Character Building / Kids on the Cusp
by Mary Tarashuk · Published 04/08/2015 · Last modified 12/01/2019
We can teach students the value of speaking out on critical issues while meeting curriculum standards, says Mary Tarashuk, who shares her 6-day unit inspired by the 1992 speech of 12-year old environmentalist Severn Suzuki before global leaders.
Kids on the Cusp / Standardized Testing
by Mary Tarashuk · Published 03/26/2015 · Last modified 11/16/2019
Most teachers Mary Tarashuk knows are salmon, with a deeply embedded instinct that urges them to keep swimming upstream against mighty currents (including CC standardized testing) to find their way back to real teaching that makes real sense for real kids.
Kids on the Cusp / Teaching writing
by Mary Tarashuk · Published 03/11/2015 · Last modified 12/01/2019
Looking for a “standardized writing prompt” that will really engage her students, Mary Tarashuk hits upon favorite essayist Andy Rooney and his reflection on a favorite teacher, then fashions a multi-day practice assessment to get her 4th graders thinking and writing.
Character Building / Kids on the Cusp
by Mary Tarashuk · Published 01/29/2015 · Last modified 11/27/2019
Fourth grade teacher Mary Tarashuk describes how lines from the musical In the Woods, the new Julian chapter of RJ Palacio’s Wonder, and a chance encounter with an anti-bullying article came together to spark some memorable student wisdom about character.
In a season filled with celebrations, MiddleWeb celebrates teachers by sharing some insights into the teaching life, offered by our bloggers and guest writers. We begin with the wonderful 2014 book, Teaching with Heart.
With the fall marathon of parent-teacher conferences finally done, Mary Tarashuk logs onto the district portal to input student grades for the first marking period. And then she finds herself pausing to wonder what authentic assessment truly means – when we’re talking to the people who care most.
Kids on the Cusp / Teaching writing
by Mary Tarashuk · Published 11/05/2014 · Last modified 11/29/2019
Leaping into writing with students can be almost as thrilling as sky-diving, says Mary Tarashuk, who has now tried both. Here she describes how she is modeling “the writer as reader” with her 4th graders and shares their organizer for narrative writing.
This Halloween, don’t miss 4th grade teacher Mary Tarashuk’s self-assessment of how she managed learning on a delightfully creepy day. First presented a year ago, still just as funny. “It’s not all about sugar, but sugar anticipation is in the air.”
Administrative Overload / Kids on the Cusp
by Mary Tarashuk · Published 10/08/2014 · Last modified 11/30/2019
Mary Tarashuk fantasizes about a reality TV show that features education policy makers who must survive for a month as classroom teachers without drowning in the paperwork or getting voted off the island by a misguided performance evaluation system.
A New School Year / Kids on the Cusp
by Mary Tarashuk · Published 09/07/2014 · Last modified 11/13/2019
“What we choose to BE defines us.” That’s the message Mary Tarashuk’s students found as they arrived at her door this year. Her bright red bulletin board is filled with possibilities she hopes will focus kids on important social-emotional skills.
