Blog – Page 8 – Josh Stumpenhorst

Done With It

Posted on April 17, 2015 by Josh Stumpenhorst

As a human we get frustrated with things and are often pushed to the point of declaring, “I’m done with it!” For me this often comes when I am trying to fix something around the house. There are only so many times I can electrocute myself trying to fix a ceiling fan before I say […]

Their Moment

Posted on April 9, 2015 by Josh Stumpenhorst

Every year in my school we run a 6th grade volleyball intramural. The kids compete with their homeroom classes during a season where their records are tabulated. It is really a fun competition and gets kids excited to compete for their home room teacher and bragging rights. The top 4 teams then play in a […]

#PARCC: The Good, The Bad and The Ugly

Posted on March 17, 2015 by Josh Stumpenhorst

For the past several days my students have endured the new Common Core State Standards aligned PARCC assessments. After administering and proctoring for over 8 hours in three days, I have a few takeaways from this high stakes test which we will do all over again in May. It would be very easy to dissect […]

Classroom Management

Posted on March 4, 2015 by Josh Stumpenhorst

When we start the journey of a teacher, nearly all of us had the same goals in mind. We wanted to make a difference in the life of a child. Some of us came into the profession wide-eyed and nervous while others came in with a feeling of confidence or even a slight arrogance. However, […]

Educational Erosion

Posted on January 16, 2015 by Josh Stumpenhorst

In my heart I believe every single teacher went into the profession with the intention of changing lives and inspiring kids. I truly believe this because the alternative is too horrible to contemplate. Yet, every single one of us can name a teacher or two in our building who seem to have lost their desire […]

Bullies, Trolls and Fakes

Posted on January 13, 2015 by Josh Stumpenhorst

As many of you know I am a huge proponent of social media use for educators. The potential positives for teachers and administrators alike are boundless and I know my professional growth has been impacted greatly through my use of social media. I have been able to gain countless resources to pull into my practice […]

Failure

Posted on January 8, 2015 by Josh Stumpenhorst

As a parent and a teacher I often reflect on how these two roles intersect and are greatly influenced by each other. Lately I have been thinking a great deal about failure and how we “use” it in school as well as outside of school. I worry we might be, for lack of a better […]

New Teacher Revolution

Posted on January 2, 2015 by Josh Stumpenhorst

I am really excited that very soon I can officially call myself an author as my first book is now released for pre-published purchase through Corwin Publishing. For those that have published a book, you know the process is daunting and liberating on so many levels. As an English teacher is was great to be […]

It’s About the People

Posted on December 19, 2014 by Josh Stumpenhorst

School districts, states and even the Federal Department of Education have rolled out initiative after initiative after initiative in schools. These initiatives come with programs, protocols, procedures and all have intentions of improving student learning at some level. Many of them are conceived with the best intentions in mind. The creators of any one of […]

They Are Watching

Posted on December 1, 2014 by Josh Stumpenhorst

Whether we like it or not, kids are always watching. As a parent, kids are always watching what we do and say. Same can be said about teachers and our daily interaction with students. This is an immense responsibility; one I have been reflecting greatly on lately in both my role as parent and teacher. […]