Raising Outcomes: Dazed & Confused Continues!
Let’s begin our short chat with the reality of the professional world. When I was in my sixth year of teaching in 2001, my principal...
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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
- Jun 12
- 9 min
Teacher Burnout – How to Stop It!
Professional frustration occurs in every job to varying degrees; however, I have never experienced the same levels of isolated...
140 views
by Blaine Helwig
- Mar 6
- 9 min
Autonomy Comes with a Condition!
Several decades ago, I attended an August meeting with the associate superintendent of elementary schools in a large urban school...
187 views
by Blaine Helwig
- Feb 4
- 11 min
Academic Turn-around (MATH) - 'Do What Matters!'
There is a companion white paper to this blog that includes an executive summary. An interested educator may find that short...
150 views
by Blaine Helwig
- Oct 3, 2023
- 5 min
Are You Trainable as an Educator?
Over the last four decades, I have come to realize that a myriad of qualitative evaluations are processed in real time during job...
101 views
by Blaine Helwig
- Sep 19, 2023
- 11 min
Impact of TEA's Open Education Resource - OER
In 2011, Senate Bill (SB) 6 was signed into law, and it permitted Texas school district administrators the freedom to choose their own...
228 views
by Blaine Helwig
- Feb 21, 2023
- 8 min
Transitioning to the Digital/On-Line Testing World
The vast majority of states have moved toward digital standardized testing. They have done this for a couple reasons. First, MONEY! It...
129 views
by Blaine Helwig
- Dec 15, 2022
- 38 min
Math Fact Mastery - Easy to Do!
On July 20th, 1969, mankind demonstrated the ability to place men on the Moon and bring them safely back to Earth. This space journey is...
134 views
by Blaine Helwig
- Sep 27, 2022
- 19 min
So, You Want To Be A Principal???
About twenty-five years ago, I was a passenger in a car returning to Austin. I was part of a three-member structural engineering team on...
84 views
by Blaine Helwig
- Sep 8, 2022
- 7 min
Atomic Habits – Repetition, Mastery, Pedagogy
After years of visiting Title 1 elementary charters and traditional public schools, I am constantly amazed at the minimal number of...
87 views
by Blaine Helwig
- Aug 20, 2022
- 21 min
Solving the Mystery of Poor Student Math Performance
NOPE! The usual suspects of endless blame are not the reason poor academic math results in American public schools. In fact, a...
133 views
by Blaine Helwig
- Feb 7, 2021
- 5 min
Teaching to the Test - A Better Understanding of the Phrase
I have heard the expression – Teaching to the Test – for many years, but I had not deeply considered the thinking behind the phrase until...
395 views
by Blaine Helwig
- Jul 8, 2020
- 3 min
Word Problems: Student Benefits and Effective Teaching Tips
The daily teaching of math word problems is essential if students are to become adept problem solvers. The consistency of a daily routine...
203 views
by Blaine Helwig
- Dec 17, 2019
- 5 min
It’s the Gaps, Stupid! – Part 1
The famous American political phrase, “It’s the economy, stupid” is attributed to James Carville and coined during Bill Clinton's...
82 views
by Blaine Helwig
- Dec 16, 2019
- 7 min
It’s the Gaps, Stupid! – Part 2
Small Gaps Widen to Larger Chasms While hiking the 500-mile-long El Camino in Spain a couple of summers ago, a small pain ensued on the...
81 views
by Blaine Helwig
- Oct 7, 2019
- 3 min
Pick a Number. Any Number. Now - Why is that Number Important?
I am thinking of a two digit number between 30 and 40 that is both an even number and a multiple of 8. Can you guess the number? As...
102 views
by Blaine Helwig
- Oct 25, 2018
- 3 min
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...
64 views
by Blaine Helwig
- Aug 2, 2018
- 4 min
“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...
3,023 views
by Blaine Helwig
- Apr 27, 2018
- 3 min
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...
49 views
by Blaine Helwig
- Feb 9, 2018
- 3 min
Math Word Problems, Skills and Practice: In this Case, it takes Three to Tango!
Math word problems were difficult for me when I was a kid. At the end of thirty or so skill base computation problems on the exercise...
38 views
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