Here’s the Chicago Sun Times essay by reading specialist Erika Bolte as yet another teacher tells the world how public education matters and makes a difference for our children. Erika explains how the teacher team at her school helping a struggling student to catch up. While pundits worry about large-scale standardized test scores, good teachers continue […]

The teacher voice campaign marches on with more essays in the Chicago Sun Times. Read and enjoy these outstanding pieces: Mitch Lazarus, on in-depth attitudinal strategies that help kids become successful Robin Rickert, on classroom community that helps kids grow to be caring adults NOW, CHICAGO TEACHERS! SEND US MORE ESSAYS! WE NEED TO BUILD […]

OK, so I’ve been absent from this blog for a really long time. But I’m back and seeking more Chicago Area Teacher Essays! I got plenty busy finishing my new book, From Inquiry to Action, on helping students to identify issues in their school or community, research them, and take action on them. This kind […]

Everyone should read in the Chicago Sun Times the latest teacher essay that tears testing apart piece by piece. Fifth-grade Chicago teacher Rachel Schwartz explains how the test fails to help children learn, causes them mental anguish, eats up days that could be devoted to learning (on top of the other tests that Chicago imposes), and […]

Belleville, Michigan teacher Jason Strzalkowski explains what our work really is and it is not tests. Read “I Love My Job. Really.” — a succinct and affirming essay on Nancy Flanagan’s blog, “Teacher in a Strange Land. Strzalkowski explains how he helps his high school history students “navigate poverty, reputation, academics, and self-worth on a […]

We’re excited to announce that the Chicago Sun Times teacher essays are back, with an excellent piece by 3rd grade teacher Evelyn Pollins explaining very concretely how teaching reading oriented to the Common Core destroys kids’ love of books. It’s on the paper’s website as well as in the Monday 3/22/15 print edition. The series […]

The 2015 Illinois Writing Project Teacher Leadership Institute focuses on both writing instruction and strategies for teachers to take formal and informal leadership roles in their schools. It’s scheduled for July 13-28, with an after-school pre-meeting in May and a followup gathering in Sept. Teachers who speak up for supportive policies for our work and […]

Good morning! We may be snowbound here in Chicago, but I’ve uploaded to YouTube two new videos with teachers stating what matters in their classrooms. You can view one here and the other here. The pictures were taken in a session scheduled for the purpose at last November’s NCTE convention. Sonia Nieto spoke to inspire […]

WHOA! Four Seattle area teachers decided to truly speak up, testifying to their school board about the agonies that are being visited on their students and themselves by the Smarter Balanced test that is pointlessly discouraging everyone, and declaring that they’ll refuse to give the tests in the future. As you’ll see from their account […]

Please enjoy reading yet another fine teacher portrait by Peter Smagorinsky and published on Maureen Downey’s “Get Schooled” blog for the Atlanta Journal Constitution. Smagorinsky emphasizes first grade teacher Becky Cross’s use of laughter in the classroom, in contrast to the Dickensian sooty-factory approach to education that has become current. In light of her leadership […]