Fighting for Darwin: One Woman's Struggle for Science Education

Last year, Louisiana passed a law allowing public school teachers to use creationist supplemental materials in public school science classes. The Texas Board of Education recently adopted changes in the wording of Texas state science standards that undermine the teaching of evolution.

We discussed this controversial shift in science education with Dr. Barbara Forrest, a philosophy professor and a leader in the fight to keep creationist curricula out of the classroom.
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Last Chance To Enter $250 School Supply Giveaway & Best Dressed Teacher Contest

The deadline for TeachHUB's fall giveaways and contests is THIS WEEKEND!!! Get your entries in today.

I know it's a crazy week with Halloween and report cards for some of you. But since we're gaining an hour with Daylight Savings Time, you can spend a quick minute to win some cash for classroom supplies and/or school clothes

Enter the $250 Classroom Supplies Giveaway to win... $250 for classroom supplies. Not a clever title, but you get what I'm saying.

AND/OR

Send a pic of you in your cutest school outfit for the Best Dressed Teacher Contest!!! Email it to: acondron@teachhub.com.

Five finalists will be chosen, then people can vote for their favorite over the next two weeks. The winner will get a $100 gift card to the work-clothes store of their choosing.
Just in time for the holidays!!

Get your entries in by Monday!! Good luck :)

How do I deal with out of control parents?

Q: Typically, I have positive relationships with most of the parents in my class, but one mom continually causes me problems. Whenever she makes a request for her son that I can’t or won’t comply with, she literally screams at me. How should I deal with this out-of-control parent?

A: Let’s approach this unreasonable parent like we would an attacking bear. Just roll up in a ball and play dead. Hopefully, she’ll lose interest and roam away to more responsive prey. If that doesn’t work, climb the nearest tree and call animal control for backup.

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Web 2.0 Tool of the Week: VoiceThread

Give your classroom and your students a global voice with VoiceThread!

You can use this Web 2.0 tool to share your classroom experiences in a very easy and useful way. VoiceThread combines images, videos, text, documents, audio and YOUR voice into an easily published multimedia slideshow. You can also comment in 5 different ways, so it's great for all learning styles!

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School Supply Slump

At the beginning of the year, many parents generously donate much needed school supplies. Many of us supplement those supplies with insane spending sprees at our local office supply stores. We spend September and the beginning of October lost in a haze of that new crayon smell, sharp pencils and fully functional glue sticks.

But as October comes to a close, supplies start to dwindle and those supplies we do have are starting to look....well, shabby. (In all honesty, I’ve used much stronger language when lamenting the loss of yet another glue stick to the dreaded improperly snapped cap, but I digress.)

Try these methods to replenish your supplies without dishing out your own cash.

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Teaching Tolerance

The highest result of education is tolerance ~ Helen Keller

Since questions on tolerance and acceptance don’t often appear on standardized tests, Helen Keller’s message can too easily fall by the wayside in these stressful times in education.

Intolerance, prejudice and hate in children are too often inherited or a result of ignorance. There are a tremendous number of resources available to help you open the minds of your students and broaden their understanding of racial, ethnic and gender stereotypes and differences

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Got Rigor?

There’s a new word running up and down the halls of our school and that word is RIGOR. Teachers have been both praised and slanted by administration in the past month and a half for the respective abundance or lack of rigor in their classroom.

“Now that class is rigorous,” “That lesson was full of rigor,” or “Where was the rigor in that?” were some of the exit lines of a Learning Walk I accompanied my principal and assistant principal on last week.

The problem is that they know what they are looking for when they pull out their rigor rulers during classroom pop-in’s but many of us teachers don’t. Getting a privileged ear before and after the quick five minute “mini-observations” that made up our Learning Walk, I gathered the following about what they are looking for in terms of rigor:
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12 Easy Ways to Use Technology in Your Classroom, Even for Technophobic Teachers

Everyone wants teachers to use technology. But you're busy -- meeting standards, prepping students for tests -- and maybe you’re not too fond of computers, anyway. Never fear – there are easy ways to bring your classroom up-to-date, technologically.

Here are 12 easy ways to prepare for your ed tech adventure and try activities at every level of experience.

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Interview with BrainPOP's Allisyn Levy

If you haven't met Moby, then you're missing out.

Moby is the robot-friend who will help you get your students' attention, thanks to BrainPOP and their animated educational videos. Allisyn Levy, director of BrainPOP Educators, was nice enough to give TeachHUB the inside scoop on BrainPOP's innovative approach to helping teachers bring some flair into their classrooms.
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This Week in Rap

Rap music... you get jiggy with it, right?

Maybe not, but many of your students know and love it. Here is a way to use their music to engage them with weekly news and current events.

Browse out to theweekinrap.com. Choose the topic of the week and see that latest slideshow with the weekly news in rap.

Read more to see example and how to use it in your classroom!

Terminating Text Books?

Hasta la vista, text books.

California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger is launching a state-wide initiative to encourage schools to explore online, open source instructional materials instead of textbooks, according to an eSchoolNews report.

