Melissa's Secondary Education Blog

Graduation is such an important step in a young person's life. For some it is just the beginning of their college education. For others, it marks the end of their educational career. In any case, it is important to recognize and celebrate each student's achievement. Here are 10 graduation gifts that graduates will truly appreciate.

Why is it that everyone once in a while a news story circulates about a teacher and/or administrator who does something that just defies common sense. For example, having them watch a questionable movie without permission or playing pranks that just go wrong. How can educators think this is a good thing? (I'm not addressing the truly egregious acts of educators sleeping with their students - just the normal decisions that seem to defy login when looked back upon.) A little common sense would stop inappropriate actions in their tracks. The truth is, and for some it is a hard truth, educators are held to a higher standard. We are expected to teach, guide, coach, and protect our students. There are so many excellent teachers. Sadly, the more educators that are in the news for making poor decisions, the worse it is for all educators. A good question to always ask yourself is what are the possible consequences of any action or simulation. For example, if you are planning to have a debate on a controversial issue, take a few moments to think about what might happen. How will you handle issues that arise? How will you message what you're doing in class to parents and administrators? A little pre-planning can go a long way towards helping you make the best decisions and head off possible problems before they arise.

Resources for Educators

• Top Six Keys to Being a Successful Teacher
• Top Twelve Worst Things a Teacher Can Do
• What is Your Teacher Personality?

Thinking about moving over the summer? According to the AFT, California had the highest average teacher pay across the United States in the 2003-2004 school year. Here is the complete list of the top ten with their average salaries.

Here are 15 inspirational quotes that can be added to any graduation or other motivational speech. They are meant to inspire and to help achieve. You can also find related sources of inspirational quotes towards the bottom of the page.

The end of the year is approaching for many of us. A lucky few might even be out already. But in order to reach the big payoff - summer vacation - we have to deal with the stresses that the last few weeks bring: end of the year exams, summer schools lists, parents who do not understand why their children are failing, rooms to be cleaned and items to be stored, accounts to be reconciled, and many more items that I'm sure I missed. And of course your personal life continues to move forward through all of this. Heaven forbid you get sick at this time of year! This article discusses the causes of end of the year stress and gives many ideas for dealing with it so that you can make it to the summer without losing too many hairs.

Teaching, as most new teachers find out very quickly, is as much about the day-to-day instruction as it is about mastering daily housekeeping routines. Collecting homework is one part of daily classroom management that can cause many teachers problems. This article focuses on effective ways that you can take care of collecting homework with a minimum of disruption.

Are you interested in teaching in Florida? Find out how to become certified to teach in the Sunshine State here. You can also learn more about National Certification which while challenging in many areas of the US allows you to earn more money.

Federalism in the United States means that each state gets to set its own policies and procedures for becoming a teacher. Want to know how to become a teacher in three of the largest states? Use these to learn more: Florida, Texas, and New York.

Here is a speech that was given to National Honor Society inductees that is built around a central theme. You can use this as a basis for writing your own speeches and as a model for weaving a theme and quotes throughout a speech.

Many Valedictorians and student leaders are busy writing their graduation speeches. The key ingredient to an effective speech is to have a unifying theme throughout. Check out these 10 themes to help create interesting speeches that will keep the audience's attention.