Calling All Students
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Inspired Teacher Essay Contest Deadline: 4.01.08
Students in grades 1 through 12 are invited to submit essays of 200 words or fewer answering the question: How does your teacher inspire you?
This year, through a partnership with the Washington Wizards, winners and their teachers will be celebrated and awarded a prize package on center court for the Wizards' last home game of the season. Winners will be selected from elementary, middle, and high school categories. Excerpts of all essays will be published on the Inspired Teaching website and all entrants will receive 2 tickets to the April 13 Wizards Game.
Learn more about the contest and have your students submit their entries online.
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Do you know someone who wants to be a teacher?
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NEW:
Inspired Teacher Certification Program
Center for Inspired Teaching is now offering a 15-month teacher certification program that recruits, selects, prepares, and supports highly qualified individuals who wish to serve the children of the District of Columbia as teachers. The Inspired Teacher Certification Program prepares educators in 3 areas: Early Childhood, Elementary, or English Language Arts (middle and high school).
Spread the word and, better still, submit your own application!
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Center for Inspired Teaching is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization that exists to ensure schools make the most of children's innate desire to learn. We do this by investing in teachers. Please visit our website to learn more about our philosophy, programs, and results.
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Are my students stressed?
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As April madness fast approaches and the scent of summer starts to drift through the warming air - something unpleasant is probably starting to fill your classroom and it's not just pollen.
Let's face it, it's a stressful time of year for you and your students.
Unfortunately stress has its own set of negative side effects. When kids are feeling overwhelmed they are more likely to get sick, act out, get frustrated, and achieve much less than their full potential. These are not exactly the behaviors you want to see at academic crunch time and they're not healthy for the body or the brain.
So what can you do to minimize stress?
- Talk about it - letting kids give a name to what overwhelms them sets the stage for remedying the problem and minimizing its impact. If they're scared about a standardized test, graduation, or exams - figure out why and consider emphasizing your students' strengths more often than their weaknesses in your conversations.
- Shake it out - No matter what you teach, find a way to get your kids moving. Exercise is a great stress buster but you don't have to run a marathon to reap the benefits. Simple stretches, jumping jacks, even walking a few laps around the room - can do wonders for student focus and relaxation.
- Reach out for home - communicate with students' parents or guardians. If you have concerns about a particular student, call home and share them. Send a note to all your families with food, sleep, and exercise suggestions. Kids should be eating well-rounded meals with plenty of protein. They should be sleeping for at least 8 hours a day. And they should be out enjoying the fresh air. Engage parents as partners in stress reduction - after all student success is a team effort and you can't make it happen alone!
Check out these articles about stress and stress reduction for many more ideas.
- What are some stress-reducing activities I could try with my students?
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Resources for Teachers
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Literacy With A Graphic Spin
If you have internet access in your classroom, consider using the free site Make Beliefs Comix to get your kids writing, and creating - in a different format. The site is very well designed and lets kids create comic strips in which they input all of their own text. This link will take you to a page that describes many different ways teachers can make use of the site.
Civil War Washington Teacher FellowsFree Five-Day Civil War SeminarJune 22-26, 2009 For D.C. Public and Public Charter School TeachersOver the course of five mornings, you will travel to The Ford's Theatre National Historic Site, The Frederick Douglass National Historic Site and Tudor Place. In the afternoons, you will participate in interpretations of important speeches and letters, and learn tools that lead to rigorous visual and experiential learning. Teachers will also develop a mini unit on the Civil War for use in the coming school year. Teachers who attend the seminar also receive free school-year field trips for their students to all of these sites! For more information, please call Jake Flack at (202) 638-2941 ext. 567 or email jflack@fords.org. D.C. Teachers Are Eligible for $20 Tickets to Ford's Theatre ProductionsApples on your desk are nice and all, but how about some world-class theatre for mere peanuts? There are many ways to thank teachers for the extremely valuable work they do. We are pleased to offer discounted theatre tickets to all teachers working in D.C. Join the Ford's Theatre Teacher Ticket Program to qualify for $20 tickets to performances in America's most famous theatre. Shopping Anyone? Check out LOFT Loves Teachers...
The philanthropic arm of the Anne Taylor company is supporting educators through a variety of programs. Joining "LOFT Loves Teachers" entitles you to 15% off Anne Taylor Loft clothes every time you shop, connection to an online network of education professionals, and other offers. DCPS Leadership OpportunityDCPS is seeking applicants for "Teachers Central to Leadership" (TCTL), a new central office fellowship for DCPS educators. This fellowship provides DCPS educators with the opportunity to participate in senior-level decision-making and gain first-hand experience in systemic education reform. Key Dates: April 3, 2009 - Applications due by 5:00 pm May 22, 2009 - Inaugural Class of Fellows Announced June 29, 2009-July 31, 2009 - Term of TCTL Fellowship Ready Classroom ProjectDC Voice is initiating a new program to get teacher perspectives on instruction, professional development, personal efficacy, and empowerment and school climate. To participate: 202-986-8535 or RCP@dcvoice.org. |
BECOME A FAN OF INSPIRED TEACHING
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