Year: 2022

In a successful strength observation, you will ask questions, expect unconventional answers, and learn about the students’ worlds. Searching for strengths in your students might seem intuitive, but it’s not. Since most of us educators were trained to identify students’ deficits, we have to actively work to identify their strengths. Pay attention to the following:

• Does the student work better independently or in a group?
• When does the student show excitement, boredom, more energy or less energy, frustration, or sustained focus?
• How easily do they initiate tasks, shift between tasks, and stay on task?
• Are they inspiring or motivating others?
• Are they creative in how they approach a given task?
• Do they leverage resources or social capital in a meaningful way?
• What was challenging for the student?
• What seemed easy for the student?
• What patterns did you notice throughout the observation?

After the observation, review your findings with the student.

Recently, the U.S. Department of Education announced the initiative “YOU Belong in STEM,” which hopes “to galvanize the broad STEM education ecosystem . . . for all young people from PreK to higher education.” It recognizes the importance of science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) education along with the role high-quality resources will play in expanding science literacy beyond a classroom’s zip code. 

When it comes to high-quality STEAM resources, countless teachers have already been stepping up to the plate to create the resources they need and elevate their students’ learning. These dedicated Teacher-Authors have then shared out their STEM activities through TPT for more teachers to use with their middle and high school students. Here are some examples of their engaging, rigorous, and inclusive STEAM resources that you can use in your classroom too. 

3 Fun STEM Projects for Middle and High School Students

Have your students lead their

Is your desk hiding under stacks of clipped papers that still need grading?

Up past your bedtime, scrolling through argumentative essays from a week ago that you promised to provide feedback for? 

Heard another student—in your actual, physical classroom—announce how much they hate reading and writing? 

I’ve been there. I’m not sure if I’ve met an English teacher who has not been there. Teaching high school English definitely comes with a unique set of challenges. But when I feel that kind of defeat setting in, as cheesy as it sounds, I think about all the reasons why I chose my content area and age group. Teaching high school English is truly the best. Here’s why. 

1. You get to shine a light on the ever-changing lexicon-of-the-youth.

Teenagers love nothing more than having their terminology stolen and dragged through the dirt by The Olds. “Oh, you like my drip? Thank

Very few of any of these closures took place at public colleges or universities. One big exception was Purdue University. It shut down four campuses after it purchased for-profit Kaplan University in 2018 and converted it to a public four-year university called Purdue Global. Most other public closures were small ones, such as the closure of a teacher training site at a local elementary school.

Closures happen for many reasons but generally involve declining student enrollment, which leads to diminishing tuition dollars, a main source of revenue for many colleges. Weak finances have cut off for-profit institutions from the federal student loan program. That suddenly prevents students from obtaining subsidized loans to pay their private tuition bills. Many small liberal arts colleges have struggled to attract students altogether.

The consequences for students at these shuttered campuses are enormous. Fewer than half of them ever re-enrolled in college, according to a

There are times during every school year when both students and teachers are in need of a fresh start. What better way to boost morale than to take time to cultivate an attitude of gratitude in your classroom? 

Not only is gratitude a way to promote a positive classroom environment, but it can also improve students’ mental health. Given the increased focus on students’ social-emotional wellbeing, gratitude is a worthwhile practice to incorporate into your lessons.

From thought-provoking discussion questions to creative prompts that go beyond asking students to write something they are grateful for, these activities will engage your older students in a meaningful gratitude practice. 

Gratitude Activities for Middle and High School

If you’re looking for resources for teaching gratitude in your classroom, check out these gratitude lessons for middle school and high school.

How to Write a Thank You Note Gratitude Project by The Littlest Teacher

Dear WeAreTeachers,
A colleague told me that several of her 8th grade boys wouldn’t stop whispering and laughing. When she asked them what was up, they told her, “We found Ms. Wagner on Tinder during lunch.” I AM MS. WAGNER. One of them must have made an account using a fake birthday to appear in my age preferences. I know this is their mistake and not mine, but I’m so embarrassed and keep cringing thinking of them seeing me on a platform I never intended them to find me on. What should I do? Will telling an AP just bring more attention I don’t want? —Put “My Student Found My Tinder Profile” On My Tombstone

Dear P.M.S.F.M.T.P.O.M.T.,

On behalf of the entire teaching profession, this emoji: 😳  We cringe and mourn with you.

First, I want to reiterate that you’ve done nothing wrong. Despite a long history of people thinking

In fact, we can’t achieve the world’s climate goals without education, Aruch said:

“None of these implementations that are being discussed [at COP] are attainable without making investments in providing high-quality education opportunities for learning all throughout the life span.”

Furthermore, at COP 27, UNESCO, the U.N.’s educational, scientific and cultural arm, is unveiling something called the Greening Education Partnership. The organization is asking countries to set goals by 2030 and to monitor progress in four target areas:

• Making schools’ physical infrastructure more sustainable (Hello, New Jersey);
• Updating curricula;
• Building capacity by getting teachers and school leaders up to speed;
• Bringing climate education into the community, to ensure that working adult and lifelong learners also get the information they need to be resilient to climate effects and ready for emerging climate jobs.

(Disclosure: I’m an adviser to This Is Planet Ed, an initiative of the Aspen Institute that promotes