Teachers and side hustles go together like peanut butter and jelly. Like Coloradans and skiing. Like freshmen and…that unique smell. Finding a side hustle that relates to the education world can feel like striking gold. I have the good fortune of being an education grant reviewer, and it has been a rewarding–and enlightening–process! I […]
The Ten Commandments for Grant Proposals Read More »
I’ve never heard it argued that high school trips abroad aren’t wonderful for students. It’s a chance to use (and improve upon) what they’ve learned in the classroom, and it’s a deep dive into target language culture and customs. On the other hand, it’s common to hear high school teachers proclaim some version of,
My final year at the first high school I ever taught at was tough. I had three different levels of French, and one of my classes had 43 students in it. (That’s not a typo.) I begged my principal for another section and argued that too many of the activities I did that were
The Top 5 Reasons to Allow Partner Assessments Read More »
I vividly remember the first time I was surrounded by National Board Certified Teachers (NBCTs) because the difference in this group was palpable. Complaining was low, celebrating was high. Negativity was low, positivity was high. For the first time I could remember, I was in a group of teachers who talked—seemingly endlessly—about innovation in
The Top 5 Reasons to Become a National Board Certified Teacher Read More »
The fact that we had to completely reinvent the way we do public education since the pandemic is painful, but it’s also–dare I say it–exciting! As a veteran teacher, I’ve found that it makes me want to “steer into the skid”; I want to see just how much I can shake things up. The
I will never forget my first trip to Paris. I stood before priceless works of art, I drank wine under the Eiffel Tower at night, and I even got locked in Père Lachaise Cemetery after hours. (Not my finest moment.) That trip changed me. It opened up an entirely new world and culture, and
Global Experiences For All: 5 Ways to Make Student Travel More Equitable Read More »
2020 kicked my butt. Hard core. But I don’t feel alone in that, and I know that many had it harder than me for a variety of reasons. My mantra for 2020: Get back to the basics. Professionally, I told myself that (student) growth is (student) growth, and it’s okay if this year doesn’t show
The Ultimate Guide to Selling Your Original World Language Resources Read More »
Aller, être, avoir, and faire: the “Big 4” French irregular verbs. Aller opens students to the future, être and avoir open the past, and faire…well, that’s just wildly popular and used all over the place! The trouble for language learners is that these verbs are irregular. There is seemingly no rhyme or reason to their
Songs for the “Big 4” French Irregulars Read More »
Dumped, schmumped! My first trip to Paris was my freshman year of college. I was a teaching assistant to my former French teacher, and we found a steal of a deal to Paris over spring break. I’m not sure how that even worked with 1999’s technology, but it happened. Good thing, too, because my boyfriend
Keeping the Magic Alive: why I won’t live in France Read More »