mas·ter·y ˈmast(ə)rē/ :possession or display of great skill or technique The end of the 2013-14 school year and the start of the 2014-15 school year started off with discussions of the same difficult subject, mastery. The last institute day of school introduced the conversation to our building staff. What is mastery? What does it look […]
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Students Hear First Hand Experience of September 11th
Students who are in high school today are barely old enough to remember the events of September 11th, 2001. Their knowledge comes from their parent’s account, teacher’s lessons, text readings and documentaries. And even some of these sources are removed from the events that occurred at ground zero. It was a day that forever shaped […]
Welcome Back To School
Welcome back to the start of another year here at Today In School. This year I want to bring a different voice to the blog. Last semester and over the summer, we focused primarily on the big picture or educational hot topics. This year I’m sure we’ll keep up with current research, educational reform and […]
The Magic of a Dynamic Teacher
I love watching TED Talks. It really doesn’t matter the topic. I could listen to a programmer speak about a technology I have never heard about and still be completely inspired by the presentation. However, ten minutes later I remember I know very little about microprocessors and will likely never use the information again. That’s […]
Lessons Through Song
I grew up watching and listening to School House Rock. When I first started teaching my freshmen English class I often made mention of the songs, or quoted memorable lines from Conjunction Junction, Busy Prepositions, or Verb: That’s What’s Happening. Not all of these were classic hits but they were subject matter relevant. I thought these […]
#ASCA2014 Notes Monday 6/30
Today has been a great day of professional development at the ASCA conference. While there was no keynote speaker today, there were a plethora of breakout sessions to choose from. In fact there were several time blocks where I had to choose between some really strong presentations. Today’s sessions were both relevant to me as […]
Maximizing a Conference Going Experience (ASCA 2014)
ASCA 2014 has kicked off here in Orlando, Florida and once again I am reminded why it is so important that as professional educators we continue to seek out professional development. ASCA is the American School Counselor Association but many of the lessons and sessions I’ll be attending over the next few days can apply […]
Making It ‘Cool’ To Be Successful
What’s cool, trending, or in is often hard for us to grasp as educators. By the time we can spot and clearly identify a trend, it’s probably at the end of its shelf life and our students are ready to move on to something new. Cool changes so fast that often our students can’t keep […]
Are You a Meeting Contributor or Contaminator?
Today was the last day of school of the 2013-14 year. The students were enjoying their first day of sleeping in for the summer, but the faculty was tasked with one final School Improvement Day. Long days of meetings can be a challenge even for the most focused educator and when you hold said meeting […]
Why I Love My Job: The Lip Dub
These past few weeks have been the perfect storm of special activities and extra curricular involvement at my school. There have been countless days where I have been asked to tackle tasks outside the scope of my job description. There have been nights where I have been called upon to pick up extra duties. State testing, […]