When schools closed in March 2020, districts immediately took steps to provide free meals to students, and that need has continued. Since the start of COVID-19, 1 in 5 households with children in Massachusetts is experiencing food insecurity, nearly doubling pre-pandemic numbers. Thank you to our teachers for helping with meals in classrooms, supervising lunch throughout school buildings, and handing out grab-and-go meals. School meals are available for students even if they are learning remotely.…
Not all of the most selective colleges have given out their acceptance letters yet. The Ivy League will announce Tuesday evening, but the trends are already clear. The pandemic has not hurt the college admissions; it’s helped them. It has sent them new applicants, new minority and first-generation applicants, and new attention. The results are starting to come in — and they suggest that the most selective private and public institutions are going to have…
Slumped bodies, rolled eyes, defiant words, and off-task behaviors announce (not-so-subtly) that instruction isn’t working. So what can teachers do to encourage participation and task completion when students are reluctant to participate or complete tasks? When it comes to engaging reluctant learners, there are no guarantees or magic words, but certain principles and strategies can help harness the intrinsic motivation that lies at the heart of each learner. Here are 5 ways to engage reluctant…
There are a variety of tech tools and methods out there to teach writing that can make the process easier and more fun for both teachers and students. While not every high-tech way of teaching writing will work for every class or every student, there’s enough variety that there’s bound to be something for everyone. Here, we offer just a few tech-focused ways to help students learn grammar, essay-writing, and, most importantly, why good writing…
Many are convinced that when Ivy League and other competitive colleges theoretically tell applicants if they were admitted, they actually won’t this year for thousands of students. Those students will be placed on wait lists, and while colleges are quick to say that any student placed on a waiting list could succeed at the college, many students find waiting lists particularly frustrating — arguably more frustrating than rejection. This year, wait lists are expected to…
It’s possible that there is no time in the history of education that our systems of educating have been so out of touch with the communities. Growing populations, shifting communities, and increasingly inwardly-focused schools all play a role. In light of the access of modern technology, social media, and new learning models that reconfigure the time and place learning happens, it doesn’t have to be that way. Schools can evolve while simultaneously growing closer to…
Teaching with art and incorporating art inquiry into the classroom is a powerful way to engage students with diverse learning needs, improve critical thinking and social-emotional skills and make learning relevant to students’ lives. Many teachers shy away from teaching with art, however, which causes their students to miss out on these potentially transformative learning experiences. Teaching with art creates opportunities for novelty in the classroom, which stimulates students’ minds, activating different ways of thinking…
Teens and younger adults are often targets of job scams, and it’s easy to see why – what with not being as familiar with the norms of job-hunting and filling out applications, they’re less likely to notice when something isn’t normal. Scammers post attractive job ads, then ask for personally identifying information that they can use in identity theft schemes. They may also ask for banking or credit card details to “verify identity”, then make…
While it is always important to recognize how much teachers matter, this year is especially significant. Many teachers have worked around the clock to move their teaching online and to support their students while schools are closed. Social distancing can make it tough to show teachers how much you care, but there are still plenty of options. From e-cards and thank you videos to classroom goodies or decorations, here are 20 ways you can show…
Looking for COVID-safe spring activities for your children? Below are some sure-fire, family-friendly staycation ideas to keep your kids busy, sparing you some much-needed time to get work done. 1. Play online board games. Boardgamearena.com works in your browser and on most game consoles (no download necessary), and it offers 175 modern board games. Tabletopia is another online arena for virtual board gaming and contains more than 800 board games. Pogo is another option for…
