Cool Cat Teacher Blog is at coolcatteacher.com

Teaching ate me alive - Salon.com Heartwrenching, heartaching, upsetting, but all too true. For those who want to see inside the life of many US public school teachers, Peter Hirzel has a gutsy, edgy post on salon and says many of the things that are often whispered and said in email. But there is a part that I want EVERY teacher to hear because it reflects something I say a lot to teachers: "When we have each others’ backs, we are invincible. So I hope all the teachers continue to be kind to one another, because one kind word was very, very often the only thing that got me through the day." BE KIND TO EACH OTHER. Encourage each other. Smile. Say hello. You are fellow journeyman and deserve each other's respect and kindness. Please hear this. Don't be discouraged, but if you're in edreform and don't read this post, you shouldn't be in edreform because you don't get the conflicting emotions plaguing the psyche of...

World Savvy: 2012 Global Competency Survey - Why Global Education? - About - World Savvy Many students are not globally competent. This includes geography, current issues, and how to connect globally and is all what flattening the classroom is about. It is essential that your students connect with the world. This infographic is one to share with your school board and parents, both of whom are often reticent to connect students because of fear. They are asking the wrong questions. Not, "what are we keeping out" but "who are we bringing in?" Where are we connecting? It is time to flatten the classroom. (See flatclassroombook.com for more info.) tags: education news globalcompetency flatclass tumblr Computer Science Teacher: To App Or Not To App Alfred Thomps...

Urban & Nicki Meyer workingout (Photo credit: hectorir ) I was moved by Urban Meyer's contract with his children written by his daughter Nicki that he signed before he signed his contract to coach football with Ohio State. It said: 1. My family will always come first. 2. I will take care of myself and maintain good health. 3. I will go on a trip once a year with Nicki -- MINIMUM. 4. I will not go more than nine hours a day at the office. 5. I will sleep with my cell phone on silent. 6. I will continue to communicate daily with my kids. 7. I will trust God's plan and not be overanxious. 8. I will keep the lake house. 9. I will find a way to watch Nicki and Gigi play volleyball. 10. I will eat three meals a day. Do we consider our family when we make promises? Do we make a promise to them first? Do we make a promise to take care of ourselves? Whether or not you agree with his ten points, it is about getting our priorities straight. In my church's film Cour...

The Big Payoff - Resources - Share My Lesson "Register for Share My Lesson before Oct. 31 and you could pay off $5,000* of your student loans." Now this is the kind of contest many of you teachers will want to join! Register and join TES. It is free and open to any teacher. A great site to share lessons. That is all!  Tell your friends. tags: education sharemylesson teaching news Posted from Diigo . The rest of my favorite links are here .

TOP FIVE TECHNOLOGY TOOLS for ELL TEACHERS! | Learning is Growing An interesting list of technology tools and teaching concepts to help ell students by Kathy Perrett is making the rounds on Twitter. Very helpful. tags: education teaching ell ellchat Jolly Phonic alphabet chart - Resources - Share My Lesson An alphabet chart that you may print out and use for your classes to help them remember the sounds of letters. tags: education teaching kinderchat reading reading_teacher The Big Payoff - Resources - Share My Lesson "Register for Share My Lesson before Oct. 31 and you could pay off $5,000* of your student loan...

Every Saturday morning at 7:30 EST/PST educators from around the world share their thoughts, resources and experiences using the hashtag #satchat. This great social media vehicle was founded by Scott Rocco and Brad Currie on April 14, 2012.    In its infancy #satchat averaged around 20-25 participants a week. Fast forward to the present and it has exploded to around 110 participants each week.  In fact recently #satchat hit the 200 participant mark for the first time in its history. The chat enables current and emerging school leaders to share their insight on topics ranging from social media, professional development, crisis management, vision, bullying, leadership and teacher recruitment. Recently #satchat has expanded its influence to the west coast where Shelly Burgess , David Culberhouse , Darin Jolly and Amy Illingworth co-moderate the extended session. The power of #satchat is quite remarkable and is a true example of collaboration. Each and every week educ...

12 Most Easy-Peasy IFTTT Recipes for Business Bloggers For those of you who don't understand the power of IFTTT.com - here's a post that explains how "if this then that" can make your life easier. tags: education news productivity Posted from Diigo . The rest of my favorite links are here .