Teaching with Texting

At New York’s Chester Middle School, Principal Ernie Jackson challenged his staff to teach poetry using text messaging. He then gave an old version of a state test to those students who texted in summaries of the poems and to those who learned the poems in a traditional manner. The results were amazing! Find the results and more in the full article available here.

Teaching Financial Responsibility (and Math) at an Early Age

Janice Belcuore's New Jersey classroom is learning addition and subtraction in a fun and creative way. Throughout the school year, the student’s learn all about personal banking by earning a “salary” from their assigned job, paying their bills and balancing their checkbook. Read the full story here.

Creating a Virtual Stock Market in the Classroom

Elementary and middle school students in two San Jose schools beat hundreds of other schools in a stock market game. Their money was virtual, but the companies and stock prices they invested in were real. Using $100,000 in their virtual market account, they researched companies they knew and invested in stocks they decided would perform the best. Click here to read the full story.

National Teacher of the Year 2010

The National Teacher of the Year Program began in 1952 and continues as the oldest, most prestigious national honors program that focuses public attention on excellence in teaching. Last week, President Barack Obama honored the 2010 National Teacher of the Year, Sarah Brown Wessling from Johnston, Iowa, with a ceremony in the White House Rose Garden. He recognized her for creating individualized podcasts for each student with feedback on their papers, teaching basic writing to at-risk freshmen, developing 15 new courses this year, mentoring other teachers, organizing a statewide teaching symposium, helping design Iowa’s core curriculum and serving as president of the Iowa Council of Teachers of English. Click here for the full press release about her award.

In addition to the National Teacher award, many schools, districts and states also recognize their own teachers of the year. However, there will never be enough awards to recognize every teacher's commitment to their students education. We would like to recognize you!

Please share YOUR extraordinary achievements in the classroom this year in the comments below!

Digital Media Art Class

Paper, oil paints, crayons, water colors, glue, a camcorder, wood, charcoal, clay ... one of these things is not like other art supplies. Most teachers use "traditional" art media to teach art. Harold Olejarz, a middle school art teacher in Wyckoff, New Jersey, has developed his art class curriculum using camcorders, computers, and digital cameras.

Click here to read how Mr. Olejarz is combining art and technology in exciting ways to keep his students on the cutting edge.

Using Microphones in the Classroom

A recent article in the Des Moines Register refers to studies claiming that using microphones in the classroom can lead to fewer disciplinary problems, increased student achievement and higher attendance rates for teachers. Also, students learning English perform better in school. Some schools in the Des Moines area have begun using microphones in the classroom, and the feedback from teachers has been overwhelmingly positive. Read the full article here.

U.S. Secretary of Transportation Ray LaHood speaks at NYLC!

"Good judgment, listening to others and willingness to work with people with whom you may not always agree are all hallmarks of a successful leader." U.S. Secretary of Transportation Ray LaHood told a group of students on March 25th at the National Young Leaders Conference (NYLC) in Washington, D.C.

LaHood warned the students about the dangers of texting or talking on cell phones while driving. “Distracted driving is a real epidemic. You all do it and you all know you shouldn’t,” he said. LaHood said the conference participants could demonstrate leadership in their schools and communities by helping to end distracted driving among their peers.

As Secretary of Transportation, LaHood heads an agency with more than 55,000 employees and a $70 billion budget that oversees air, maritime and surface transportation. Prior to being appointed the Department of Transportation by President Obama, LaHood served for 14 years in the U.S. House of Representatives from the 18th District of Illinois. Before beginning his career in government, LaHood was a junior high school social studies teacher.

Teaching Physics with 9th Grade Algebra

An article in NorthJersey.com says that in most schools, the traditional progression for science classes goes from biology in 9th grade, to chemistry, then on to physics. This progression assumes that high school students can't understand physics until they've taken trigonometry and calculus. An innovative New Jersey teacher has created curriculum to get his 9th grade students excited about physics, without using the upper level math usually required. Read the full article here .

Better Classroom Management with Sign Language

Sign language can be an effective tool to teach your students, even for those without hearing loss. Click here to read how Leslie Briggs,a teacher from Logan, Utah, is using sign language in her classroom to manage behavior, improve literacy and help her students learn.

Scholars Address Former Members of Congress

Again this spring, some 10th, 11th and 12th graders attending the National Young Leaders Conference (NYLC) will have the honor of participating in The Civics Connection, a series of webcasts broadcast to classrooms nationwide, designed to help students understand the inner workings of the United States Congress. The Civics Connection is a partnership between the United States Association of Former Members of Congress and the Lou Frey Institute of Politics and Government. During each webcast, the scholars pose questions and interact with former members of congress, as they discuss political issues in today’s society.

On Wednesday, March 2nd at 2 p.m. Eastern time, you can watch our NYLC students discuss "The Experience of African American Lawmakers" with two former Representatives. If you would like to view the webcast live, click here to register.