary.
3. Provide time for silent reading

Read more tips on improving reading test scores.

To Improve Elementary Level Math Test Scores:

1. Spend 3-5 hours on math. While this may seem simple, it provides teachers the amount of time necessary to teach each skill.
2. Avoid excess homework. Research shows that an excess of 15 minutes of math homework each day might actually hinder the goal of improving test scores.
3. Ability grouping is helpful as well, providing teachers the ability to focus on a single level of student ability at a time and really bring up the skill set of each group.

Read more tips on improving math test scores.

Teach Middle or High School level? Here are some tips for you on improving reading test scores:

Raising Middle School Reading Test Scores

Raising High School Reading Test Scores

Related posts:

1. Preparing for State Testing
2. Changing the Focus of Education
3. How to Increase Student Motivation

With this understanding comes a bit of confusion, though, as teacher performance begins to play into teacher salary. While it is true that student assessment demonstrates teacher effectiveness, it is not true that a standardized test can demonstrate the overall effectiveness of any one teacher, school or school district.

When the proper tools and ample amount of teaching time is provided to teachers, all students should learn. Unfortunately, though, all students cannot be expected to learn at the same rate. Even two students in the same grade cannot be expected to learn at the same rate, and expecting teachers to have all students passing the same test at the same time is ludicrous.

Instead, teachers should be held responsible for student learning. If John knows 50% of the information on a test prior to instruction, that teacher should be held responsible for Johns increase in knowledge to, say, 80% on the same test. The problem is, without knowing what the student starting level is, there is no way to hold teachers properly responsible for student growth.

Related posts:

1. No Child Left Behind?
2. How to Increase Student Motivation
3. Writing Good Lesson Objectives

Signs of bullying include:

• Teasing
• Making choices in play that will purposefully hurt another child
• Being mean to another child

Signs that your child is being bullied:

• Not wanting to go to school
• Avoiding playing with other children
• Emotional (either upset or angry) after time spent with other children or at school

It is important to teach children to not only treat each other nice, but to react appropriately when they are bullied.

Grandma, Why Didn’t God Make Me a Bird by Amanda Hines provides a unique perspective on bullying and how to deal with a situation where a child is being bullied. Read more.

Related posts:

1. Stop Bullying Now FREE resources
2. Mom, Sit Here!
3. How to Respond to Angry Parents

Instead, teachers need to focus on attacking this problem of Internet slang head-on. For more information on how this issue is effecting teachers and what should be done about it, read: Social Media Downfalls

Related posts:

1. The Role of Social Media in Education