Child Development, the Bell Curve, and the Twenty First Century

By: Maury Cook | Sep 28, 2016

I wrote a column recently about teaching our kids resilience and how to prepare them for the competitive world they have been born into. Those things are important, but where, I now ask, is that reality leading us? Read on. Isn’t it interesting how the world views the development of the ...
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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 ...
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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 ...
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3 Things You Should Be Tracking with All Behavior

By: Jon Konen | Sep 17, 2016

One of my pet peeves is to walk into a room, say a teacher’s lounge, and hear teacher’s griping about a student’s behavior. I understand we must talk to colleagues about school life, but continually knocking down students isn’t going to make the problem better. In our school we call ...
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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 ...
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Making a Move: Special Needs Kids and Frequently Changing Homes

By: Mary McLaughlin | Sep 9, 2016

I’ve been spending a lot of time after school packing up my home, preparing to move into another home, one which is a lot closer to my school, closer to the Big City, and is located in a mid-sized town. I’ll be back where food can be delivered to my ...
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4 Arguments for Technology Infusion in Schools

By: Jon Konen | Sep 7, 2016

You ever been in argument with someone about education, and what we should be or should not being doing? It’s not hard to argue against someone who believes students should be technology free in schools. We see technology in almost all jobs and every aspect of our lives. Recently, on ...
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How to Combat Self Doubt as a Teacher

By: Mary McLaughlin | Sep 3, 2016

I have had some interesting events rise up in my personal life this week. I don’t know if this has happened to you, but when this type of week rolls in, it feels like a rushing wave of water at high tide, catching me sitting too close to the water’s ...
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Some Tips You Need to Know to Survive Your First Year in Special Education

By: Mary McLaughlin | Aug 25, 2016

So, this isn’t my first year as a special education Teacher anymore…it’s certainly not  my first year in Education…this year marks year 21 in the field. Having served in a variety of roles over these many years, it’s a safe bet that I thought I had a handle on my ...
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Text Coding for Struggling Readers

By: Michelle Areaux | Aug 24, 2016

All educators are thrown different reading strategies that are supposed to close the gap with our reluctant and struggling readers. Every year it seems a new and powerful method is developed that will be the saving grace all teachers dream for. As wonderful as that sounds, many of us understand ...
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