Classroom Toolkit Newsletter

News Nuggets

Campaign Buttons?: Not on our Campus!

The chancellor of the New York City School System promulgated a memo reminding system staff that political paraphernalia could not be worn at school.

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Short Article

Students (and Teachers) "No-Excuse Zone"

Teachers need to model the "No-Excuse Zone" habit if they expect students to extinguish students' lethargic and excuse-giving behaviors.

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Feature Article

Word Walls: a No-Brainer Choice for a Higher-Order Thinking Focus

Word Walls became a fad, and once they became ubiquitous, "faded into the wood work" as far as students' attention was concerned.

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Quick Tips

Custom Guides™ Free Offer

Take advantage of a month of free, "no-strings-attached" training from Custom Guides. This offer includes online tutorials and the ability to print computer software study sheets.

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Teacher Survival Strategies

The "90% Solution"

Teachers complain that they want a 100% solution because they can't leave any child behind (bad pun intended).

They also note that administrators frown on leaving any child (or group of children) in the lurch, and focusing upon only the students that are close to passing the high-stakes test offers a disservice to every other student.

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Under-the-Radar Teaching Skills

A Prosperous Mindset: When Learning is Like Farming

The "Gloom and Doom Boom" of bad economic news has a "tickle-down effect" upon the positive outlook of teachers.

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Professional Self-Development

Why Should Teachers Write and Focus Upon Goals?

Why should teachers write and focus upon goals if they want to become Master Teachers?

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Perfecting Personal Talents

Developing Self-Esteem: Targeting Your Students…and Their Teacher

Building self-esteem in children and developing self-esteem for teens, building parents' self-esteem, building self-esteem for the teachers who interact with students and who model mature self-esteem for them…esteem building is a "Team Sport."

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News Nuggets

"Fail to the Chief": Neither Candidate gets NCLB

After eight years of failed education policy, two candidates vie for the title as "Your Education President for Change."

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Short Article

How to Talk to the IT "Guy or Gal": Pay Exquisite Attention to Detail

Most modern teachers have to talk to the IT Guy or Gal to get equipment repaired, to get software installed or configured, or to get network resources connected.

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Feature Article

Recess: Academic Time-Waster, NOT!

Recess may become a casualty of "teach to the test" initiatives in some schools, and a casualty of buget-cramped four-day school weeks in other districts.

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Quick Tips

C-SPAN Classroom

Election season brings interest in all things political.

But finding (and trusting) unbiased, un-slanted, un-spun reporting from modern mass media outlets? You be the judge.

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Top Tips

Online Newspaper Services for Kids

The election presents a chance for students to learn from newspapers and primary sources.

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Teacher Survival Strategies

Rapport Building: How Personal can your Professional Persona Be?

Rapport is the degree that you are in harmony with the people around you. For teachers, building rapport with students is crucial.

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Under-the-Radar Teaching Skills

Manage your Principal for a Positive and Productive Campus

Teachers are subjected to the "Chain of Command" and evaluated as effective teachers when they follow orders…especially the orders of the campus principal that supervises them.

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