TheApple

The cyclone that hit southeast Asia recently was truly a tragedy. But it does provide us both a teaching moment and a learning concern. Every year, we hear how poorly U.S. students perform when it comes to geography. Many are lucky to find Canada on the map, forget southeast Asia. We tell ourselves geography isn't so important any more. Our kids ...

Many an education blogger is suffering through a sagging jaw over Gates Foundation convening. On the whole, the Gates meeting was a reiteration of the Foundation's mission, pledging to strengthen high school and get more students college ready. As I hoped for, the issue of teacher quality has been added to the agenda. But for the most part, the Gates Foundation ...

It would be difficult to find a school without any history of bullying, but statistics show that bullying in public schools is a serious epidemic. Studies report that 10% of students in the K-12 grades have been the victims of chronic bullying, and that 75% described being the victim of at least one incident per year. Many bullying victims experience physical ...

One of the major benefits of using technology in the classroom is the ability to differentiate instruction to meet the needs of every student in every lesson. Just as every student grows and develops at different rates, they learn in different ways and at different speeds. Technology makes it possible to pace lessons appropriately for each student's learning level and can ...

h4. Myth: No Child Left Behind requires all teachers to earn a bachelor’s degree in every subject they teach, as well as certification in every subject. h4. Reality: The law requires teachers to have a bachelor’s degree and full state certification and to demonstrate content knowledge in the subjects they teach. NCLB requires neither separate degrees nor separate certifications for every ...

Millions of school-age students in America live in poverty. You don’t have to teach in a blighted urban area or a depressed rural region to teach students who are from a poor family. The lives of poor students are often very different from those of their more affluent peers. They cannot look forward to an abundance of presents on their birthday. ...

For months now, the education chattering class has been talking about the behind-the-scenes efforts by the US Department of Education to craft national education standards. We've heard that Achieve was slated to deliver draft math and reading standards to Maryland Avenue by early summer, with plans for a thorough and robust debate leading up the reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary ...

We all know the type of kid; he or she may be your biggest headache. They are hostile to you and their peers, they don’t seem to listen, and don’t do what they are told. Its almost like they want to upset you. It seems like the more you try to manage them the more they resist…. Sound Familiar? Students with ...

I am not sure of the exact statistic, and I am sure it's different for different areas, but I’ve heard that a large number of new teachers quit the profession before applying for their clear credential after five years on the job. While I’m not surprised that some people don’t figure out that teaching is not for them until after ...

If you’re involved in education, you’ve probably heard that new teachers are leaving the field at an alarming rate each year. Marriages are said to have a seven-year itch, but do teachers get the urge to leave the classroom even sooner? It’s a question TheApple explored recently to see if we should be concerned at how many new teachers give up ...

Everything a Teacher Needs to Know Before School Starts. As summer quickly comes to a close, preparation for being back in the classroom begins to mount. And what you do in the first week of school can truly set the tone for the rest of the year. Use this elaborate guide, exclusive to TheApple—with tips, strategies, even lesson plans—to help you ...

Let’s face facts, discrimination, sexism, racism, ageism, classism – all the “isms” that separate people and lay the groundwork for hate, are based on a philosophy of “us” versus “them.” This philosophy is fully grounded in the focus by many of the differences between people as opposed to the characteristics they share. For example, racists cannot accept the fact that there ...

Diversity is growing within the US and its schools. Some states such as California, Texas, New York, and Arizona have large numbers of Limited English Proficient (LEP) or English Language Learner (ELL) students matriculating each year. Many of these students were born in the US, but are nevertheless learning English as a second language. ELL student drop-out rates are particularly ...

Well, school is just about over in my neck of the woods. Time flies when you’re having fun, huh? It does just seem like the school year started, and now we are facing a long, hot summer. Teachers are finishing up their grades and getting ready to enter into that wonderful season of post-planning bliss….a flurry of activity as teachers hurriedly ...

If you're a teacher, it's important that you be constantly reminded how powerful your profession is and to be inspired to continue. These quotes were shared with me by members on TheApple, and I think reading this list of quotes by famous and not-so-famous teachers will help lift the spirits of educators everywhere. I've placed each quote on a separate page ...

Quote #1:If kids come to us from strong, healthy functioning families, it makes our job easier. If they do not come to us from strong, healthy, functioning families, it makes our job more important. -Barbara Colorose Continue to Quote #2 → [page] Quote #2:Teachers affect eternity; no one can tell where their influence stops. Henry Brooks Adams Continue to Quote ...

Early on in my teaching career I was attempting to discuss the events that gradually led up to the Civil War. My textbook at the time gave a heavy emphasis to slavery and did not mention the whole scope of events that led us down the path of war. I wanted my students to see how our growing nation was a ...

Overweight is a serious health concern for children and adolescents. Data from two NHANES surveys (1976–1980 and 2003–2004) show that the prevalence of overweight is increasing: for children aged 2–5 years, prevalence increased from 5.0% to 13.9%; for those aged 6–11 years, prevalence increased from 6.5% to 18.8%; and for those aged 12–19 years, prevalence increased from 5.0% to 17.4%. Overweight ...

As the oldest high school on its original campus in California tries to find its way through the maze of current educational reforms so that it can stay on the top of most “best of” lists and maintain both its API and AYP the answer to too many questions has been more middle management. A mistake made time and again in ...

Parent involvement is one of the most important factors in the academic success of your students. Even though parents come in all forms and their level of involvement in your student’s academics may or may not be ideal, always remember that they are an ally and not the enemy. They love their child and want them to be successful, and ...