After serving as a teacher educator for the past two years, I have begun to reflect on why student teachers might struggle as they prepare for the profession. Of course, as in other posts, I don’t proclaim to have all the answers. Rather, I hope by writing this, it prompts discussion and further discourse, research, and contemplation—as preparing teachers is a vastly important endeavor.

Student teachers, such as the ones I work with, often carry heavy coursework loads as...

I know what you’re thinking when you read this blog title: What? Loosen up? My students are not focusing, not listening, getting out of their seats—I need to tighten up!

But stay with me. I’d like to share a different perspective, one that involves how we view students’ behavior and interactions in the classroom.

Recently, I had the opportunity to travel with a group of student teachers to Costa Rica for a study abroad program. The itinerary included spending time in public...

Perhaps, you may find this of interest to use with students as a possible reading passage and/or interactive notebook activity.

Using the News in the Classroom:

An unusual climber scaled a 25 story building in Minnesota. It was a raccoon! The furry climber first started his trek, stopping from time to time on different ledges to take a break. At one point, around the 17 floor, the raccoon began going back down but changed course and resumed climbing up the...