So much attention focuses on student achievement and how teachers can teach better and students can learn more.  But, that is only one aspect of the living organism that is school. There is an abundance of contributing factors to whether students reach academic success; whether they are living in poverty, suffering with mental or physical illness, have learning challenges or differences, have fallen behind, have supportive home lives, were read to as toddlers, have attended youth…

Efforts to teach soft skills frequently lead to teacher frustration and disappointment. This is not because these critical aptitudes can’t be developed, but because the “teaching” approach used often mimics teaching content knowledge. 

Soft skills - or as I prefer to call them, Life/Career abilities are the behaviors, mindsets and character traits that contribute to students’ life readiness. Life/Career abilities is a positive label to…

This past week we literally saw (thanks to social media) how a classroom situation can accelerate. A student refuses to follow the directions given by a teacher, ignores the administrator's direction, and ultimately, the SRO (School Resource Officer)  is called to a classroom at Spring Valley High School in South Carolina. When the student doesn't respond to his direction, he removes her from her chair and the room, setting off a flurry of reaction by those who witnessed it on site and…

The 5 Craziest Times of the School Year

BY MIDDLEWEB · 10/20/2015

New apps and social media sites seem to crop up and gain popularity with our students overnight, leaving us adults sometimes shaking our heads trying to keep up with the latest and greatest in technology. Students' excitement over using these apps can be overshadowed when cyberbullying occurs, leaving many students to feel helpless, confused, embarrassed or angry. Not to fear! As in other areas of a student's development, educators on the front lines can play an integral role in…