Talks with Teachers

Former high school social studies teacher

Waynesborough, VA

Waldron worked with teens at Waynesboro High School in Virginia in what he described as "one of the most meaningful jobs anyone can sign up for" but ultimately became disillusioned by a system "so deeply flawed that students suffer and good teachers leave (or become jaded)." He feels that to improve the public education system, five major areas must be addressed, including the need for simpler metrics, future planning measures, fair compensation, community investment and less emphasis on standardized testing.

Read Diane Ravitch's bolg post about Josh

The Washington Post's article about Josh's letter of resignation

The post A Teacher with Courage — Josh Waldron appeared first on Talks with Teachers.

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Segment I – Background and Inspiration

http://pernillesripp.com

Who has helped you in your journey to become a master teacher?  – Her first mentor was a special ed teacher in her old district. The minute Pernille walked into her classroom she knew she wanted to be like her because she taught from the heart and made each student feel like they were the most important thing in her world.

It is important for other teachers to know that we all have had setbacks in the classroom. Identify an instance in which you struggled as a teacher and explain what you learned from that experience. – One lesson that stood out was during student teaching. It was a math lesson and the students were totally lost. She kept repeating the instructions over and over, almost forcing it upon kids. She knew it was failing and couldn't fix it at the moment. It taught her that you couldn't just barrel through the content or lesson, especially when its someone else's idea. You have to make it your own.

What is the challenge in teaching?  – You are many things to many kids. Some need need discipline, some need a bystander in their life, some need comfort. You cant be the same teacher for every kid.

What is one thing that you love about the classroom?    – The students -- what they give to you. THey offer up pieces of they heart and their soul for you to safeguard. She also loves the fact that it is never the same.

Segment II —

What book do you recommend to a teacher that wants to develop? 

Is there an internet resource that you can recommend which will help teachers grow professionally? -- Bounce around and explore your curiosity. Twitter is one place where you can jump in and out of conversations.

Provide a writing practice that is effective?  –  She introduced student blogs and allowed them to be reflective. It gave them a voice to the world.

Update the cannon. What books belongs in the classroom?

The post The Global Read Aloud’s Pernille Ripp appeared first on Talks with Teachers.

ELA Curriculum Master TeacherASCD 2014 Emerging Leader Download on iTunes

Segment I – Background and Inspiration  

Tell your story. Where are you from and how long have you been teaching? What classes have you taught?    – Nicole is a Curriculum Master Teacher for K-12 English Language Arts for the school district of Lee County in Florida. She has taught all levels of ELA which helps in her current role, forming vertical alignment for her district.

Who has helped you in your journey to become a master teacher?  – Her career as a teacher started as a child. Her father was a state teacher of the year in New Jersey. She enjoyed watching him engage with his students and she wanted to be a part of that magic. 

It is important for other teachers to know that we all have had setbacks in the classroom. Identify an instance in which you struggled as a teacher and explain what you learned from that experience. – In her first year, Nicole was asked to do a pre-reading lesson on The Grapes of Wrath. She planned this amazing lesson and had students listen to Woody Guthrie's "This Land is My Land." It was an ESOL course and there were 11 students that represented 11 different countries. Hence, this land was NOT their land.  Yet, it turned into a discussion about the songs of their native lands. 

What is the challenge in teaching?  – There is a huge challenge giving relevant and timely feedback. Nicole is looking at digital tools to help solve this problem.

What is one thing that you love about the classroom?    – The absolute love for the profession comes from the proverbial student who asks, "how did you get that from one paragraph?" learn to think for himself or herself and do that level of analysis on their own. 

Segment II —

What book do you recommend to a teacher that wants to develop? 

What is one thing a teacher can do outside the classroom that can pay off inside the classroom? -- Nicole takes the time to read for pleasure. Certainly we need to read our curriculum, but we must re-engage with pleasure reading because the more teachers do that the more they can stay excited about books and have great conversations with students.

Is there an internet resource that you can recommend which will help teachers grow professionally? -- 

Update the cannon. What books belongs in the classroom? 

The post ASCD Emerging Leader — Nicole Lemme appeared first on Talks with Teachers.

2014 Utah Teacher of the YearFifth-Grade Teacher  Download on iTunes

Segment I – Background and Inspiration  

Tell your story. Where are you from and how long have you been teaching? What classes have you taught?    – Allison is a fifth-grade teacher, a mom and an educational consultant. She has had some interesting adventures as a teacher and consultant. She has been in the classroom for 26 years.  

