Author Archives: Jhuricks

The last month of the school year is usually filled with one activity after another. Students and adults can begin to feel anxious about the impending end of the academic year. While it’s great to break from the normal curriculum, teachers still need to incorporate classroom structure. Somewhere along the line, some students and teachersContinue reading “Instruction Doesn’t End After State Assessments”

There’s a long standing joke in the education community that when a teacher decides to pursue a path into administration that their “crossing over to the dark side”. I know you’ve probably heard this countless times. Why is this the perception? Why the division between teachers and school leaders? Teachers sometimes feel as though noContinue reading “The Perceived Disconnect Between Teachers and Administrators”

Every aspect of our lives can be tied to relationships. From birth, we begin establishing relationships. Relationships are at the root of it all. Our relationship with people, food, money, all affect who we are. In the world of education, relationships are the currency that shape a school’s culture. The relationship that administrators have withContinue reading “Relationships Matter”

All things come to an end. Sometimes, what you think is a good place to be in is not where you should be. In order to get to where you want to be you have to do things that push you out of your comfort zone. I have a few thoughts to share about professionalContinue reading “Sometimes You Have To Go To Grow”

Every business has a way to quantify how they are doing. The amount of revenue generated tells them exactly where they stand. Too often in education we do not use the right measures to truly know if we are helping students to learn and grow. There is value in being data driven. District assessments, campusContinue reading “Numbers Don’t Lie”

No matter the situation we will always have incidents that lead to disciplinary action being taken in our schools. Even the highest performing campuses are not devoid of kids being kids. How do we respond when students misbehave? How can we ensure that we discipline students with dignity? Discipline comes from the Latin word disciplina,whichContinue reading “Discipline, are we getting it right?”

School funding is being debated across the country right now. Several points of contention are being discussed including teacher pay and school vouchers. Public schools are facing scrutiny for many factors that have been brought on by the pandemic. What can be done to paint a true picture of the value of public education? TheContinue reading “Public Education Needs Positive Representation Right Now”

Special Education is another topic that everyone seems to have strong opinions about. How are we identifying students to receive services? Are we over identifying students for Special Education? How doe we combat the stigma of students who receive Special Education services? What is the path forward? Can we first address how we talk aboutContinue reading “Special Education: Are We Truly Meeting Students Needs?”

I served as a Math teacher for fourteen years. One thing that has always been an issue is the Math curriculum. There are several standards to cover while also trying to stick with a pacing guide. This is a struggle across the country. I have always said that the Math curriculum was a mile wideContinue reading “A Mile Wide And An Inch Deep”

School choice is a hot topic right now. I have some very strong opinions that I will not share in this space. The idea of public education is to help produce a future of productive and innovative people that will help push our society forward. Can we honestly say this is happening right now? WeContinue reading “Would You Want Your Child To Attend Your School?”