Education Secretary Arne Duncan recently called for a sweeping overhaul in how America's teachers are recruited and trained.  Some of the recommended changes are:

• creating education programs at more prestigious institutions
• making programs more selective (minimum 3.5 GPA and a more exhaustive application process)
• offering teacher education programs for no-cost to the students
• giving a stipend to new teachers during the first three years of teaching
• performing an increased number of formal observations in classroom settings
• having students watch more videos of themselves teaching
• offering incentives to schools to hire newly trained teachers in groups of seven or more (for increased support and consistency in order to reduce attrition)

Wow, those are sweeping reforms!  What do you think of these ideas?  Anything else you would want to throw into the mix?

Veterans Day (November 11th)  is more than just a day off school.

Teach your students the true meaning of honor, sacrifice, and love for one's country through these Veterans Day Teaching Ideas.  It's actually fun and easy to integrate an appreciation for our nation's veterans into almost every subject in the curriculum.

New data shows that education is the sector where the most jobs were saved from elimination due to the federal economic stimulus package. In fact, over 50% of all saved jobs were in education.

This resonates with me because I know of several teachers whose positions were saved from budget cuts at the last minute due to new access to funding.  Of course, the education system is still strapped for cash and many problems remain.  But isn't it good to know that education was somehow prioritized by the federal government's stimulus spending?

I dare anyone to name a profession with more piles of paperwork to manage than teaching.

Paper comes at us all day long, from all angles and yet, we must keep our classroom and desk area looking neat and tidy at all times. It often feels impossible!

Use these tips for How to Organize Your Files and you'll be on the path to winning the paper war.

What would you recommend to teachers with messy paper piles?

My #1 tip is to minimize the amount of incoming paper in the first place. Just say no to unnecessary paper!