Video Writing Prompts: Colbert Goes to Congress

6-8: School Government Guidance

Colbert is at Congress to share his experience as a migrant farm worker. Witnesses help Congressional representatives make informed decisions on issues. It is your turn to help your the Student Government (or the principal) improve your school!

Think of something you think will make school better for you and your classmates. In two paragraphs, write a persuasive argument explaining why that change will make you school a better place to learn.

Watch video & find more K-12 writing prompts

Ed Tech Tip: Plan a Program Play Day

Play time isn't just for kindergartners any more. It is a must for any teacher integrating tech in the classroom.

One of the biggest errors I’ve made as a tech-savvy teacher was not allowing students sufficient time to "play" with technology. Students need time to make mistakes and take responsible risks in order to become proficient at something, especially technology. Read More

Mrs. Mimi's Teacher Review of "Waiting for Superman"

Well, we teachers are certainly waiting for something to prevail. Common sense? Our point of view? Reality? Superman? If you could have one or all of the above handy when you arrive, that would be fabulous.

If you haven’t already heard, there is a new movie called “Waiting for Superman” which chronicles five families who are desperate (with a side of extra drama) to find out if it is indeed their lucky day to win the lottery, the charter school admission lottery...

One message I received loud and clear from this film that claims to portray the current situation in our school system: charter schools can save your life and public schools are the devil.

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Top 12 Fierce Fashion Tips for Teachers on a Budget

Stereotypically, teachers aren't always known for their fashion sense. Visions of jean jumpers, iron-on sweaters and orthopedic shoes come to mind, but those of us walking the hallways everyday know plenty of teachers are on the style honor roll.

Teacher certainly face fashion challenges. Full days on your feet surrounded by dry erase markers, crowded hallways and dirty students' hands don't bode well for high-priced, high-concept style. Nor does a teacher salary or insanely busy schedules. It's hard to find time to think much less plan the perfect outfit.

To help, we've collected the Top 12 Fashion Tips just for teachers. Break out of your wardrobe rut this fall and bring practical and affordable style back into the classroom! Read more

Interview: Teen Author & Literacy Advocate Riley Carney

At 17 years old, Riley Carney shows what kids can achieve if they have enough motivation, passion and support.

She is a published author of young adult fiction, with two books of her five-book series currently in distribution, as well as a founder of a non-profit organization dedicated to supporting children's literacy worldwide.

Riley shares her secrets to success at such a young age in this exclusive TeachHUB interview. read more

Teacher Spotlight: Ms. Claire Carter

Campbell County High School
Gillette, Wyoming

Grade: HS
Subject: English

What is the greatest misconception about teachers?
I think that students don't realize that we are indeed human.

Describe your all-time favorite lesson/unit activity.
I love the Penny Project, where students collect a penny for each year of their life and then describe an event in their life to match that year. They then attach all the pennies to an object which defines who they are. I have done this project for almost 20 years.

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Student Success: It’s All Relative

How do you tell your top students that they are still way behind peers outside their urban, “low skills” school without dousing any hope to succeed?

With this year’s new senior class, the lesson we learned from last year’s students just is not clicking – namely that graduating from high school is not a guarantee and neither is getting into college.

Because many of our brightest students have already finished most of New York State’s curriculum requirements, and because they are bright enough to read their transcript, they want shortened schedules which drop unnecessary credits and they don’t want to work terribly hard in the classes that remain. They’ve caught senioritis before the year even started.

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Encouraging Reluctant Readers in 4 Simple Steps

How can we encourage a student to read if he doesn’t want to read? We must delve deeper and find the reason before we can be successful. This is a challenging process, and as teachers already know, it takes more than simply teaching the child to read.

Here is my 4-step process for turning reluctant readers into bookworms!

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100+ Google Tricks for Teachers

It's Google's world, we're just teaching in it.

Now, we can use it a little easier. With classes, homework, and projects–not to mention your social life–time is truly at a premium for all teachers, so why not take advantage of the wide world that Google has to offer?

From super-effective search tricks to Google tools specifically for education to tricks and tips for using Gmail, Google Docs, and Google Calendar, these tricks will surely save you some precious time. Read more

Science Lesson: Butterfly in Disguise

This artistic insect activity will get your students considering description, physical traits and other aspects of biological study.

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Go-To Science Websites for Labs, Demos & Experiments

All Science teachers have found themselves ready to begin a unit, but needing some fun or exciting lessons to really get the students engaged.