This is both a move toward the current trends in digital media and a desperate attempt to confront the $24 billion budget deficit in the state. Existing online resources are being screened to determine if they meet state standards.

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Homework Woes

Homework used to be the bane of my existence. I’m pretty sure my little friends felt the same way too. I had a laundry list of complaints about homework. Again, I’m pretty sure my little friends did as well.

However, homework is not going anywhere, so let’s try to tackle some of those issues on the teacher side of things, shall we?
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Wordle What!?!

For fun, let's all play Wordle wordplay.

Wordle is a website that lets you create word "art" out of vocab lists, words to describe yourself (or have your students), literature, RSS feeds to any website/blog, etc. They're great fun to organize and identify topics using a more visual medium. There's a pretty extensive gallery, but it's not searchable, so you have to go page by page through user entries.

Read more & play Wordle game

The Many Faces of Parent Teacher Night

Despite being one of the two nights a year that we are contractually obligated to stay in the building after the final bell rings, I genuinely enjoy Parent Teacher Night… for the most part.

Parents to the Classroom Stars
A majority of the conferences are quite pleasant, the “you have a phenomenal child, you must be proud, keep it up” kind of talks. This does not mean that my school is teeming with phenomenal scholars but that the honor role students have parents who will make it to a parent teacher conference. These parents allow you to feel good about your career choice and your ability in the classroom and hell, throw in your charm and your ability name literary elements. Education Pays! Yeah!

However, every fifth conference or so is not as pleasant.

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Educators Behaving Badly

I've recently heard/read a few stories where educators' behavior surprised me - nothing outrageous, but it made me questioned why the behavior we teach and preach to students isn't extended beyond the classroom.

Read about The Discouraging Principal & The Disruptive Teachers

Have you experienced educators behaving badly? Share your story in the comments section or take the poll!

Students as Activists: Youth Cancer Advocate Carolyn Rubenstein Interview

Carolyn Rubenstein shows just what students can accomplish. At just 15, Carolyn started her own non-profit group to start pen pal programs between students and young cancer patients. Carolyn, now 24, has expanded the program to provide cancer survivor's with college scholarships. She shares some of their stories in her new book Perseverence: True Voices of Cancer Survivors.

Her example shows the power of student activism while removing the stigma surrounding students with cancer or other serious illnesses.

Read interview

Play Fair with ClassTools

I don't know about you, but I always want to be sure that I am playing fair in my classroom. It takes a lot of practice to actively engage students, call on random students and keep the pace of the lessson. ClassTools can help you do this for free!

By using the Random Name or Word Picker tool, fairness comes with one click of the mouse.

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Embrace Graphic Organizers

Graphic organizer... that’s just a fancy name for a worksheet, right?

Well, not exactly. A graphic organizer is designed to present information in a different, more visual way. These organizers can increase student comprehension because they help students categorize and make sense of the information they are given. They also take the intimidation out of writing assignments because students aren't staring at a blank page.

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Model Reading Strategies for Comprehension

"But I'm not a reading teacher. I teach literature." I hear this comment repeated again and again as I coach teachers in Virginia, New York, and Michigan and conduct workshops for middle and high school teachers around the country.

I'm sympathetic to their words because these teachers have had little to no formal training in teaching reading. However, reading is a part of daily learning, not only in the primary grades, but in grades 4 and up; and more than 8 million students in grades 4 to 12 are struggling readers. In addition, high school students in the lowest 25 percent of their class are 20 times more likely to drop out of school than are excellent and proficient learners.

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The Spark of Teaching

What makes humans different? Being teachers and loving it!

In a recent panel discussion I attended, Alan Alda and the producer's of the PBS documentary, “The Human Spark” tackled the question of what makes us different from the other animals. Each speaker made a powerful case for their response, and many fell into the theme of cooperation. My favorite answer, however, came from the hilarious Alda.

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Fund 'Em & Leave 'Em

The Bill Gates money runs out this year. I don’t know if this fact as begun to hit the school yet but it’s hitting me.

Small schools around the country get sponsored by a variety of non-government organizations bolstered largely by the Gates Foundation. We are one of these schools. Since we're graduating our first class next year, we won't receive any more funding.

So what happens to a school that has about $100 grand less a year in their budget when they already feels strapped?

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12 Ways to Bring the Arts into Your Classroom

We hear about arts programs are being cut in schools across the country, a victim of budgetary restrictions or the need for test-prep time. No big deal, some say. But think again.

Students who regularly participated in the arts for at least one full year were more likely to:
~ be recognized for academic achievement
~ be elected to class office
~ participate in a math and science fair
~ win an award for school attendance

To integrate the arts in YOUR classroom, try one or all of these Top 12 ways!

Columbus: Hero or Villain?

In 1492, Columbus sailed the ocean blue… and then it gets a little murky.

We all grew up with the idyllic story of Christopher Columbus discovering America to the benefit of all involved, and then the (some years later) Pilgrims and Indians sat down for a peaceful and happy thanksgiving meal and then this great nation broke apart from the tyrannical crown to become the greatest nation ever.

