Early Childhood Education: What Makes a Great Teacher

This guest article by Courtney Bishop is a lover of all things creative. She likes to write, and has an obsession with crossword puzzles. She’s recently started blogging, and you can follow her on Twitter @cbishopBG. There are many indisputable opinions from people who feel that great teachers are born, not made. Teaching is certainly something … Read more

The Best of SYWTT 2009

Over the past (almost) three years of blogging, I have learned a lot more about myself, teaching, blogging, WordPress, CSS, HTML, and social media than I ever really thought I would. Most of it has been good, or at least fun. Some of it hasn’t been all that great, but I keep on keeping on. … Read more

20 Free Tech Tools for Learning and Communicating

Guest post from education writer Karen Schweitzer. Karen is the About.com Guide to Business School. She also writes about online school for OnlineSchool.net. Nearly everyone is familiar with Moodle, the learning management system that allows teachers to communicate and share learning resources online. But Moodle isn’t the only free platform that can accomplish these tasks. There are … Read more

How Do We Show Our Students That We Love Them?

When I was struggling to find hope early in my career as a teacher, I came across a few pieces of advice given by King Solomon from the Proverbs: He who spares his rod hates his son, But he who loves him disciplines him promptly. — Proverbs 13:24 This one jumped out at me as … Read more

25 Free Apps And Websites For Tech-Loving Teachers

This article was originally written in 2009. Some of the sites are no longer active, and there are undoubtedly newer and better sites and apps for tech-loving teachers now. Feel free to add them in the comments section. Whether you’re looking for ways to incorporate technology into the classroom or into your daily life, the … Read more

Be Respectable (Total Teacher Transformation Day 12)

This is an article in the Total Teacher Transformation series. Click here for a complete table of contents. As discussed last time, part of gaining respect from students comes from being respectful. The second element of earning the respect of your students (and their parents), comes from being respectable. No amount of courtesy to your students can … Read more

Be Respectful (Total Teacher Transformation Day 11)

This is an article in the Total Teacher Transformation series. Click here for a complete table of contents. As we’re going through the transformation, one of the key things to remember is that you must remain respectful to your students. As I’ve written before, classroom control is essential. Some of us have a naturally abrasive personality, and … Read more

Be Fair (Total Teacher Transformation Day 10)

This is an article in the Total Teacher Transformation series. Click here for a complete table of contents. One of the biggest difficulties that many teachers face is grasping the reality that treating students equally is often not even remotely fair. In fact, fairness in most circumstances necessitates inequality. One hallmark of a great teacher is that … Read more

Be Consistent (Total Teacher Transformation Day 9)

This is an article in the Total Teacher Transformation series. Click here for a complete table of contents. When I was a new teacher, I had some really good classroom rules and expectations and consequences all lined up. It was good on paper. Unfortunately, I didn’t follow through consistently at all. If one of the “bad kids” … Read more