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 ...
Leadership in Teaching: 5 Reasons to Rise
By: Jon Konen | Mar 17, 2020
“I could never do your job,” is something I hear often. I want to quip back, “Yes, yes you can!”
Leadership is not just about what you do but what you can inspire, encourage and empower others to do.
- Jon Gordon
After reading the Energy Bus, by Jon Gordon, I have ...
Taking Time Off From Teaching Without the Guilt
By: Mary McLaughlin | Mar 10, 2020
Taking time off from teaching is not a failure of commitment. Whether you can use banked sick or personal days, and for what, depends on your contract, district policy, and applicable law. Plan the absence ahead, leave clear substitute plans, and treat the break as maintenance on the teacher your ...
Dealing With Difficult Students: 9 Reasons to Give “That” Kid Attention
By: Jon Konen | Mar 5, 2020
Dealing with difficult students starts with reading the behavior instead of removing the child. Persistent behavior can have many contributing factors, so look for patterns and individual needs rather than assuming a cause. Building the relationship, modeling missing skills, and sharing the load with colleagues keeps that student in class. You ...
8 Reasons Why Blogging Can Support Your Growth as an Educator
By: Jon Konen | Feb 14, 2020
The benefits of blogging for teachers show up in three places: your own writing gets better, your reflection gets sharper, and your students see an adult who revises instead of quitting. You don't need a platform or an audience to start. A paragraph a day, three times a week, is ...
Teaching in Montana: 10 Reasons to Move and What Licensure Takes
By: Jon Konen | Jan 30, 2020
Teaching in Montana means small districts, long distances, and a licensure process you apply for directly. The Office of Public Instruction doesn't automatically transfer another state's license, but it does evaluate your out-of-state credentials toward Montana licensure. Pay runs below national medians, and projected employment is flat through 2034. Why not ...
Unfunded Mandates in Education: The Zugzwang Zigzag
By: Jon Konen | Jan 22, 2020
An unfunded mandate in education is a law or regulation requiring schools to provide a program or service without the money to pay for it. Special education is the most-cited case of an underfunded federal mandate. IDEA set a maximum federal contribution of 40% of the national average per-pupil spending, ...
A Slice of Huckleberry Pie At the Crossroads of Public Education
By: Jon Konen | Dec 11, 2019
Public education in America is at a crossroads!
We can argue that these crossroads have paths towards public education or private ventures (vouchers, charter schools, etc.). We can argue this differently in every state, and if it hasn’t come to your state yet, it will!
There is a scarring division over concerns ...
Finding Ways to Persevere – Finding Joy and Remembering Why You Became a Teacher in the First Place
By: Mary McLaughlin | Dec 2, 2019
At every turn over the past week or two, it seemed too many colleagues were contemplating leaving Teaching.
One example is my friend, Lisa. She is a 26-year veteran Special Education Teacher. She has been in talks with a company that writes Individual Education Plan software. Citing the need for her ...
Dealing With The Perpetual Cycle of Giving and Getting Colds at School
By: Mary McLaughlin | Oct 31, 2019
My friend: “I’ve had it. I’m so tired of being sick…and tired. I’m tired of parents sending their sick kids to school!”
Me: “What do you do when your kid is sick?”
My friend: “I have to send them to school. I’m a single parent and I have no one to stay ...
Teaching Students With PTSD: A Special Ed Teacher’s Guide
By: Mary McLaughlin | Oct 17, 2019
Teaching students with PTSD starts with reading behavior differently. What looks like defiance may sometimes reflect a stress or threat response. Predictable routines, advance warning before transitions, real choices, and a calm place to regroup do more than any consequence chart. Your school's counselor or mental health staff should know ...