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I spend much of my time in my new role analyzing data. The collaborative teams in the department all use their own data tracker, and while most of them are similar, each team has their own way of keeping track of student growth. That’s fine. I adapt. But, I’ve spent some time thinking about what […]
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One hundred and ninety six days since my last post. That’s quite a substantial amount of time that has passed. So, before diving into more posts about grading, seating charts, or classroom management, I thought I would tell you where I’ve been. When I revived Teacher Jargon, I had just started the process of becoming […]
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As teachers, our gradebooks hold most of our power. The fate of our students’ GPAs lies in that sophisticated spreadsheet. And while all of us have the best of intentions, the gradebook divides more teachers more often than it unites them. Consider these questions: What happens in your gradebook when a student submits a late […]
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Differentiation. Individualized instruction. Personalized teaching. Whether you’re brand new to teaching or you’ve been teaching for 30+ years, we’ve all heard these words. We’re often told that these are the expectations for quality instruction. We’re expected to differentiate. We’re expected to individualize instruction. We’re expected to personalize our teaching. But, have you actually been shown […]
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What makes a teacher effective? A principal once asked me this question in an interview, and without hesitation I answered, “An effective teacher knows the strengths and weaknesses of each student and adjusts their instruction to meet the students’ needs.” Admittedly, many qualities and characteristics make a teacher effective: their ability to develop healthy relationships […]
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The weekends are a time for me to catch up on all the aspects of my life that take a backseat during the week: the yard work, my hobbies, the dishes, the laundry. As my eyes take in the sunshine of Saturday morning, my brain begins scrolling through the mental to-do list I’ve added to […]
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If you’ve listened to Teacher Jargon for a while or read my previous blog posts, you might have noticed that I love a great analogy. And as I was sitting around the table with my family on Thanksgiving, I had a revelation: choosing which sides I would give up space on my plate for is […]
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Years ago, I was a competitive cheerleader. If you’ve ever been a cheerleader or been involved in the sport, then you know that there is so much more to cheerleading than the short skirts and sideline chants. Competitive cheer is a different beast than gameday cheering. My teammates and I trained endlessly for the two […]
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Fall just so happens to be my favorite season; the chill in the air in the early morning, the leaves changing from green to a vibrant red and orange, the sweaters and scarves, and most of all Halloween. When I was growing up, my parents made a big deal out of Halloween. We had a […]
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Okay, y’all, Shocktober is here, and it has officially punched me in the face. I’ve struggled to write this post all week because, honestly, last week destroyed me as an educator. On Thursday, one of my class periods tested me and pushed me to my absolute limits. This specific class period has been my most […]
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