DEVOLSON?

Are you familiar with DEVOLSON? It’s a teacher-created acronym describing what is often a season of disillusionment for teachers. The acronym stands for Dark, Evil Vortex of Late September, October, and November. It’s real. I’ve lived it. It’s when the fresh start of a new school year, along with the personal goals you’ve set for…

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How Fast Is the Future Arriving?

Mix tapes. They were the best. I used to spend hours and hours putting together what I consider to be some of the world’s best music mixes ever. Ever. Without dispute. I was to the mix tape what a modern deejay like Deadmau5 is to electronic dance music. The advent of the recordable CD (or…

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What Traits Must a Teacher Have?

Without a doubt, the place where I failed most spectacularly as a teacher was at the corner of Organization Street and Process Avenue. I’m sure there were days when my students didn’t know what to expect from me; however, the work we did was consistent and the way in which we approached it rarely veered…

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857 Is 857 Too Many

One topic that elementary school teachers don’t have to contend with is dropouts. Either a child is getting to school or she isn’t. By and large, the same goes for middle school. Elementary and middle school students are not legally allowed to make their own decisions about their schooling. Parents and guardians do that. I…

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Seven Faces Lighting Up in the Dark

Perhaps this is the most wonderful thing about teaching: seeing the wonder and amazement on a child’s face as she learns something new. It’s the eyes brightening and a brow rising as a young girl makes the connection between something she has read in a book and now experienced in another lesson, in a hands-on…

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