By AshaLee Ortiz

This year’s Super Bowl was especially significant for me, and not just because it was hosted in my hometown of Glendale, AZ. I feel there were several companies that chose to use their 30-second time slot addressing the largest audience of the year not just to sell a product, but to share a message. One in particular, the Coca-Cola Commercial, really caught my attention. So, as my students returned on Super Bowl Monday buzzing about the big game, I decided to capitalize on an opportunity to augment my objectives for the week. 

By AshaLee Ortiz

I teach music, so being creative is kind of essential to my classroom.  However, a little bit of everything should be present in all content areas, because that helps depth of knowledge and retention. So let’s get past the stigma of what something looks like in an “art” classroom or a “science” classroom. What should student motivation look like in any classroom? 

Thank you, educators, for taking the time to submit such well-written and thought-provoking blog entries on the four education topics that we provided. It was a tough process, but we have narrowed the entries down to three finalists. Now it’s your turn to read the entries from the links below and vote for your favorite blog! 

Bridget Clark
AshaLee Ortiz
Jennifer Doyle

By Anne M. Beninghof

I pulled my first all-nighter my freshman year of college. My roommate and I had both been assigned to Mr. Seager’s 8 a.m. chemistry class. Mr. Seager was a science whiz who was passionate and knowledgeable about his topic, but he was a lousy teacher. After dozing through many of his uninspired early-morning lectures, Kaye and I had fallen way behind in our understanding of the content. We knew we had to stay up all night and cram.

Up until this point in my life, I had never had a cup of coffee. Both of my parents were British immigrant tea drinkers who believed in serving whole milk to their growing teenagers. But then came college—no rules, no parents, no sleep. And Mr. Seager.

To be fair, Mr. Seager was not atypical of the teachers at many universities. Their practice was to stand at the front of the room, back to the class, as they wrote notes on the board and lectured simultaneously. This type of teaching was fertile soil for dozing students.

By Michelle George

By Kathleen Keelan

Winner of the 2013 Voyager Sopris Blog Contest

Share your experiences as an educator and earn $100 per blog post

Winner of the 2013 Voyager Sopris Blog Contest

2012 VoyagerSopris Blog Contest Winner