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The New 3Rs Academic Transformation

The Right Systems, The Right Resources, The Right People

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by Blaine Helwig
Jul 12, 20193 min read
Major Student Disruption – Identify Triggers, Plan, then Deescalate!
If you are a teacher, it will be impossible to avoid major student discipline problems. It will happen at some point in your career....
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by Blaine Helwig
May 19, 20194 min read
Keep a Minor Student Disruption – Minor!
A couple years before I retired, I was teaching fifth grade mathematics at my Title 1 elementary school – despite the fact that I was the...
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by Blaine Helwig
Dec 12, 20183 min read
Is Title 1 Public Education 'Working'? – Depends on Perspective!
I do not own a washing machine. Never have. I use the condominium laundry room with its ten washing machines and dryers to handle my...
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by Blaine Helwig
Nov 28, 20184 min read
Practice without Improvement – A Title 1 Invariant!
“How do you get to Carnegie Hall?” This old joke is amusing and timeless because of the obviousness of its one-word punchline: Practice!...
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by Blaine Helwig
Oct 25, 20183 min read
Bridge Resources and Their Academic Need
About 15 years ago, I attended weekly central administrator meetings as an elementary program supervisor in a large urban Texas school...
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by Blaine Helwig
Oct 12, 20183 min read
Bad Teaching Day at School – Do not Dwell on the Past
One Friday night about 15 years ago, I was resting on my couch after a long day at work when my cell phone rang. I looked at the phone to...
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by Blaine Helwig
Sep 29, 20187 min read
Handling a Student’s ‘Silent Treatment’ with Student Empowerment
When a child ignores an adult’s questioning using ‘the silent treatment’ and successfully avoids consequence or accountability for their...
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by Blaine Helwig
Sep 15, 20186 min read
Proactive Title 1 Principals: Active Management Supporting Teachers - Part 1
Over the last decade, Graham Elementary School in the Austin Independent School District's dramatic and sustained academic Title 1...
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by Blaine Helwig
Sep 13, 20187 min read
Proactive Title 1 Principals: Active Management Supporting Teachers - Part 2
Above all else at a public school, the first priority of teachers and administrators must always be ensuring children's safety....
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by Blaine Helwig
Aug 17, 20185 min read
The First-Year Teacher’s Cry – “Help! I Need Somebody. HELP!”
I was a first year teacher – TWICE in the same school year. I was hired as a second grade teacher, and I taught that grade level for a...
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by Blaine Helwig
Aug 9, 20183 min read
A Title 1 Principal Can't Buy Academic Success
In the 1970’s, my father started the first Christmas tree farm in South Dakota. A slotted hole was dug using a long steel spade shovel...
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by Blaine Helwig
Aug 2, 20184 min read
“Drill and Kill” – Analyzed
Earlier this summer I was talking to a seasoned elementary teacher that is a standout educator and asset to the profession. She mentioned...
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by Blaine Helwig
Jul 27, 20184 min read
Another School Year Arrives - Academic Title 1 Woes Continue
In the early 1980’s, I was out of money, and I could not continue my engineering studies at the University of Texas at Austin. However, I...
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by Blaine Helwig
Jul 21, 20183 min read
Student Management Redirection – Shorter is Better!
On my planning period, I walked down to the teacher workroom to check my school mailbox and make several Xerox copies. As I walked back...
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by Blaine Helwig
May 5, 20184 min read
Why is Effective Title 1 School Reform Not Happening?
Federal and State money flows into the Title 1 public schools. The river of money flows regardless of academic results each school year,...
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by Blaine Helwig
Apr 27, 20183 min read
The Numeracy Power of Making 10, 100 or 1,000
We live in a Base 10 world. Base 10 is everywhere! Of course, a math person may counter with clock time – hours and minutes. Time is kept...
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by Blaine Helwig
Apr 20, 20183 min read
Why Are Public Schools FREE?
This is an interesting question. Public schools are not exactly free, of course. Parents often must pay for any number of items for their...
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by Blaine Helwig
Apr 13, 20184 min read
Teacher Tips to Improve Homework Completion
“Andrew will not complete his homework.” “At least half my class does not do their homework, consistently.” “I have called the parent...
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by Blaine Helwig
Apr 6, 20182 min read
Why Give Kids’ Homework, Anyway?
As both an elementary classroom teacher and a principal, a few parents each school year have questioned the modern need for nightly...
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by Blaine Helwig
Mar 30, 20183 min read
Student Choice – Empowerment, but with Personal Responsibility
The choices made by students in their behavior have everything to do with their social and academic success in the classroom. Their...
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by Blaine Helwig
Mar 23, 20183 min read
Classroom Rules – Why, How Many and Which Ones?
According to Exodus, Moses climbed Mt. Sinai, and God gifted him the Decalogue – Ten Commandments that provided a foundation of conduct...
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by Blaine Helwig
Mar 2, 20183 min read
Student Engagement – Active versus Passive Learning
You are a public school teacher. You are about half-way through your science or math lesson. The door opens and the principal walks into...
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by Blaine Helwig
Feb 23, 20183 min read
School Culture – What Does It Really Mean?
There are many industry specific words bandied about in public education that all too often, educators possess only a vague definition....
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by Blaine Helwig
Feb 16, 20184 min read
Scoreboards, Performance, Practice and Reflection
The other night I was watching the latest release of ESPN’s 30 for 30 – a remarkable and interesting documentary series highlighting...
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