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The modern trend for digitizing education is getting really overwhelming. Modern classes look nothing like they did a half-century ago. Smart apps and VR technologies have completely transformed the education process in schools last couple years.

If you’re reading this article, I imagine that you’re on the fence about staying a teacher. Maybe you’ve been in the classroom for a year, two, or as was the case with me, four. The fact is, however, that you feel burned out, defeated, finished, etc. Is there a way to shake this feeling and move on? Or is it time to pack it up?

Teaching is, by nature, a collaborative and community-driven profession. Over the past few decades or so, this need for professional teamwork has evolved into the concept of Personal Learning Networks (PLNs).

More than ever, teachers are called to justify their practice and their decision-making inside the classroom. Whether it is from administrators, parents, or the public, today’s teachers feel the pressure that comes from an increased professional scrutiny.

The reality is, only a fraction of the hundreds of thousands of teachers who leave teaching each year are novices. Veteran teachers too, it turns out, are quite susceptible to burnout. Each year, a growing percentage of the nation’s experienced teachers are voluntarily leaving the classroom.

Relationship building is one of many aspects of a busy educator’s life. Whether you’re aware of it or not, your success as a teacher grows from your ability to connect with and relate to your students. Developing cordial professional relationships with colleagues and administrators is also vital, because you’re all working towards the same goal: providing all students with a high-quality education.

The Response to Intervention model seeks to identify students’ needs before those struggles become barriers to learning.

Research shows that project based learning, also known as PBL, works to engage students and provide them with life-long learning skills. This teaching method leads to higher retention rates and improvements in critical thinking skills. Teachers in project based learning classrooms are responsible for encouraging students to take charge of their own education rather than the teaching and testing model that tends to be the standard in schools today.\r\n\r\nProject based learning looks intimidating to many teachers who work within prescribed traditional curriculums. It seems like quite a stretch to get there from where their teaching methods currently stand. But it doesn’t have to be as all-encompassing as you might imagine, and the changes you make don’t need to be drastic.

Starting my career teaching English at an alternative high school, my classes were stuffed with students who had given up on reading. Some students were 2-3 grade levels behind their peers. Others were perfectly literate, but had no interest in reading. As a green teacher, these students seemed impossible to educate. 

Fortunately, I had a good mentor teacher, and after a few years in the classroom, I learned many strategies to engage struggling and non-readers. In this article we’ll explore three valuable techniques rookie teachers can use no matter the subject(s) they teach. So if you’re ready, let’s learn how to turn your students into readers!

The move towards student-centered, inquiry based learning experiences has made technology a ubiquitous part of the modern classroom experience. Instead of flipping through expensive (and continually outdated) textbooks, students can use digital tools to navigate a limitless trove of information as well as create amazing products. This shift mirrors the demands of the modern world where so much depends upon technology and the skillset required to make the most of it.

As such, more and more school districts are revamping their approach towards technology. The days of the isolated computer lab are fading away, and instead, technology is integrating seamlessly into the day-to-day routines of the classroom. In many cases, districts have gone as far as creating 1:1 environments where every student can have access to their own device to use.

Sure, a piece of technology for every student sounds amazing, but what tools make the most sense?