The Unconventional Teacher

@unconventionalteacher

Not surprisingly, Unconventional Teacher is well ... unconventional. She's been known to ruffle her share of feathers while journeying through the field of education. Part advice column, part rant-and-rave, her blog is a testament to unconventional educators everywhere.

40 posts

Posts

Will You Ever Feel Like You're 'Good Enough'?

I’ve often read that one of the signs of a creative and successful person is a nagging feeling of insecurity.

Not that someone on the outside would know it, of course, because successful people usually appear to have everything in place. (I’m pretty sure that’s where the whole “fake-it-til-you-make-it” premise comes from.)

Me, most days.

There has been some research to this effect, often focusing…

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#fake it til you make it #overwhelmed teacher #teacher brain #teacher burnout #teacher insecurity

Online Science Fun for Kids of All Ages

I don’t know about you, but Winter is always the hardest for me when it comes to outdoor activities.

The weather is often too snowy, too cold, too icy, too rainy, etc. to take out an entire class of students. Plus, even if you brave the elements, it’s hard to make science class (or any class) very engaging when you have students constantly complaining about the temperature, or the wind, or the…

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#fun ways to teach science online #national park service online #online teaching #science museum online #science online

Homeschooling Ain't Just for Crazies Anymore

Homeschooling Ain’t Just for Crazies Anymore

I read an interesting article on Wired this morning about “The Techies Who Are Hacking Education by Homeschooling Their Kids,” and I have to say, I am super excited about the opportunities that exist within the realm of nontraditional school.

But before I delve into that, let me first say that I am not an anti-public school cheerleader. I am a product of the public school system (of the 1980s and…

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#hacking education #homeschool #nontraditional education #online teaching #roadschool #unschool #Wired magazine

This Unconventional Teacher Lives Up to Her Name

Unconventional Teacher Lives Up to Her Name

Howdy out there in Educationland! I hope your semester has been great and that you’ll soon enjoy a holiday break from those teachery activities (let’s be honest though – the work is never done!).

As you may recall, when I last checked in, I was in the throes of a career change/location change/heck, all together LIFE change, and I expressed my confliction at being a stay-at-home mom versus a…

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#fulltime families #fulltime RV #homeschool #online teaching #roadschool #travel teaching #unschool

testingtestingtesting

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10 Ways to Wow Students With Science

It’s been almost 6 months now since I’ve taught a seated, in-person class (wow, Baby Teach is really growing fast!) and MAN do I miss seeing students’ faces as we experiment with new science concepts! I’ve been thinking lately about some of my favorite science demonstrations, so I figured I would share some of my top choices with my top readers (yes, that’s you, silly!).

Without further ado (and…

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#amazing science #chemistry experiments #discrepant events #physics experiments #science demonstrations #teaching science