Pedagogy

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Breakthroughs: An Insight into Essential Questions

Nicholas Amick is the 2021-2022 Allegany County Teacher of the Year. He teaches English language arts to ninth graders, coordinates his high school’s yearbook and student government program, and somehow has 80% of his bed taken up by an anxious 18 lb. Pekingese pup. The term “essential question” can elicit more groans than you can […]

Pedagogy|Professional Practice

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Breakthroughs: Checking My Bias

Brent Driessen is an eight-year Marine Corps veteran, 13-year Baltimore County elementary school teacher, and a 2021-2022 teacher of the year finalist. He holds a bachelor’s degree in elementary education and a master’s in supervision and administration. Meeting his students’ academic, social, and emotional needs is his true passion in life. A major concern in […]

Pedagogy|Professional Practice

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Breakthroughs: Improving Math Skills through Math Number Talk

Ibrahim Omar is a third grade teacher and elementary math department chair at Maya Angelou French Immersion IB World School in Prince George’s County. He is a 20-year veteran educator and National Board Certified Teacher who recently renewed his certificate in Mathematics: Early Adolescence. Omar is a graduate of University of Maryland. For almost two […]

Pedagogy|Professional Practice

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Breakthroughs: Building a Tiger Squad for Elementary Boys

Tamara Thumbtzen is currently a behavior intervention specialist at North Glen ES in Anne Arundel County. She has a bachelor’s in health education, a master’s in family studies, and a post-master’s certification in administration and supervision. In 2017, I became an empty nester when my second child went off to college. I shook things up […]

Pedagogy|Professional Practice

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Breakthroughs: The Power of Self-Guided Professional Development

Jossie Perry is a National Board Certified teacher in Social Studies-History and a 2022 NEA Foundation Global Learning Fellow. She teaches contemporary world studies and AP human geography at Rising Sun High School in Cecil County. When we give our students choice in how they learn, we see more engagement and more ownership of their […]

Pedagogy|Professional Practice

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Breakthroughs: When Doodling Becomes Therapy

Gayle Kraus is a veteran middle school visual arts teacher at Piccowaxen Middle School in Charles County. Her mantra is that art stimulates the mind to see new worlds and possibilities and is a pathway to meditation and self-healing. For pandemic recovery and beyond, we are seeking and discovering new ways to de-stress, de-escalate, and […]

Pedagogy|Professional Practice

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Breakthroughs: Structures, Routines, and Rules

Jacob Bennett is a kindergarten teacher at Havre De Grace Elementary in Harford County. Before becoming a teacher, Jacob ran an afterschool tutoring and mentoring program for children from economically disadvantaged backgrounds. His wife, Abigail Bennett, is a paraeducator. Last year, my class and I sat together to watch the National Symphony Orchestra. We were […]

Coronavirus and Schools|Pedagogy|Professional Practice

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Breakthroughs: Good Health Is the Foundation of Success

Caitlin Fregelette is a passionate advocate for student wellness, social-emotional health, and educating the whole child by supporting their well being. She is a health and physical educator at Calvert High School in Calvert County and was a state finalist for Maryland Teacher of the Year. With school closures, mandated distancing, a global pandemic, and […]

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Breakthroughs: Help Every Student Feel Noticed—Recognize, Accept, and Share Hardships

Casey Keyser is a third grade teacher at Butterfly Ridge Elementary in Frederick County and an alumni of the Vanguard Teaching Program. She is is a 2021 finalist for the NEA Foundation Horace Mann Award for Excellence in Teaching and is the owner of the education resource blog, Fair Winds Teaching. When I stepped foot […]

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