Teacher Talk
Teachers vs. Tech: Putting an Old Adversary to Good Use
By: Dr. Jerri Ward-Jackson | Aug 9, 2023
Since the first clunky cell phone rang in a silent classroom, technology’s place in education has been hotly debated. Does its potential for good outweigh its potential for disruption? Do kids need more screen time than they already get at home? Is educational technology actually beneficial or is it just a dazzling, counterproductive novelty?
To Dr. Jerri Ward-Jackson of the University of West Alabama’s College of ...
5 Steps to Making Sure School Remains a Priority During COVID-19 Closures… Even If Your Kids Seem to Think It’s Just More Spring Break
By: Brian Miller | Apr 8, 2020
Like many of you, I’m an educator. Like some others of you, I’m also a parent. Like all of you, I’m adjusting to this sudden change in how education gets done. Our school days look and feel very different than they did just a few weeks ago, and while some ...
Be Visionary: 6 Ways the Corona Virus Outbreak Offers the Perfect Opportunity to Bring Real Change to Education
By: Jon Konen | Apr 2, 2020
This year a triple murder occurred in my community and adjacent to my school which caused a closure… we then had a district wide closure for a bomb threat… and now a closure for the Corona Virus.
To say my school has been hit hard by school closures this year is ...
Homeschooling During the COVID-19 Lockdown? … 5 Clever Spots to Hide Your Kids’ Phones Till the Homework Gets Done
By: Scott Wilson | Mar 27, 2020
You may not have realized what a curse mobile devices are for the average teacher, but you’re about to find out!
With COVID-19 running rampant and schools shutting down around the world, more and more parents are being enlisted to the role of home schoolteachers. And that means trying to stick ...
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 ...
Rest and Rejuvenation – Feeling Good About Taking the Time Off You Need to Be at Your Best
By: Mary McLaughlin | Mar 10, 2020
I’m a teacher. I teach a self-contained special education class of second and third grade kids. I have done the work I love for over two decades and there is no other role in which I can see myself.
But sometimes even teachers need a mental break and physical rejuvenation; ok, ...
9 Reasons to Give “THAT” Kid Some Extra Attention
By: Jon Konen | Mar 5, 2020
You know that one student who may drive you nuts, who may test all the boundaries, and who makes you lose sleep at night? Yes, “that” kid!
As a principal, my goal is for teachers to have tools to use with “that” kid in order to keep him or her in ...
8 Reasons Why Blogging Can Support Your Growth as an Educator
By: Jon Konen | Feb 14, 2020
“You don’t start out writing good stuff. You start out writing crap and thinking it’s good stuff, and then gradually you get better at it. That’s why I say one of the most valuable traits is persistence.”
― Octavia E. Butler
We want our students to be good writers. We want them ...
10 Reasons Why You Should Move to Montana to Teach
By: Jon Konen | Jan 30, 2020
Why not promote my state? In fact, why don’t we all create a Top-10 list for why teachers should move to our respective states to work?
I am a little factious here, but I understand that my Top 10 will make you want to move to Montana! If you are a ...
Zugzwang Zigzag: An Educator’s Nightmare
By: Jon Konen | Jan 22, 2020
The current situation in America puts educators at a disadvantage…no matter what move we make to promote increased funding we are dividing our communities. Some communities are further along this continuum. I would like to coin this state of education, “The Zugzwang Zigzag!”
Are you wondering what Zugzwang means yet? It ...
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 ...