Before the final days of school fade into the rearview mirror, we look at how we can encourage students to read over the summer and minimize the summer slide. Follow on Twitter: @sgthomas1973 @ZincLearning @jonHarper70bd @bamradionetwork After graduating from Princeton University, Matt Bardin worked as a New York City secondary-school English teacher. The challenges facing his students stayed with him long after he left the classroom and prompted him to found Zinc Learning Labs. Bardin...

Many of us are down to the last few days and weeks of the school year. In this episode, we talk about what matters most as we wrap up and aim to close strong. Follow on Twitter: @sgthomas1973 @fromrooma212 @jonHarper70bd @bamradionetwork Ann Stiltner is a high school special education teacher. She received a master’s degree in special education from the University of Hartford and a certificate of advanced studies in literacy from Sacred Heart University. She writes the blog from Room A212...

The school year is not quite over for many schools, but many students have checked out for the duration. Join us as we run down some practical strategies for managing the year-end challenges and annoyances that routinely arise in the final weeks and days. Follow on Twitter: @ideasforteacher @HolSpinny @sgthomas1973 @jonHarper70bd @bamradionetwork Holly Spinelli is a students’ rights activist with specific focuses in alternative, strengths-based pedagogical approaches where students’ voices...

As many of us contemplate whether it’s time for us to leave our schools or maybe the teaching profession altogether, we invited a few educators who have wrestled with and made the decision to share the key points to consider before resigning. Follow on Twitter: @ideasforteacher @jonHarper70bd @bamradionetwork @Chelsea_Lee0615 Chelsea Lee is an educator, military spouse, and she and her husband have a 10 month old son. She has taught 2nd though 5th grade students over a period of 6 years in...

If this is your first year of teaching, welcome to the most demanding and unpredictable school term most seasoned veterans have experienced. The most important thing you can do to maximize your effectiveness is to be willing to ask for help — here’s how. Follow on Twitter: @sgthomas1973 @bamradionetwork @jonHarper70bd Rachel Taylor is a first year fourth-grade teacher in Gwinnett County, GA. She is a first-year teacher during concurrent learning. She loves hiking, camping, creating, and...

This term many of us will walk into classrooms where we will be expected to teach students who have the most diverse academic and social-emotional needs in recent history. The need for more individualized teaching has moved from desirable to critical this school year. So what practical teaching strategies can we use to meet each of our students where they are? In this episode, we talk with four teachers who have deep experience with differentiating instruction in classrooms with 20, 30 kids,...

COVID-19 surprised us again with another uncertain school term.  As we turn on a dime to meet the evolving needs of our students, those who teach English language learners have some unique hurdles to surmount. In this episode, we invite two ELL teachers to share the game plan and practical strategies for another year of pandemic teaching and learning. Follow on Twitter: @AggieAshley @Larryferlazzo @sgthomas1973 @ @bamradionetwork @jonHarper70bd Larry Ferlazzo teaches English, Social Studies...

We don't like the term "learning loss," and we see learning recovery as a pig with lipstick. But we know learning recovery mandates are coming our way. In this premiere episode of We Just Want to Teach, we begin our search for practical strategies for teaching a classroom full of students with widely different subject knowledge and unique emotional needs. Follow on Twitter: @heymrsbond @RitaWirtz @sgthomas1973 @bamradionetwork @jonHarper70bd Chanea Bond is a North Texas English and literacy...