Roxanna Elden's Blog, page 19
July 14, 2015
Select Presentations
The Myth of the Super Teacher – Education Writers Association National Conference
LeNOIWTA: Let’s Not Overdo It With The Acronyms (and Other Secrets to Teacher Buy-In and Retention) – NewSchools Venture Fund Summit
When Good Lessons Go Bad: How to Manage your Classroom and your Sanity When a Lesson Doesn’t go as Planned -National Board Teachers of South Florida “Survive and Thrive” Conference
July 11, 2015
Writing Workshops
UPCOMING WORKSHOPS:
September 12, 2015: First Draft Happy Hour – Theme: Creation and Procreation
Fall, 2015: Learning, Then Burning – Or at Least Overturning – the Writing Rule Book (6-Week Creative Writing Course)
Past Workshops:
Writing About Work
Making It Funny: The Art and Science of Humor Writing
July 1, 2015
Speaking Testimonials
“Roxanna rocked the house at the Education Writers Association’s 2012 National Seminar in Philadelphia with her witty, wry portrayal of the life of a teacher. Her talk received some of our best reviews and is — by far — the most popular video from the meeting. And when she spoke at a previous conference, she carefully tailored her comments to the audience’s needs.” -Lori Crouch, assistant director of Education Writers Association
“At the end of Roxanna’s keynote speech at New Teacher Center’s 15th National Symposium on Teacher Induction, she received a standing an ovation. The audience not only loved the stories and anecdotes Roxanna told, they fell in love with Roxanna too. Her willingness put everything out there; her mistakes, her vulnerabilities, and successes; the highlights and the lowlights of her early years as a teacher combined with her candor and humor endeared her to the audience. From an event management perspective, she always responded to emails and requests for information in a timely fashion. Roxanna is a delight to work with and I’m happy to recommend her as a speaker.” -Kathy Raymond, Meeting and Events Manager for New Teacher Center
“(Roxanna Elden) should write more books about teaching and should also have her own sitcom, or at least a guest appearance on Glee.” -Elena Silva, Education Sector
April 24, 2015
Video: How Teachers Can Manage Their Bosses
Rick Hess’s new book, The Cage-Busting Teacher, is for educators who want to shape the schools and systems in which they work. The book starts with the refreshing premise that teachers should not have to be martyrs fighting the system “on their own time and on their own dime.” Instead, it offers guidance on how teachers can best use their finite supply of time and energy to impact their workplaces and profession. The book offers practical advice from a variety of perspectives, giving special attention to areas that can be weak points for teachers, such as communicating with lawmakers, speaking through the media, and working with difficult bosses. I’m a fan – and one of the teachers featured in the book. Here is a short video in which I share some tips on how teachers can “manage” their relationships with administrators – illustrated with some cute graphics.
January 20, 2015
Class: Writing About Work (The Center @ MDC)
“People love to read about work. God knows why, but they do.”
- Stephen King, On Writing
Jobs are often fertile ground for writing material, and those who write about work frequently find loyal audiences. In this class, we examine a variety of work-related writing done well, including career confessionals such as Waiter Rant, worksite-based novels such as The Firm, popular work-related blogs, and even work humor, such as Dilbert. The course will include in-class writing exercises as well as instructor and peer coaching for ongoing projects.
When: Tuesdays, February 24 – March 31, from 6:30 – 8:30 p.m.
Where: MDC Wolfson Campus, Downtown Miami Dade College
Click here to register or learn about other programs offered through The Center @ MDC.
Panel Discussion: Education Nation and #projectliteracy
Education Nation joins forces with #projectliteracy and invites teachers, parents, and literacy experts to share ideas on how to make significant, sustainable advances in literacy. The event is February 4, and I’ll be the teacher on the panel. I hope to post some links here afterwards.
October 14, 2014
Guidelines for Teacher Attire (Larry Ferlazzo / EdWeek Classroom Q&A)
Larry Ferlazzo, EdWeek Classroom Q&A’s much-loved asker of questions and collector of answers, asked for some helpful guidelines on teacher attire. You can read my response here. (Spoiler alert: I talk a lot about comfortable shoes, accidentally-exposed skin, and avoiding dry-cleaners.)
BAM! Radio: Talking Teacher Attire With Renee Moore and Larry Ferlazzo
Teacher attire doesn’t get much attention – except when it goes wrong. On this BAM! Radio segment with teacher-blogger Larry Ferlazzo and CTQ Teacherpreneur Renee Moore, we discuss how teachers can dress to show respect to their communities, show compassion for their own feet, and show as little unintentional skin as possible.
August 30, 2014
Class: Making it Funny – The Art and Science of Humor Writing (The Center @MDC)
Upcoming: Sept. 9 – 30, 2014
Tuesdays, 6:30PM-8:30PM
Miami-Dade College, Wolfson Campus
Ever since I moved to Miami ten years ago, I’ve been attending creative writing classes at Miami Dade College through The Center for Literature and Theater. If you’re a Miami writer, hopeful writer, or writing teacher – or if you just want a chance to spend time with the elusive reading and writing crowd in Miami, you should get on their mailing list now. This is my first time leading a workshop of my own. I’m looking forward to the chance to work with funny writers and put my nerdly passion for studying what makes things funny to good use. The class will begin with a short overview of popular humor theories, then move onto more concrete aspects of humor, including the setup-punch structure used by standup comics and how to use “comic timing” on paper. We will also read and discuss excerpts of funny writing done well. The course will include in-class writing exercises as well as instructor and peer feedback on ongoing projects. Will this workshop make you funny? No. Only a lifetime of using humor to cope with emotional pain can do that. But this workshop will teach you use the techniques of professional funny people to enhance the humor in your own writing.
August 21, 2014
APEX Award for “Class Dismissed!” Column
The winning column is called Six Tips for Looking Less Like a Rookie, which is pretty self-explanatory. Thanks, APEX award committee!
