Common Core Are You A Fan

Common Core is the new thing in education, but I am not sure I am a fan yet.  For one mastering a topic is great, but that will put students on the subject for weeks.  What about students that already know the topic or master it  quickly?   Students may get stuck on something they already know for weeks.  Talk about getting board.  What do you think about common core?

AVID

AVID:  Advancement Via Individual Determination?  What do you think about the program?  For those who do not know what AVID is it is a class that students take to gear them up for college!  Most of the students placed in AVID are "C" or average students that need a small push to gear them up for college.  Many of these students would be first generation college students.  The program visits colleges, does college projects, teaches time management, how to take notes using Cornell notes and pushes kids to excel in their classes.   The AVID coach checks up on students making sure they are doing what they need to do in their class.  Do you think that AVID is a good program?  Or does it leave to many kids laking the push they may need for college as only a few classes of AVID at a school are usually offered.

Back to school night

We recently had back to school night at our school.  Out of the 140 kids I teach I saw 4 parents.  This is crazy and shows that parents in some schools are not vested in their child's education.  What are some ways to get more parents to back to school night?  Should this be mandatory?  If a parent can not make it to back to school night should they have to schedule a conference?

Edmodo for the classroom

I have been using Edmodo.com in the classroom for a few years now.  It is a great tool to post assignments and have students turn them in there.  Parents can also see the students assignments and due dates as well making it a great tool to communicate with home as well.  There is also a great free classroom management app as well like class dojo, but without the set up.  Using edmodo also allows for online discussions which makes class a little different, and allows students who would not raise their hands to participate Edmodo even allows the teacher to set up online polls to see what the class is thinking.  If a student misses class they can still get their assignment and turn it in on time.  Edmodo is the future of education!  What do you think?