It’s unsolvable even though we know the solutions — Over a week ago, Breaking Points published a video stating a mother was being charged after her six-year-old child shot his teacher with a gun. This child had a history of aggressive behavior. The school required one of his parents to attend school with him every day. The video…

They just lost their biggest customers — Today, I searched Barnes and Noble for a few of my students’ requests for books to add to my classroom library. After perusing throughout the fiction and young adult sections, I went to checkout to purchase the books. The sales associate informed me B&N is no longer honoring the educator…

How can we teach kids to recycle if markers are single-use? — I run through Expo markers pretty frequently. I love to tell stories while teaching in my classroom, and drawing pictures helps students to visualize the story I’m telling. Drawing images on the whiteboard helps keep them engaged, as opposed to showing them a picture on PowerPoint. …

You have more affordable options available — This summer, I had to make a difficult choice: did I want to continue my Master’s in Business Administration? I decided to drop. This is the second time I’ve dropped out of a Master’s program. All is not lost, though. I realized the path I have been seeking is the…

This is the last straw for them — In the summer of 2020, school districts laid off almost half a million school district personnel across the United States. Many of those laid off were teachers. Students weren’t logging in to Zoom classes, and schools could not afford to pay everyone with fewer students attending school. CNBC published an…

Instead of focusing on whether they understand Calculus — Let’s face it. Most students will never use Calculus in real life. Yes, students will use elementary math when doing their taxes or applying for a mortgage. Students will use math when figuring out the rate of return if they invest in the stock market. Beyond that, most students won’t…

Learn from teachers who’ve already made mistakes — I’m currently in my sixth year of teaching. Every day I reflect on how I taught that day and tell myself what I need to do better the next day. If you’re new to teaching or want some ideas on managing your classroom more effectively, here are some things I…

Cornell and guided notes should never be used again — If you didn’t read my previous article on why I format my students’ notes a-la-flashcard method, feel free to read it here. If you already read it, here’s the tutorial on how I format my students’ notes for better test scores. (Disclaimer: please make sure you delete any slides you…

The tried and true method doesn’t use highlighters — On the first week of school, I told my students we would not be taking notes in my classroom. Their eyes widened. I told them taking notes is a waste of time. When teachers use Cornell notes, kids try to write down as much information as possible while the teacher…

CDC says it’s not necessary, but should we listen to them? — In a recent report, the CDC stated students and teachers will no longer have to wear face masks when they return to school in the fall. While some states like Texas celebrate the news, California announced students and teachers will be required to wear face masks indoors in the fall. …

Distance learning is the perfect opportunity to transition to all open-ended questions — Student 1: “Dude, what’s the answer to number three?” Student 2: “It’s D” Student 3: “And number seven?” Student 2: “It’s A” Student 4: “Sir, I’m done!” This is a common occurrence in the classroom. Ask any teacher and they will tell you this happens too often. Unfortunately, multiple-choice questions…

Students would feel better prepared for life after graduation if they enrolled in financial literacy classes — “Sir, why don’t they teach us useful things in school, like how to do taxes?” One of my students blurted this out while I taught my lesson on feudalism. Unfortunately, many students graduate high school without a basic understanding of financial literacy. …

It’s about recognizing our history and preventing it from happening again — One of the first things I show my students in my World History class at the beginning of the school year is a skin color map. I ask them to look at it for a few moments, then ask what they see. In every class, at least one student asks…

Instead, they should learn the consequences of student debt and choose the most affordable option available — As a teacher that works in a low-income school district, I find it appalling students are encouraged to attend their dream university without knowing the consequences that come with it. There are currently forty-five million borrowers of student debt, totaling a whopping $1.6 trillion. That’s an average of $35,000 per…

University students don’t write notes — high schools should follow suit — Student 1: “Sir, go to the next slide!” Student 2: “Wait sir! I’m not done copying down the words!” Student 3: “Sir, why do you make us write so much?” Student 4: “Sir, are the notes even for a grade?… So why are we doing them?” I always wondered why…

Most students never learned to properly prepare for their exams — Yesterday, while looking at my feed on YouTube, I came across an enlightening video. Marty Lobdell, a psychology professor at Pierce College, explained why so many people struggle with learning and studying. Too many people focus on cramming information into their brains instead of absorbing the content. …

To better engage students and increase interest in history — Sometimes students get tired of listening to their history teacher talk about historical events. No matter how interesting it is, some kids can’t engage with the lesson. Sometimes students should hear the information from someone other than the teacher. …

The vaccine will produce an overall net good — I still dreaded returning to in-person teaching after receiving the COVID-19 vaccine on April 1st. My school district required us to report back to work for the last six weeks of school but didn’t ask whether or not teachers were vaccinated. For the first two weeks, my forehead was drenched…

Three-hour lectures aren’t working — it’s time for change — In the spring semester of 2021, I took one final college class for my master’s program. No, I’m not graduating. I decided to drop out. I felt like I wasted thousands of dollars after experiencing in-class lectures before the pandemic began. …

Your students’ performance will improve if you implement these tips in your classroom — “Teachers shouldn’t spend more than fifteen to twenty minutes on a lecture because students get bored and zone out.” I never understood why my education professors said twenty minutes is the maximum amount of time to lecture in the classroom, considering they lecture for an hour and a half. …