Author Archives: smithdl

Interdisciplinary Connection Sites

Posted on December 29, 2009 by smithdl

Fifth Period is Facebook: Why schools should stop blocking social network sites. I love the assignment ideas in this article from Slate and might steal them for myself. Of course students will have to work on them at home and … Continue reading →

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Commentary: My year-end wish

Posted on May 28, 2009 by smithdl

I’m for relevant curricula laden with text-to-world connections, cultural literacy and resume lessons; I’m also for planting seeds in the mulch of escapsim, for preparing students for communities not just as They Are but also as they Can Be. Continue reading →

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Commentary: Take the bathroom pass

Posted on May 12, 2009 by smithdl

A few of the awkward, sometimes heavy, substantially germy bathroom passes teachers use to deter students from leaving: toilet seats, stuffed animals, life preservers, junkyard rims and steel anvils. Continue reading →

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Lost Causes

Posted on April 24, 2009 by smithdl

I helped Chris one-on-one more than anyone else. I stapled his handouts to the wall so his black hole backpack wouldn’t suck them in. I hand-delivered a manila envelope of rough drafts to his bus. (Not kidding. I stood at the bus turnaround…) Continue reading →

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Where New Teachers Go

Posted on April 10, 2009 by smithdl

New teachers go out in the portables, the moveable classrooms celebrating their 23rd year in the parking lot, the N-campus shacks where the carpet dampens every time it rains. (Leaks above and below. The rain somehow seeps from the ground … Continue reading →

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Are You a Dreamy Movie Star Teacher?

Posted on April 6, 2009 by smithdl

A quick and easy quiz to help you determine if you are a good teacher. Give yourself four points for each activity successfully completed your first year teaching. Continue reading →

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