There really isn't a secret formula for the best way to provide feedback to teachers—different kinds of teachers require different kinds of feedback. This can make the challenge of giving adequate but constructive feedback hard for those who provide it. Teaching can feel like a very personal and even private endeavor for teachers, so any critique or criticism about instruction can feel more personal than it probably should. 

Being a teacher is a more complex job than ever before. The challenges and stress of the position require teachers to possess an amazing ability to manage many dynamic factors all at once. One of the best examples for this is the emergency drills that we now partake in during the school day. Years ago, there was a fire drill every month, and possibly another drill depending on where you lived—we have tornado drills in our part of the country, but I know other locations have drills for earthquakes or other natural disasters.

Providing feedback to teachers can be a tricky prospect at times. Teaching, and instruction in particular, is a very personal undertaking. Getting up in front of a room of children takes a great deal of nerve at first, so as teachers become more and more accustomed to it, they tend to become more and more fixed in their approach to it.

This is a generalization, of course—not all teachers are like this. Some of the best teachers I have worked with love feedback and work hard to reflect upon and improve their instruction.

I see your eyes rolling right now as you look at this title. I know what you are thinking: Too many tests! I agree that there is too much testing in our schools, but assessments don’t have to always come in the form of paper and pencil.

As educators, we have a curriculum to teach and standards students need to master—assessments are a necessary part of the process. Depending on what grade level you teach and the district in which you work, standardized and common assessments might be a mandated part of your students’ experience. Just grin and bear it, people. It is part of the job!

Spring is finally in full swing! Depending on where you live, maybe it doesn't quite feel like spring yet—better yet, maybe it already feels like summer where you are. Regardless of the weather outside, spring is a great time for dusting off old lessons as well as creating new ones.

Need some inspiration? Here is our collection of themed content to help you spruce up your lessons for April:

Imagine you're a teacher and brand new to the profession. Although you might be very excited for the start of your career, you are probably also very nervous. With all of the new things to figure out, even the best prepared new teacher still needs a great deal of help and support. I would even contend that there's really not anything that can prepare a teacher for their first year of teaching. Even if teachers feel confident in their skills and strategies, learning from a mentor with experience is essential to their success.

As an educator, it can be hard to find the time to seek out new ideas and important industry news when all you want to do after a long school day is kick back and relax. Some days, you just want to consume content that makes you smile.

That’s where Twitter comes in. With over 261 million users worldwide, Twitter is an endless stream of inspiration—shared in 280 characters or less, of course. It can be very overwhelming to filter through millions of accounts, from political figures to your favorite musicians, just to find accounts to follow that will bring some happiness to your day. That’s why we’ve compiled this list of 15 Twitter accounts you should follow to inspire your teaching and uplift your day:

Enhance and Transform Your Lessons With SAMR 

The SAMR model was developed by Dr. Ruben Puentedura to help teachers infuse technology into teaching. The model allows teachers to evaluate how they are using technology in their instructional practices. SAMR is an acronym that stands for four levels in the technology integration process: substitution, augmentation, modification, and redefinition.