You've probably searched the Internet for demonstrations or lab activities.
You might have even sent out group emails pleading with friends and colleagues for their ideas.

Well, I have three "go-to" sources for demos and equipment that I hope you'll find useful: Read More

3 Ways to Maximize Your Classroom Budget

As budgets keep shrinking and class sizes continue to increase, teachers find themselves paying for school supplies out of their own pockets. In “The 2010 NSSEA Retail Market Awareness Study,” it was revealed that teachers spend an average of $356 of their own money on teaching materials per year, and the expectation of teachers to do more with less isn’t going away.

While the ideal solution to this predicament is more public funding, here are some ideas to increase your budget and stretch precious pennies in the meanwhile. Read More

Website of the Week

On this ad-free, student-safe site, teachers can organize webpages, worksheets and other favorite materials in virtual binders to share with students, parents and other teachers. Also, you can tap into resources available in posted binders.

See website of the week!

Teacher Turnover: Invasion of the Classroom Rookies

Help! New teachers are taking over my school!

This year, we hired about seven teachers and for a small school that’s a lot. As a new school that just graduated our first class, this is the first year we’ve had teacher turn over at my school.

I suppose that’s the way things go now – people don’t seem stay in the same place for more than four or five years. In fact, a recent Department of Labor poll reports that the average person (all ages represented) has been at their current job for only four years.

What does this trend toward job turnover mean for education? Read More

Top 12 Memory Strategies for Better Grades

"I forgot."
"I can't remember that."
"I sit down to take a test and my mind goes blank."
"I'm not a good test taker."

These are all things students say when they forget assignments or don't do well on tests. All of us, students and non-students alike, forget important things...

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Teaching with Tourettes

Drawing from personal experience can shape who we are as people and who we are as teachers.

Brad Cohen is the award-winning teacher he is today because of his experience as a student with Tourette Syndrome. His inspirational story is captured in his book Front of the Class and the "Hallmark Hall of Fame" movie based on his life.

Brad shares the struggles and successes on his journey in this TeachHUB interview: read more

Teacher Spotlight: Ms. Elaine Heyler

Coral Springs Middle School
Broward County, Florida

How did you know you wanted to be a teacher?

I knew I wanted to be a teacher when I was about 10 years old. I have two younger sisters and in the summer I held school (play school) with them and several neighborhood kids. We read and drew, and did creative projects. Then I ran a Carnival for a show called Sunny Fox and raised $20.00 for physically handicapped children. My name was announced on our little black and white t.v. and I knew then, this is what I was born to do.

When I was 12, there was a severely physically disabled young man that lived 1/2 mile away. I remember meeting him and his mom and feeling such sadness for Tony, that I became his one and only friend. Several days a week after school, I walked to his house and read to him and taught him how to use his feet to hold a pencil to write words out to me. This experience became my confirmation that I was born to be a Special Education Teacher." Now 37 years later, the passion still burns in me as I enter my 38th year of teaching Special Education kids.

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An A for Accountability?

I think it’s safe to say that we are all back to school, all back to the grind, all wondering how our summers went by so quickly. How are we all feeling?

Are you feeling tired?
Are you feeling exhilarated after meeting your new friends?
Are you feeling like you never had a vacation?

And the million-dollar question: Are you feeling accountable??? Read More

Mr. Teachbad: Please Differentiate My PD

Back to school time inevitably means school-coordinated professional development... which is likely to leave you with a big ironic question hanging in the air:

Why don't they differentiate my differentiated instruction training?
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9/11 Lessons & Writing Prompts

3-5: Letters to Survivors
What would you say to someone who lost a loved one on 9/11? Write a letter expressing your concern.

6-8: Remembering 9/11
Do you remember where you were on September 11? Describe your experience.

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Second Life Lessons & Classroom Activities

There is a shift afoot in education. The wind is changing. This new digital wind is haling from a virtual world.

Students today need to be immersed in what they are learning - not dealing only with static things like pictures, books, and to some degree even movies. An immersive world allows the student to move, talk, build, and connect with the very information that they are learning - they can be surrounded by it and then they can contribute to it. Read More

Tips for Teaching Time Management

Adding a little tick tock to your teaching may be just the thing your students need to learn time management.

One of the challenges many teachers and parents face is keeping children on task while doing their class work or homework. Time management on small tasks, such as spelling homework or a math assignment, can be very difficult for young children. The task is repetitive and they tend to let their mind wander.

Here are my tips to making time management lessons effective and fun for students. Read More