Ed-Tech Innovation Exchange is Ready for YOU!
Sponsorship Packages September 10-11, 2025 Hyatt Regency Downtown Houston, Texas TALAS’s Education Innovation Exchange (EIE) allows executive leaders to influence the development, refinement, and delivery of the products and […]
3-2-1: On peace of mind, the power of focus, and how to learn faster
3 Ideas From Me
I.
“Praise others. It will bring them peace of mind.
Do not expect others to praise you. It will bring you peace of mind.”
II.
“We often think that we want an open road and the ability to choose any direction for ourselves. But sometimes, what we need is a tunnel that can reduce our choices and send us in a focused direction.”
III.
“The person who learns the most in any classroom is the teacher.
If you really want to learn a topic, then “teach” it. Write a book. Teach a class. Build a product. Start a company.
The act of making something will force you to learn more deeply than reading ever will.”
Healthy Work-Life Boundaries: 4 Tips for Teachers
As we near the first days of a new year, you’re likely inundated with “back to school” emails from admin. Or maybe you’ve noticed the office supplies and backpacks in abundance when you make a Target run.
It may make you want to shut your eyes and pretend that time isn’t marching forward. I mean, didn’t the school year just end?
Even if you’re not ready to go full steam ahead into the new school year, a little gentle planning for the coming months might set your mind at ease a bit. And by gentle planning, I mean creating systems to support your mental health.
From a cell phone ban to Ten Commandments posters, new state laws bring big changes to Texas schools
The 2025 legislative session was transformative for public education in Texas.
Lawmakers approved a $1 billion school voucher program that will let Texas families use taxpayer funds to pay for their children’s private schooling. They invested back into the public school system with a $8.5 billion boost after years of stagnant state funding. In addition, they passed legislation that banned cell phones; barred diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives in K-12 schools; and ordered that they display Ten Commandments posters in classrooms.
Here is a look at some of the biggest changes students, parents and teachers can expect as they return for a new school year:
Support for Phone Bans in Schools Is Growing, but Is It Enough to Help Kids?
New York City educators Vincent Corletta and Meghan Leston both chuckled when they were asked what it was like to teach in schools without cellphone restrictions.
Their reactions were followed by a sigh of relief at the next question: How has life changed since your schools implemented phone bans?
A huge change, they both said, in their classrooms and throughout their schools. Where once TikTok videos were being filmed in school hallways and Instagram Reels watched during instruction, teachers now feel like they “actually have the whole attention of the class,” Corletta said.
The latest look at troubling teacher shortages in 2025
Teacher shortages continue to grow nationwide, with nearly one in eight positions either vacant or staffed by uncertified or unqualified teachers, new research concludes.
Based on available national data, 411,549 teaching positions were either vacant or filled by teachers not fully certified, according to the latest report from the Learning Policy Institute.
More specifically, 48 states plus the District of Columbia employed an estimated 365,967 teachers who are not adequately certified for their roles. Some 45,592 positions were left unfilled.