Sarah Gonser

New York

Managing Editor, Features at Edutopia

managing editor/features @Edutopia

Articles

What to Do When Your Lesson Goes Kaput

3 weeks ago | edutopia.org | Sarah Gonser

Five minutes in, Josh Stock knew his lesson about “theme in literature” was bombing. Not prone to giving up, he powered on while his sixth-grade English Language Arts students began doodling in their notebooks or staring into space. “Some kids were bored. Some didn’t understand what I was talking about. Some just didn’t care to learn that day,” Stock recalls. After 20 minutes, “I threw in the towel.
What to Do When Your Lesson Goes Kaput

3 weeks ago | edutopia.org | Sarah Gonser

Five minutes in, Josh Stock knew his lesson about “theme in literature” was bombing. Not prone to giving up, he powered on, while his sixth-grade ELA students began doodling in their notebooks or staring into space. “Some kids were bored. Some didn’t understand what I was talking about. Some just didn’t care to learn that day,” Stock recalls. After 20 minutes, “I threw in the towel.
How New Teachers Can Set Healthy Emotional Boundaries With Students

Aug 21, 2024 | edutopia.org | Sarah Gonser

Shayla Ewing never had a cavity in her life when, in 2020, she began experiencing intense dental pain. An appointment with her dentist revealed that her teeth were intact, but the English and drama teacher had been clenching her jaw so tightly that serious health symptoms were likely to develop unless she took steps to reduce the work-induced stress and anxiety at the root of the problem.
Big Demands and High Expectations at Success Academy Schools

Aug 16, 2024 | edutopia.org | Sarah Gonser

Evelyn Gonzalez’s first graders sit cross-legged on the rug, backs straight, hands folded in their laps. They’re focused, quiet, eyes tracking the teacher. “Katey had 35 stickers,” Gonzalez reads aloud from the easel pad. Her co-teacher, Sherron Davis, keeps a watchful eye on the group, mouthing no and shooting “the look” when a child wriggles or whispers to a neighbor. “She put five stickers on each page of her sticker book,” Gonzalez continues, approaching the end of the word problem.
2023 in Review, From Your Point of View

Dec 14, 2023 | edutopia.org | Paige Tutt |Andrew Boryga |Sarah Gonser

This year, we’re trying something new. Normally, at the end of the year, we round up our most popular articles, videos, teacher blogs, and social media content and write an article highlighting the top performers. In schools and classrooms, of course, the sum of a year is far greater than a top-10 list of best articles. So to wrap up 2023, we’re taking a look at the big themes that emerged in your comments and conversations across our channels.
What to Do About Increasing Dysregulation in the Early Grades

Aug 25, 2023 | edutopia.org | Sarah Gonser

Teaching our youngest students has never been easy, but the last few years have been a particular challenge. Sidelined and homebound during the pandemic, many young children—deprived of the benefits of steady and formative day care and preschool learning—arrived at school dysregulated, off-task and distracted, and often downright defiant.
How Perfectionism Holds New Teachers Back

Apr 28, 2023 | edutopia.org | Sarah Gonser
How to Engage Students the Moment They Enter the Classroom

Jan 13, 2023 | edutopia.org | Sarah Gonser
For New Teachers, 6 Principles to Remember This School Year

Aug 12, 2022 | edutopia.org | Sarah Gonser
The Qualities of Exceptional Mentor Teachers

Jul 29, 2022 | edutopia.org | Sarah Gonser