"Rigor" what does it really mean in education?

If you have not already heard the word "rigor" used in reference to education, you will be hearing it. People have different views of this word used in association with education, however, read for yourself and you decide!

The blog, 21st Century Collaborative, is a rich avenue for academic discussion. Click here to read about the meaning of the word "rigor".

This study is another great avenue for research on the word "rigor". Click here to take a look at this qualitative study on rigor.

Take a look at what rigor might "look like" for students in the classroom . . . one more click here!

The Pizza Rule for Email Replies

We deal with a lot of email communication. I hope you find this short article as helpful as I did! Click here to read.

Thanks for a super Homecoming week!

The Importance of the Teacher in the Christian School

I am going to refer back to our summer faculty read, Learning from the Best, for this post. I want to continue to reference chapter by chapter in this great book as we review it during the year. We discussed chapters 1 and 2 in recent faculty meetings. The title of chapter 3 is "The Importance of the Teacher in the Christian School." The purpose statement from Wheaton Academy was referenced in Chapter 3: "to nurture growth through excellence, relationships and service all to the glory of God." Wheaton Academy also referred to its teachers as "living curriculum" teachers. I watch this on a personal level here at TPS daily. Thank you for being "living curriculum" teachers and for being Jesus to our families and to each other. We are blessed with a dynamic learning culture at Trinity School that is happening behind each door as our teachers seek excellence. Students surveyed in our book, listed "teachers" as the most important thing in their school career (even ahead of peers and friends)! My prayer for you today is for you to realize your importance within your classroom and the lives of all those you touch at this school.

Using Your Professional Development Funds

Many of you at one time or another may have been a member of ARA (Alabama Reading Association) or IRA (International Reading Association). I would like to encourage you to investigate a membership to IRA ($39) and a subscription to the professional journal, The Reading Teacher ($30 for in print/online access). This is a total of $69 for one year. The Reading Teacher has been improved and revamped for easy access for your particular area of interest. Please click here to access the most current edition of The Reading Teacher. You will be able to read abstracts for each individual article. The articles are research based and hit many areas that we are working on at this time (not just reading). If you would like to subscribe and use your school funds (I strongly encourage this!), please see Linda on accessing the school credit card to take care of this so you have no exchange of your own funds. This can be done on line in about 5 minutes! The magazine comes 8 times a year: Feb., March, April, May, Sept., Oct., Nov., and Dec. Subscribing to a professional journal is an important part of staying up to date on the ever-changing journey of education.