Roxanna Elden's Blog, page 22

Paul Bruno on This Week in Education

“See Me After Class has a great deal of information and insight that new teachers will not have gotten elsewhere…There are a number of very good books that novices can read to learn about teaching, but See Me After Class sets itself apart by better capturing what it actually feels like to be a new – or otherwise imperfect – teacher.”

Click here to read the rest of the review, and to check out Paul Bruno’s incisive writing on edu-politics and teaching on This Week In Education.

Center for Teaching Quality: Recommended Holiday Wishlist

Again, not really a review, but still an honor. I’m a member and big fan of the CTQ Collaboratory, and happy to be on the CTQ recommended holiday wish list along with Larry Ferlazzo and Ariel Sacks.

Charter School Tools: Book of the Month

Technically, I guess, this is not a review, but still…

To learn more about Charter School Tools and see their other recommended books, click here.

Interview: Huffington Post Book Doctor Blog

Whenever someone asks me for advice on getting published, I recommend The Essential Guide to Getting Your Book Published, by Arielle Eckstut and David Henry Sterry. They are a husband-wife/agent-bestselling-author team, and they travel the country giving advice to hopeful authors. Their workshop and book helped me turn See Me After Class from a loose, 20-page collection of notes into a successfully published book with a major publisher. (Twice!) Read the full story here in our Huffington Post interview about teaching writing, writing about teaching, and getting a second shot at publishing success.

Interview: “Talking Ed” Spree-Cast With Gary Rubinstein

Gary Rubinstein is one of my favorite fellow teacher-authors. I first stumbled upon his classroom management book, Reluctant Disciplinarian, when I was working on my own book. It is the funniest book I have read on classroom management, and also includes helpful tips for people who don’t click naturally into “scary teacher” mode. Gary also blogs about teaching and education politics, and hosts an occasional live online education show on Spreecast. I had a great time as his guest. Click here to watch the show.

TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 26, 9:30PM EST – Live Interview: “Talking Ed” Spree-Cast With Gary Rubinstein

Gary Rubinstein is one of my favorite fellow teacher-authors. I first stumbled upon his classroom management book, Reluctant Disciplinarian, when I was working on my own book. It is the funniest book I have read on classroom management, and also includes helpful tips for people who don’t click naturally into “scary teacher” mode. Gary also blogs about teaching and education politics, and hosts an occasional live online education show on Spreecast. I look forward to being his guest on Tuesday, November 26, at 9:30 PM EST. Click here to watch or participate live. (This link will connect to the archived version once the show is over.)

Teacher Advice: The Good, the Bad, and “That Would Never Happen in MY Class!” (Learning First Alliance)

Beware: Not all advice is created equal. Whether you are on the giving or receiving end, here are a few examples of common suggestions with potential pitfalls on the LFA blog. The Learning First Alliance is a partnership of 14 leading education associations with more than 10 million members dedicated to improving student learning in America’s public schools. I am a long-time fan of their blog, which provides reliably thoughtful edu-commentary aimed at strengthening public schools.

BuzzFeed: 15 Books That Will Make You A Better Teacher

“Why it’s worth the read: Veteran teachers discuss their teaching experiences, which provide insight into successful classrooms work. The book also, however, allows teachers to laugh at all those crazy situations they find themselves in teaching the students they love.” Read the full list by Antwaun Sargent and see the other 14 books here.

Seven Facts About Teacher Retention During the First Five Years

1. After 3 years, 1/3 of new teachers leave the field; after 5 years, almost half of new teachers have left. (Source: U.S. Department of Education)

2. In inner city schools, 1/2 of new teachers quit within 3 years. (Source: U.S. Department of Education)

3. “Students in (Washington D.C.’s) poorest neighborhoods are nearly twice as likely to have a new or second-year teacher as those in the wealthiest… The concentration of new teachers in low-income communities is ‘remarkably consistent’ across the nation.” (Source: Washington Post Monday, April 27, 2009, “Poor Neighborhoods, Untested Teachers.)

4. Approximately 1,000 U.S. teachers quit each day. (Source: RetainingTeachers.com)

5. “Thousands of dollars walk out the door each time a teacher leaves.” According to a recent study by the National Commission on Teaching and America’s Future, the costs of training, recruiting, and replacing teacher-leavers reached as high as $17,872 in some districts. (Source: National Commission on Teaching and America’s Future, “Cost of Teacher Turnover in Five School Districts”)

6. Teacher attrition costs the US over seven billion dollars each year. (Source: American Association of Colleges for Teacher Education)

7. Beginning teachers go through several distinct phases during their first years on the job. The hardest part of the year for most teachers is the “disillusionment” phase, which usually begins in October and can last until winter break. (Source: The New Teacher Center)

You can also find a downloadable word file of this information on the “Downloads” tab to the left of this post.

Four Things on Which Almost All Teachers Agree (Washington Post / Answer Sheet)

As political debates about education become more public and more polarized, it can seem like educators don’t agree on much. In spite of a few divisive issues, however, teachers still share a lot of common ground. This post describes four statements with which almost all teachers agree – no matter what they think of the Common Core State Standards.