Who has helped you in your journey to become a master teacher?  – Her principal, Liz Beck, gave her the confidence she needed to balance home and career. Allison does not believe that, without her, she would not have the confidence to keep herself organized. She also benefitted from amazing high school teachers that inspired her.

It is important for other teachers to know that we all have had setbacks in the classroom. Identify an instance in which you struggled as a teacher and explain what you learned from that experience. – Her mishaps usually involve glue and glitter.  One time she admitted to purchasing the wrong flowers for a lab. She asked the students to be flexible and work with her. It ended up being a writing activity later in the day. One thing she will never forget was the look on the students' faces. But her patience with her students making mistakes allowed her students to be patient with her when she did. 

What is the challenge in teaching on the elementary level?  – Utah is the state with the highest class size and the lowest spending per student. The large numbers in each class correlates to a variety of reading and math levels. Some students are working on an 8th-grade level and some are on a 2nd grade level. 

What is one thing that you love about the classroom?    – Allison loves being the first person to teach a child about the early history of the United States. She loves cooperative learning and working in teams. She also loves the fact that the amount of energy that she brings to the classroom is mirrored  by the energy that her students give back to her.

Segment II —

What book do you recommend to a teacher that wants to develop? 

What is one thing a teacher can do outside the classroom that can pay off inside the classroom? -- She takes the question that is in her mind and she puts on her tennis shoes. Running, biking, and walking have all helped her think through the challenges of teaching. Teaching can be very taxing, but there is nothing more important than your health. 

Is there an internet resource that you can recommend which will help teachers grow professionally? -- 

The Utah Teacher's Network

Provide a writing practice that is effective?  – One of her biggest mistakes was teaching writing as a subject. Now she teaches it in everything that she does. She also uses smaller opportunities to write to build up to more substantial writing. 

Update the cannon. What books belongs in the 5th grade classroom? 

Her goal is to get kids hooked on series. Some great examples are:

The post Utah Teacher of the Year — Allison Riddle appeared first on Talks with Teachers.

English, Latin and Writing Teacher, NHCorrespondent -- The Atlantic, The New York Times

 Coming of Age in the Middle: http://jessicalahey.com

Twitter: @jesslahey

The Gift of Failure: How the Best Parents Learn to Let Go So Their Children Can Succeed HarperCollins (August 2015)

Segment I – Background and Inspiration  

Tell your story. Where are you from and how long have you been teaching? What classes have you taught?    – Jessica is finishing her book, The Gift of Failure, which resulted from an article she wrote for The Atlantic.  

Who has helped you in your journey to become a master teacher?  – Mr. Potts, her high school English teacher, was a really cool guy but was also an amazing teacher. He is now the head of the English department at her high school. She quotes him in the book and has so much respect for him. 

It is important for other teachers to know that we all have had setbacks in the classroom. Identify an instance in which you struggled as a teacher and explain what you learned from that experience. – In 2011 she wrote a piece called "Things Fall Apart" about one of those times when she taught something and she felt her students really knew it. But when it came time for the evaluation, it turns out they didn't know it. She realized that she could get frustrated or freak out, but she decided to reverse engineer the entire thing -- the test, the unit. They went back and figured out what went wrong.  It turned into a great experience because she realized what she did wrong and the students realized what they failed to do as well.

What is the challenge in teaching three different subjects?  – There is a huge challenge in changing gears with three different preps. Yet, the most challenging aspect in middle school is the huge difference in ability levels -- based not on smarts, but on the neurological connections that happen in the brain. Some kids are able to handle symbolism and metaphor, yet some are still thinking concretely.  

What is one thing that you love about the classroom?    – The moment where a kid that has been looking at you blankly for two years, and then suddenly you will see it click. A student will move from a literal interpretation of just words on a page to realizing that there is so much more underneath those words. 

Segment II —

What book do you recommend to a teacher that wants to develop? 

What is one thing a teacher can do outside the classroom that can pay off inside the classroom? -- She takes them outside the classroom, especially for writing.   the question that is in her mind and she puts on her tennis shoes. Running, biking, and walking have all helped her think through the challenges of teaching. Teaching can be very taxing, but there is nothing more important than your health. 

Is there an internet resource that you can recommend which will help teachers grow professionally? -- 

Update the cannon. What books belongs in the classroom?