We know peer pressure often carries a negative connotation in our classrooms, but can it actually be used for good? I regularly bring up the concept of positive peer pressure, and it consistently earns me a few sideways glances. “How can peer pressure be positive…and can you give examples?” they ask. As always, I’m happy … Read more

Gamifying education is a huge buzz right now in schools. This doesn’t mean that students spend their time gaming during school, as many would believe. Instead, gamifying education allows students to actively engage with content in ways that worksheets and lectures simply can’t replicate. One way that many teachers are doing this is by creating … Read more

There’s a moment that happens somewhere around the sixth week of the school year. You’re not thinking about it when it occurs. It just happens. A student drops their pencil case, and without a word, three others are on the floor helping. Another child shares something personal during morning meeting, and the room sits in … Read more

Finding the right classroom management observation tool can feel like searching for a working pencil sharpener…everyone claims to have one, but most leave you frustrated.  I learned this the hard way when I walked into my first high school classroom as a fresh history teacher. I had my lesson plans ready, my instructional materials organized, … Read more

I’ll never forget January 2008. There I was, 23 years old, standing in front of 34 sophomores, convinced I was about to revolutionize their learning through a variety of meaningful classroom discussions. Within ten minutes, three students had their heads down, two were whispering about something entirely unrelated to the American Revolution, and one asked … Read more

I started teaching high school history in 2007, back when “engagement measurement” meant scanning the room during a lecture and hoping the kids in the back weren’t passing notes. I taught in two vastly different worlds over my time in the classroom…first at a nationally ranked academic school where students stressed over tenths of a … Read more

Ask any educator what keeps them up at night, and somewhere in the answer, you’ll find the struggle to create meaningful connections. After almost a decade of observing schools across every level, from rural elementary schools to urban community colleges to elite research universities, one pattern emerges clearly: student engagement event ideas aren’t about what … Read more

I started teaching in 2007, right before the slide began in education to **waves hand around** whatever this mess is.  At the time, I was convinced I knew what good teaching looked like. Students would read, we’d discuss, they’d write essays, and I’d grade them. Simple. Predictable. Control. Almost two decades later, I’ve learned that … Read more

I’ll never forget my first real test with classroom management. It was back in 2007, and I was standing in front of a packed high school history class at a nationally ranked academic school, convinced I had everything figured out. I’d spent weeks planning my lessons, designing my PowerPoints, and organizing my classroom rules into … Read more

I remember standing in front of my first class of 9th graders back in 2007, absolutely convinced I had everything figured out. My carefully color-coded classroom rules were posted prominently on the wall. My reward system was ready. I’d read all the blog posts, attended the professional development sessions, and taken copious notes during student … Read more

I walked into my first classroom in 2007, and if there’s one piece of advice I now give to new teachers during their first week of professional development, it’s this: your classroom walls are not your décor; they are your co-teacher. For a long time, I fell into the trap of treating my bulletin boards … Read more