Why Does Failure Continue?
I find the title of this blog interesting because as humans – I would hope that when folks perform poorly at some manageable task or...
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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
- Oct 12
- 4 min
Instructional Coaches - What do they do all day?
Organizing large groups of people to efficiently complete any complex human task is challenging. In antiquity, for example, the Giza...
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by Blaine Helwig
- Oct 4
- 4 min
New Teachers Must Control Three (3) Vital Areas
Every person, conscious of the fact or not, strives for ‘control’ of events in their immediate sphere of influence. ‘Control’ affords...
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by Blaine Helwig
- Oct 2
- 15 min
Bilingual Acquisition – Language Learning Tips
Due to age and perspective, adults immediately recognize that the mastery of a second language is an incredibly pragmatic and useful...
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by Blaine Helwig
- Sep 27
- 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...
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by Blaine Helwig
- Sep 8
- 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...
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by Blaine Helwig
- Aug 20
- 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...
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by Blaine Helwig
- Aug 14, 2021
- 4 min
‘Fix’ Fluency --- or, Comprehension ‘Breaks Down!’
Word fluency will drive comprehension proficiency since the students can read and not deplete their ‘CPU’ trying to decipher the most...
276 views0 comments
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...
258 views2 comments
by Blaine Helwig
- Aug 13, 2020
- 6 min
Effective Daily Classroom Management – Come Rain or Shine!
Half a century ago, my father, older brother and I watched a herd of horses driven into a rectangular corral from an open field. My father w
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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...
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by Blaine Helwig
- Feb 12, 2020
- 3 min
Baiting Educators for an Emotional Response
Happens far too frequently in our public schools. A student will use profanity or do something outrageous to get an emotional response...
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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...
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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...
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by Blaine Helwig
- Aug 29, 2019
- 3 min
Align, Teach, Practice and Do Well!
A middle distance runner competing in a 3,200 meter or 5 kilometer race practices and trains differently than a long distance runner...
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by Blaine Helwig
- Jul 12, 2019
- 3 min
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, 2019
- 4 min
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
- Nov 28, 2018
- 4 min
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!...
81 views0 comments
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...
51 views0 comments
by Blaine Helwig
- Oct 12, 2018
- 3 min
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...
55 views0 comments