If only it was so simple. Christine Gibson sheds some historical evidence on Columbus’ story in “Christopher Columbus, Hero and Villain” on http://www.americanheritage.com/. Here's a snippet of the dark side of the story:

“By most accounts a rigid, paranoid man…he gave each native older than 14 a quota of gold to find per day [on a return trip to the Carribean]. Those who failed had their hands cut off; those who resisted were killed. Many fled and were hunted down or starved. The Spanish hadn’t brought any women, and rape was common, as were forced marriages." When he left, “he kidnapped some 500 natives to serve as slaves in the Old World, and half of them died en route….”

After his death, Columbus’ son wrote a biography to restore his reputation. “This set in motion the seesaw Columbus’s reputation would ride for the next five centuries, particularly in America. The recent shift in his stature is nothing new; he has been constantly reinvented since the birth of the United States to mirror our evolving national identity.” Full article

What do you think? Is Columbus a hero, a villain or just a good enough excuse for a day off? Take the poll to the right.

Either way, enjoy your Columbus Day!

26 Memorable Milestones in Teaching

Teaching is a marathon, not a sprint.

As an educational shout out to everyone running the Chicago marathon, I'm tracking 26 monumental teaching milestones.

1. First day of student teaching
2. First time a student calls you Mr./Ms. _____
3. When you realize your bathroom break schedule makes morning coffee a big mistake
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Sub Plan Prep Goes Digital

For most of us, making and submitting plans for a substitute can be such a pain that it's not worth the day off, especially for last minute or complex lessons. With the help of Jing, you can create sub plans quickly, easily and from anywhere (and you won't have to limit yourself to generic worksheets or videos).

This computer capture tool can help you create a video of screen shots or the whole process of your lesson. This way, nothing will be lost in translation between the lesson you want and what the substitute does. It's as if you're in the classroom showing them yourself - no matter where you are.

There is some intial setup for this tool, but it's totally worth it! You can use it for sub plans, in-class work, video directions for absentees or to reinforce homework instructions.

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Assessment: Trimming the Data Fat

“Teacher, Teacher, What Do You See?”
“I See Piles of Data Looking At Me.”

If you’ve been regularly reading my column here at TeachHUB, you are probably beginning to think, “this woman is obsessed with organizing.” And you would be right.

However, despite my vigilant dedication to all things organized, somehow all sorts of piles always manage to creep up in my classroom. That’s right, I have piles. Piles of papers. Piles upon piles upon piles...and they’re all staring at me, daring me to do something about them. Or maybe they’re just mocking me and my big organizational ego. Hmm...

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Become an Eduvideo Expert

Have you ever considered becoming a videographer? Well, with a Flip video camera you can shoot, edit, produce and publish all in one afternoon.

Normally, I won't endorse a product that you have to purchase, but I am making an exception with the Flip Video. This little camera is just the perfect tool for so many teaching activities that the payback, as they say in the commercial, is priceless.

Here are my favorite video activites. Each of these activities could be done with a traditional camera. The Flip just makes it much easier to upload, edit and share your videos.

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Late Mates

In science, you’re always a student, even when you’re the teacher. I realized this by observing one lonely firefly.

As I watched a local population of little brown myotis bats wake up and hunt for some breakfast this late summer evening, I was surprised to see a blinking firefly hovering in my yard. Since the peak for firefly activity in my little corner of the Southeastern U.S. is late July, I was curious about the story behind this little fella.

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Understanding English Language Learners: Lessons from Honduras

“The best way to understand how to teach second language learners is to try to learn a second language yourself.” That’s what the speaker at the meeting said.

And so I embarked on a journey.
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Judging Students By Their Covers

As part of an independent reading unit at our school, we have explicitly instructed students to judge books by their covers. In fact, looking at the front and then reading the back cover are steps 2 and 3 out of five when deciding what book to begin next.

I began to wonder if subconsciously we are teaching our students to judge based on appearance by giving them this quick protocol for selecting a text. Then I started thinking about how often I do the same thing with my own classroom.

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Olympics-Inspired Lessons

In honor of Chicago’s bid for the 2016 Olympics (being announced today), I thought I’d share my favorite Olympics-inspired ideas for lessons, classroom management techniques and fun activities.

Language Arts/ English

* To Host or Not to Host Writing Prompt:
Create a pros/cons list for Chicago hosting the 2016 Olympics.
Once you’ve completed the list, write a persuasive essay arguing why Chicago SHOULD or SHOULD NOT host the Olympics.

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Draw News Into the Classroom

How many of you have a newspaper delivered to your school or classroom daily, weekly, monthly?

With Doodlebuzz, you can access hundreds of newspapers from around the country based on whatever curriculum or topic you want. There's also an artsy ed-tech edge to the experience.
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Is Online Ed Right for You/Your Students?

We’ve all seen the ads: go to school in your pajamas! At any time of day!

Thanks to cheesy infomercials and stories of diploma mills, online education has a bad rap, especially among some in the educational community. But is that fair?

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