Vicki A. Davis's Blog, page 137
March 21, 2016
3 Ways to Get Back Up When Teaching Knocks You Down
Advice from a National Award Winning Teacher Who Has Had Tough Times Too
From the Cool Cat Teacher Blog by Vicki Davis
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According to a recent Gallup poll, sixty-nine percent of teachers are not engaged in their work in the United States. Teachers are not emotionally engaged in the work. What can we do about it? National Teacher of the Year Sean McComb shares his views on howto engage more teachers in teaching.
Sean shares his struggle with hopelessness from a...
March 19, 2016
How Innovative Educators Plug into Global Ideas
The Innovator's Mindset series with George Couros
From the Cool Cat Teacher Blog by Vicki Davis
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George Couros said he would argue to his death that Twitter was useless when he started with it. But, now he sees. Should every teacher be connecting online? How can we shift our way of thinking to get information that will really help us teach?George also says that principals who say that teachers have to “make time to do it on their own time” are making a mistake...
March 18, 2016
8 Secrets of a Great Language Teacher
Secrets from Language Teacher Isil Boy
From the Cool Cat Teacher Blog by Vicki Davis
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Teaching language is a challenge. Isil Boy from Turkey teaches students how to speak English. Today, she shares her secrets for helping language students learn. She also shares her tricks and tips for using technology in the classroom. These secrets apply to every teacher and classroom.
Isil Boy@isilboyworks as a lecturer at the Faculty of Education at Yildiz Technical Unive...
Not Just a Girl
5 Ways to Help Girls Achieve Their Potential
From the Cool Cat Teacher Blog by Vicki Davis
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I dropped my end of the heavy battery. Daddy and I needed to “jump off” or start up the irrigation system. I was perhaps eight and my sister and Mom were somewhere else. Dad was a hard working farmer and he needed my help on this dusty, dry night. I was not feeling up to the task. I had to carry my end, and he would carry his (although admittedly, he was lowering his en...
March 17, 2016
Is Your School Culture Welcoming to Parents?
Best Selling Author Anne T. Henderson helps us become more parent friendly.
From the Cool Cat Teacher Blog by Vicki Davis
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Parents should be partners: it sounds nice, but does it help learning? Anne T. Henderson, author of the best-selling book Beyond the Bake Sale, talks about school culture and parents. Parents are not the enemy. When we teachers engage parents as partners in helping children, we can turn around our struggling students. Also hear her talk ab...
Belief: A Powerful Tool in Every Teacher’s Toolkit
Mattering Mondays with Angela Maiers
From the Cool Cat Teacher Blog by Vicki Davis
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You believe, you receive. But how can you believe in a child who has let you down? How can you believe in yourself when you aren’t sure if you can do it?
Angela Maiers shares practical everyday ways you can help people know they matter in this fourth of the series. Listen to the full series. Show Notes: Belief: A Powerful Tool in Every Teacher’s Toolkit Why is believing in yo...March 16, 2016
CHALLENGE: Ask Students to Share What They’ve Learned From You
You might just be surprised...
From the Cool Cat Teacher Blog by Vicki Davis
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This week my students are preparing for a visitor. My good friend Dr. Frank Buck (he’s been on the show to talk about his organization book for school leaders) is coming in town along with his lovely wife. My students are going to be giving an overview of their learning for this year and are practicing today.
Honestly, it warms my heart when they share what they’ve learned. When you...
March 8, 2016
How an “F” Turned into the Greatest Thing that Happened to One Student
Stories of the Changing Culture of Teaching and Learning with Dr. Maryfriend Carter
From the Cool Cat Teacher Blog by Vicki Davis
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Can giving a failing grade ever benefit a student? Well, our guest Dr. MaryFriend Shepherd Carter shares an unbelievable but true story about something amazing (and a bit scary) that happened when she gave a failing grade to a college student who was pursuing a teaching degree. Dr. Carter also talks about the changing culture of t...
March 4, 2016
How to Safely Connect Six-Year-Olds to the World
Kathy Cassidy shares her secrets for blogging, sharing and keeping kids safe online
From the Cool Cat Teacher Blog by Vicki Davis
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Six-year-olds can blog. Canadian first-grade teacher Kathy Cassidy has long shown us the way as she has been blogging with six and seven-year-olds successfully for many years. She shares her secrets of keeping kids safe, helping them build a portfolio and the workflow for helping kids become independent bloggers.
[Listen on the we...February 28, 2016
The Cool Cat Teacher Blog: Top Blog Posts of February 2016
What has teachers talking?
From the Cool Cat Teacher Blog by Vicki Davis
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When looking at the top posts of the over 3,500 blog posts here, a theme jumps forward for February 2016. Hope, stress, encouragement, growth, and trying to improve education. I see struggle and persistence all over the pieces that you are sharing this month. Yes, teaching is hard. But teaching is worth it, my dear friends.
Some of us are looking at where we’re going to teach next year....
