Introduction

In all my years of teaching, the one issue that stands out, impossibly and obviously, is how destructive a lack of honest communication can be. The inclination to tell half-truths about the difficulties of the job is worthy of a political election. In every stage of teaching, from student teacher, to first-year teacher, and onwards, there is a tendency for college education professors to not discuss classroom discipline, for first-year teachers to have a fear of opening up about the difficulty of their job, and for advanced teachers to write off issues in their own classrooms or to stop communicating with principals.

This blog was created to address this issue as thoroughly as possible, through weekly posts on multiple teaching topics, through the posting of resources, and through anonymous discussion. Anonymity and honesty – the strange duality of the Internet, and of true talk about teaching. Please respect each other, and please respect our anonymity – we all want to keep our jobs!

Mission Statement

To shed light on the days when teaching is a black hole of despair, and to celebrate the days when teaching is the best decision you ever made. To assist each other, especially new teachers, in continuous improvement of teaching skills and understanding. To prepare for the situations that inevitably occur when 25 13-year-olds are placed in the same room for 1.5 hours. And to open lines of communication between administrators, teachers, parents, and students; so that no teacher feels like an island.

Poem Reference! http://www.poemhunter.com/poem/no-man-is-an-island/

A Request for Commentary

Use the power of the Internet for good! Be anonymous, be polite, be honest. See the Introduction for the importance of honesty. As administrators, teachers, parents, and students who participate in discussion on this blog, you can help others understand issues that have plagued them in the past. Sharing stories about your worst teaching experiences lets others know they are not alone – but strive to act as you want your students to act. Your anecdotes are welcome, your commentary greatly appreciated, but mindless venting will be deleted – would you like some cheese with that whine? 🙂 Let’s learn from our collective experience, bad and good.

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