By Elizabeth Jorgensen

In a Facebook group I’m part of, fellow teacher Jeralicia Crooms posted, “Many of our districts force us to accept late work. We’re not ‘allowed’ to hold students accountable. How do we make that work?”
It’s a common sentiment: we...

 Juan and Shelly are walking home from school, both looking down and kicking an empty, crushed soda can. Finally, Juan breaks the silence.

"Shelly, did you ask any questions in class today?"

"No," she says quietly. "The teachers hate me, and when they do call on me, the kids all laugh."...

Dear educator, winter break is finally here! It's time to relax and recharge before the new year. Here are five fun and healthy must-do's during your time away from the classroom:

1. Catch up on sleep.

Most educators could use more sleep. Likely you're nodding your head in agreement....

For years, classroom management has been a huge part of the teacher training process. While this is an extremely important area to master, one fact that many new teachers don't realize when they're in their classrooms for the first time is that classroom management isn't really about...

Ungrading is a growing movement in K–12 classrooms. It means that teachers don't give students letter or number grades for their work; instead, they give feedback that helps students understand what is being taught and what they know.

Proponents of...

Teaching is hard. The learning process for students has changed drastically in the past 10 years, and it's changing even faster now. Students are more anxious than ever before, but also better equipped to handle this anxiety through technology and improved rapport with teachers and peers. 

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The time has come for educators to change the way they think about assessment. The old-fashioned "sage on a stage" approach is no longer viable in today's interconnected world. To create deep, meaningful learning outcomes, teachers need to rethink how they use assessments and what types of tasks...

Too often, when I walked into secondary classrooms as an instructional coach or leader, I was disheartened to find students sitting in rows, not truly engaging with the material being presented. It was evident that the teachers loved their content and some students loved...

One of the biggest challenges for educators as they work with students is managing their ever-growing need for independence.

It starts at a tender young age. The terrible twos are rooted in the stubbornness of independence, and the toddler must do it all on their own.

This attitude never...

Leading with grace and integrity is hard work.

A person of integrity doesn’t do the work for awards and accolades; they do the work because they are dedicated to the mission. Grace with integrity means doing the hard work without expecting credit.

A strong work ethic is assumed and not...