Professional Practice

Professional Practice

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Be the Change. Know Your Value.

WOMEN’S LEADERSHIP TRAINING: NOVEMBER 13–14 Sponsored by MSEA’s Women’s Concerns Committee Deadline to apply: October 18. Learn more and apply for WLT here. “As we all strive to make sure we are inclusive and sensitive to the rights, opportunities, and inclusivity of all people, especially Black, Indigenous, and People of Color, there are times that […]
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Dorchester County Teacher of the Year: Why I’m Passionate about CTE

Charlene Zinnel is a culinary arts teacher at the Dorches­ter Career and Technical Center (DCTC). She’s also the county’s 2019 Teacher of the Year, taking the opportunity to share her passion for career and technical education and what it offers students and their communities. How is student learning in CTE different than what students might find in […]
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What’s Play Good For? PLENTY!

Here are just some of the benefits of more outdoor time and play: Better school performance Time spent in nature and increased fitness improves cognitive function. More creativity Outdoor play uses and nurtures the imagination and encourages collaboration. Much higher levels of fitness Kids are more active when they are outdoors. More friends Children who […]
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Coping Skills for Educators from a Maryland School Nurse

Nurse Kimberly Finley checks in with colleague Shannon Ward, an additional adult assistant at Hawthorne Elementary Schools in Baltimore County Kimberly Finley is a registered nurse at Baltimore County’s Hawthorne Elementary School. Like many school nurses, she delivers care not only to students in the school, but to the adults as well. We talked with […]
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10 Ways Public Education in Finland and Singapore Is Different Than in the U.S.

Photo: The Atlantic, October 1, 2015. 1. In Finland, law mandates that for every 45 minutes of instruction, students get 15 minutes of play. U.S. kids get less than 30 minutes per day. 2. College is free in Finland — even master’s and doctoral programs. 3. Teachers are highly respected and are paid better in Finland and Singapore. […]
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Global Competencies

Halfway around the world, Baltimore County science teacher and department chair Anu Bajpai asked students, “How many languages do you speak?” “Seven,” they said. When school started this year, she asked her students at Windsor Mill Middle School the same question. “One,” said most of them. Language fluency is just one of the cultural differences […]
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MSEA and First Book

As a volunteer in a community soup kitchen, Kyle Zimmer asked the children to bring in their favorite book. One little boy brought in a phone book — it was the only book in his house. The others came empty-handed, because there were no books at all in their homes. Zimmer started bringing as many books as […]
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How Can We Be So Wrong About Professional Development?

Japanese teachers working together in a research lesson study. (Photo: Akihiko Takahashi, courtesy of American RadioWorks) By now, it’s pretty clear to everyone involved: good professional development is something every educator wants and needs, but few experience PD that is rich, deep, and meaningful. In a 2013 report called “Teaching the Teacher: Effective Professional Development […]
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Maryland Is 49th in Teacher Autonomy

That’s a huge problem. Image © 2015 NEA / Moses Mitchell Photography Classroom autonomy for teachers. According to research, it’s correlated with job satisfaction and retention. Unfortunately, in a recent report by the Learning Policy Institute, Maryland was ranked second-lowest in the country — ahead of only Florida — in teacher autonomy, defined as control in selecting textbooks and […]
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