Blog
How to Keep Kids Off Their Phones While Homeschooling
By: Scott Wilson | Sep 2, 2026
The most reliable way to keep kids off their phones while homeschooling is to agree on a spot where the phone goes during schoolwork, out of reach and out of sight. Set a clear return point, keep the work surface phone-free, and switch off notifications before the session starts.
Teachers have been working on this problem for a long time. Now it's your kitchen table.
Eyes down ...
Academic Pressure on Young Children: One Teacher’s Concern
By: Maury Cook | Sep 28, 2016
This column argues that academic pressure on young children now outruns what they are developmentally ready for. That is the author’s concern from 27 years in schools rather than a settled research finding, and the evidence on early academic pressure remains contested. He raises questions instead of offering answers. I wrote ...
10+ Tips to Prepare for Parent-Teacher Conferences
By: Mary McLaughlin | Sep 28, 2016
Our school’s parent-teacher conferences were last night. The expected, and desired, rate of attendance is always 100% so we can share the great things our class and individual students are doing, and also discuss the things we need to discuss…and boy, sometimes those can be challenging conversations!
If you’re new to ...
Pay Them (Teachers) And They Will Come!
By: Maury Cook | Sep 17, 2016
When I graduated from college with my four-year degree in education back in 1988, my salary ($15,000) qualified me for food stamps and I was single.
Today most starting salaries in education would place a family of 4 with one income on that same list.
There is a lot of talk about ...
Tracking Student Behavior: Intensity, Duration, and Frequency
By: Jon Konen | Sep 17, 2016
Three useful ways to measure student behavior are intensity, duration, and frequency. Tracking student behavior along those dimensions turns a vague complaint into data you can act on: how severe it is, how long each episode lasts, and how often it happens. Use those numbers to decide whether an intervention ...
Implications of Lead Poisoning on Children
By: Mary McLaughlin | Sep 9, 2016
I come from the land called Michigan whose lower peninsula is shaped like a mitten and whose upper peninsula is shaped like a running rabbit. My daughter lives in the “nose” of the rabbit, a dear friend lives in the rabbit’s tail, an in-law lives in the thumb, my bestie ...
Supporting Transient Students With Special Needs
By: Mary McLaughlin | Sep 9, 2016
Supporting transient students starts with protecting the one thing you control: the routine inside your classroom. U.S. public schools identified about 1.55 million children and youth experiencing homelessness in 2023-24, and about one in five of them receives special education services. Predictable structure, a reliable meal, and a familiar seat ...
Why Technology Is Important in Schools: 4 Arguments
By: Jon Konen | Sep 7, 2016
Why technology is important in schools comes down to two things: students already live digitally, and digital skills are important in many occupations. Good instruction still comes first. The argument here is that device access and coding belong alongside solid teaching, not in place of it, and that schools have ...
How to Combat Self-Doubt as a Teacher
By: Mary McLaughlin | Sep 3, 2016
Many teachers go through periods of professional self-doubt, and it often surfaces around transitions: a new building, a hard evaluation, a class you can’t seem to reach. The way through isn’t confidence on demand. It’s naming what’s actually driving the doubt, deciding one small thing you can control today, and ...
First Year Special Education Teacher Tips From a 21-Year Veteran
By: Mary McLaughlin | Aug 25, 2016
Your first year in a special education classroom runs on preparation and relationships more than lesson plans. Review each student's IEP as early as you can, ask questions constantly, and treat your paraprofessional, school secretary, and custodian as allies. The best first year special education teacher tips come down to ...
Text Coding: A Reading Strategy for Struggling Readers
By: Michelle Areaux | Aug 24, 2016
Text coding is a reading strategy where students mark up a text with symbols: a star for important information, a question mark for confusion, an exclamation point for surprise. As a text coding reading strategy, it can give students a concrete way to track their thinking while reading, and it ...