5 Tips for Teachers During Parent Teacher Conferences
After about 10 weeks of school and first report cards come parent teacher conferences. These conversations can be immensely productive, but there are some pitfalls we want to help you to avoid so you can shine. Let’s get the housekeeping out of the way Follow all procedures from your principal. You will be judged on….Read more
Power to the People, Not Elites, Said Jefferson (VIDEO)
Republicans were unhappy with Obama. Now the United States has a president-elect who Democrats (and not a few Republicans) think is a dangerous affront to our society. President-elect Trump’s supporters contend that the people have spoken and have rejected the self-serving opinions of the elites. What would Jefferson say today? In the early America of the 1790s, Alexander Hamilton felt his….Read more
Play US Constitution Bingo With Your Class!
United States Constitution Bingo Want a change of pace and a fun activity students will be excited to do? The History Dr’s US Constitution Bingo lesson plan is suitable for American history, law and government programs in middle and high schools. You can play as individuals or teams and allow internet access, but it’s not necessary. This lesson is also good for a….Read more
Avoiding Chaos When Your Class Has a Substitute
You know what happens when you’re out. You have a family emergency or illness and must call out of work that day. Students enter your classroom to find a substitute. A carnival atmosphere kicks in. The poor substitute just wants to survive the day while the principal just wants no injuries or obvious criminality. The substitute hands out some….Read more
5 Ways (Plus 2 No-Brainers) to Kill Your Chances of Getting Tenure
A hot topic in our society, teacher tenure is something we hope for if we do well at our jobs. Tenure is not automatic, however. You may be a good teacher but ruin your chances for tenure by any of the things I discuss here. For a new teacher or a veteran switching institutions, you are on probation; your job is….Read more
The Four Steps to Lesson Plan Design
From a guy who taught a lot of classes, let me nutshell it for you on lesson planning. An effective teaching lesson should do specific things. It is vital in your planning to understand how the brains of students actually work, to put those principles to use in maximizing what they learn. I’m summarizing here some of the elements of Madeline Hunter‘s Instructional….Read more
History Dr’s Back to School Video for Teachers
This video that I created in September to give teachers a little boost for the beginning of the school year has gotten more than 1000 views on Facebook. I hope that you’ll like it too. I want teachers to know how important they can be in the life of a student, even if it’s not always apparent in the moment. Start the….Read more
Tips for Tired Teachers on Owning the Dreaded Duties
If you tell yourself that you’d rather be doing something else during your institutional duties, you just made what you are doing now 1000 times harder. Many teachers approach these duties, such as lunchroom supervision, as just that — a duty. We’d rather be doing something else, and this is just a chore to be endured. Employment contracts for teachers often….Read more
Does Business Acumen Help Presidents Succeed?
Presidential hopeful Mitt Romney said in 2012 that a candidate for president should spend at least three years working in business before becoming president of the United States, quoting a small business owner who thought that this requirement should be enshrined in the U.S. Constitution. Interesting proposal. (Ironically, it would have disqualified his own running mate, Paul Ryan.) The idea, an old one, is….Read more
Video: Titans of the Gilded Age
This video tells the stories of some of the big business titans of the Gilded Age. When the Civil War ended in 1865, an old and pressing set of issues—slavery, states’ rights and secession– went off the national stage. Arriving on stage were mining, manufacturing and railroads. America’s history had turned the page. The age of corporate consolidation was….Read more