Amanda Ronan is an Austin-based writer. After many years as a teacher, Amanda transitioned out of the classroom and into educational publishing. She wrote and edited English, language arts, reading, and social studies content for grades K-12. Since becoming a full-time writer, Amanda has worked with a diverse set of clients, ranging from functional medicine doctors to design schools to moving companies. She blogs, writes long-form articles, and pens YA and children's fiction. Her first YA series, My Brother is a Robot, is slated for release by Scobre Educational Press in September 2015.

 


5 Things to Know Before Making the Transition from Teaching General Education to Special Education

Before 1975, the history of special education in this country was one where students with disabilities were not guaranteed access to free, appropriate public education in the United States. In many cases, students with physical, mental, and learning disabilities were suspended and expelled from public school districts that didn’t have the training or desire to educate them.

5 Great Resources to Help Teach About the Election

The Presidential elections in the United States are an exciting, yet contentious time. Every four years on the first Tuesday held after the first Monday in the month of November, American voters go to the polls. For months before the actual election, debates, primaries, and caucuses are held to introduce the people to the candidates who intend to run for the highest office in the United States.

Eventually, each political party decides on its official nominee. Though people can run as third-party or write-in candidates, the Presidential debates have almost always been between the Republican and Democratic nominees (the only exception to this being in 1992 when Ross Perot garnered high enough polling numbers to be invited).

Take it Outside: 6 Ways to Use Nature in Your Lessons

July was Park and Recreation Month and we couldn’t think of a better way to continue the celebration than to suggest a few ways that you can move your lessons from the classroom to the great outdoors. We know our students don’t spend enough time outside, yet three-quarters of students in one survey said they had “little to no access to nature through school.”  

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