Category: Education

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Of Course Teachers Deserve Respect, Duh!

[portrait of Jamee Miller in her classroom]

[portrait of Jamee Miller in her classroom]
Jamee Miller
Or: “What Don’t Teachers Do?”

Florida Teacher’s Essay Becomes Rallying Cry for Respect | NEA Today

When people were attacking her and her fellow dedicated public school teachers, Florida fourth-grade teacher Jamee Miller got mad. And then she got to typing.

The result? An essay called “I Am a Teacher” which caught fire in recent weeks on Facebook and blogs as supporters of teachers attacked by budget-slashing lawmakers and critics trying to score political points took it to heart and then took it online.

Glad to see this gets some attention. Teachers deserve as much (if mot more) respect as other professionals. We really are learning experts. Too bad everyone thinks they know best when it comes to kids. What would medicine look like if it were perceived like teaching is?

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Add A Due Date To Email Subject Lines

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Time spent on a quality subject line will, in the long run, save you more time than you spend.
I have to admit I didn’t even read the suggestions for improved email communication (because I thought I already knew it all) in my CFISD Teacher Leadership Academy binder, but luckily another teacher did–and shared!

I’m big on using subject lines effectively and efficiently, so I think it’s a great idea to to put “(please respond by [date])” into the subject line of emails with a due date. No need to open the email to see if it’s urgent. It might even be a good idea to write “(reference only)” for email that is just for reference.

This complements something I’ve been doing a few years: I put “(takes X minutes)” into my subject lines, so I can get a quick response from something that should be quick.