Author: Rachel Jerez
Active Learning’s Bad Rap
It’s a refrain I’ve heard from my earliest days as a teacher to my work as an instructional coach: “Well, yes, her activities are very… creative… but are her students really being challenged?” “We really need to... Read More
Tips for the Start of the School Year
✅ Decorate your classroom and organize supplies. ✅ Write lesson plans. ✅ Decide how to build relationships. ✅ Check your technology. ✅ Establish routines and procedures. ✅ Connect and collaborate with... Read More
Stages of Grief: an English Teacher’s First Encounter with AI
Rachel Jerez is the Director of Professional Learning at Opportunity Education. After more than ten years of teaching, her lens on the world of technology will always be shaped by her experiences as a high school English teacher. In... Read More
Resource Spotlight: Get On Your Feet
Picture three classrooms. In one classroom, students are involved in a lab experiment. In another classroom, students are quietly and individually annotating a novel as they read. In another classroom, students are dancing to... Read More
Resource Spotlight: Scaffolding Socrates
The summer before I started teaching, I had a romanticized vision of class discussion. My dream class looked like my AP English class when I was in 12th grade: we devoured literature and led lively small group discussions, while our... Read More
Resource Spotlight: Active Learning, A La Carte
When I think of professional development, I am hit with a visceral memory from my second year teaching. I had just walked back into my too-cold classroom with a stack of handouts from a PD session. In ten minutes my freshmen were... Read More
Engagement on the Rise
If you were an elementary school kid in the 90’s, you might remember the quiet, strategic thinking needed for an electrifying game of Heads Up, 7 Up! Head down on the desk with your eyes squeezed shut and one thumb in the air,... Read More
Resource Spotlight: Active Reading Bookmark
Don't Spoil It. Let Them Build Skills! I clicked through the PowerPoint….and wow. Beautiful images. Fun fonts, great colors. Cool slide transitions. All the information seemed to be accurate. And it included a lot: author... Read More