I regularly observed one of the finest social studies teachers in New York City, who was then the Chairman of the Social Studies Department at Hunter College High School, and I later was a student teacher at Stuyvesant High School, one of the most prestigious in the country. My first day as a teacher, back [...]
Classroom to Boardroom…tips my students taught me that you can use in the boardroom. Brush your teeth. Don’t be boring. Tell stories. Don’t yell at people. Be strict, but fair. People don’t like unpleasant surprises. If someone yells at you respond softly. If you’re finished, stop talking. You never know when you’ve done something memorable. [...]
There’s still time to solve the education system. How? Simple. We start trading teachers like ball players! We know that there are some really good teachers out there. Doesn’t your kid deserve the best teacher? When the Yankees want the best player they either buy him or trade for him. Why can’t schools? Imagine if [...]
SLATES “Students today can’t prepare bark to calculate their problems. They depend on their slates, which are more expensive. What will they do when the slate is dropped and it breaks? They will not be able to write.” ~Teachers Conference, 1703 PAPER “Students today depend upon paper too much. They don’t know how to write [...]
Web Site Checklist by Joel Heffner [The Web Site Checklist was originally written in 1996. It still applies today.] 1. Address: Is the address of my site easy to remember and get to? 2. Audience: Who will want to view my site? 3. Background: Is my background interesting? Does it distract attention from the images [...]
Getting started is often the most difficult step in doing just about anything. Here are 6 ways to help you get started. 1. Admit it. You are procrastinating. Accept the fact that you were doing it and are ready to move on. 2. Set a specific goal that is within reason. Saying, for example, that [...]
It’s challenging for teachers to get kids to write without threats or grades. Compiling a book of short stories might be just what a teacher needs. It used to be too costly to “publish” a book. Now, things are a lot different. If you go into Staples, for example, you can “publish” your own booklet-like [...]
Grants For Teachers by Joel Heffner How to get what you need to do what you want in your classroom. Grants, Grantors and You The good news is that you can get a grant. The bad news is that it is not easy. But…that’s really good news. If getting a grant was easy, everyone would [...]