Allison’s blog

Upholding Realistic Standards, not Lofty Expectations: Response to Gary Rubinstein

2009-10-25T16:37:22Z

Response to 'High Expectations? Not so fast. :http://garyrubinstein.teachfor.us/2009/08/30/high-expectations-not-so-fast "The idea is that students will rise to whatever your expectations are, no matter how high they are." This sentimen...

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Response to Ruby Payne's Understanding Poverty

2009-09-20T01:41:43Z

As a case study, Ruby Payne’s “A Framework for Understanding Poverty, is well-researched and topically comprehensive. As a sociological handbook with ‘practical yet compassionate strategies for addressing impact on people’s lives’ it is more...

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What I've Done this Week to Improve This Year!

2009-09-02T02:36:19Z

Student-Centered vs. Teacher Centered Now that I’ve had two full weeks to observe the personality dynamic of my classrooms, I’ve been able to strategically pick students helpers that will both self-regulate their individual sense ow...

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Back to School!

2009-09-01T12:18:34Z

It has been said time and time again that the second year of teaching is infinitely better. For whatever reason, I never did believe that this generalization would apply to me. Three weeks into teaching at the same alternative middle school, I ...

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Success... (One Student at a Time)

2009-06-26T14:13:36Z

In no way would I consider my first year of teaching a success. It was trying, strengthening, humbling, and at best inspiring, but a success is something that it was not. For this reason, I look for the measurable gains in my individual studen...

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Failure

2009-06-26T13:02:11Z

Once, I had a self-satisfyingly blithe perception of failure as a constructive and inevitable part of life. It was through failure, that I was prompted to rise up and overcome, forbidden to become complacent, and strengthened in the areas that I...

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Summer School: An Oppurtunity for Reflection & Improvement

2009-06-03T21:03:41Z

Among the several aspects of my teaching practice that need to be improved the three foremost are: 1) Differentiated Instruction 2) Assertiveness and consistency 3) More accurate and innovative assessments What I currently do well: The sing...

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School District Project

2009-06-03T20:53:30Z

While I don't believe my school district project is particulary radical or truly innovative, it is innovative in its ideals and perhaps overly idealized as it is appropriately named "Pleasant Valley." Everything that is funded, planned, and init...

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Reaction to Swine Flu Epidemic and its Impact on Schools

2009-05-04T02:28:31Z

Although I am almost always of the opinion, that if you don't have your health-you really don't have much of anything at all, that it should therefore be preserved at every measure of precaution-I'm not convinced that prohibiting all students fro...

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With Love and Appreciation-Thank You, Second Years!

2009-04-30T15:48:49Z

I have had the absolute privilege of meeting, living, and working with a phenomenal group of individuals who will be graduating from MTC and venturing into a future to which they will be an invaluable asset no matter what sector they choose. Spe...

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