Blogs You’ve studied the text and online modules, explored videos and resources. Reflecting on your professional practice, you’ve poured your ideas into your assignments. You click “submit” and upload your coursework for evaluation. Now you await personalized feedback from your course evaluator….but have you ever wondered WHO those folks reading your coursework really are? Let’s take a peek behind the computer screen and learn more about the dedicated educators grading your assignments!
All Teaching Channel course evaluators are experienced educators with a Master’s degree and at least 5 years experience in Pre-K through 12th grade schools. Our team includes classroom teachers, specialists, counselors, social workers, special and gifted educators, and English language learner teachers from across the country. Their knowledge and enthusiasm about course topics enables them to share additional resources and ideas beyond those provided in the course. Most evaluators are full-time educators too, with in-depth knowledge of current trends in education that they love to share with students.
Now that you know a bit about our team, let’s hear from the evaluators themselves to learn what they love about this work and tips for students taking our courses.
What is your favorite thing about being a Teaching Channel evaluator?
“Interacting with educators around the world! I gain new ideas and insights regularly.”
—Jamie, Evaluator for 5249: Support for Students in Behavioral Crisis
“My favorite thing about being a Teaching Channel evaluator is getting to connect with and learn from educators with a wide variety of experiences!”
—Jake, Evaluator for Fast Track Course 5413: Stress Strategies for a Healthy Life
“My favorite thing about being a Teaching Channel evaluator is being inspired by the great minds of educators all over the country. I enjoy reading about the various roles, experiences, and takeaways teachers are gaining from the courses I evaluate. The tasks are relevant, helpful, and applicable to the work teachers do daily. I also enjoy the flexibility of working on grading before school or in the evening after work. I have gained so many ideas, that it feels like I’m collaborating with a plethora of educators.”
—Tamara, Evaluator for 5212: A Closer Look st Dyslexia, Dysgraphia, Dyscalculia
“My favorite thing about being a Teaching Channel evaluator is that I get to read through the work of so many professionals; which inspires me both professionally and personally. I have learned so much from educators’ submissions and value the work that I do!”
—Amie, Evaluator for 5237: Tools for Today’s School Counselors and 5845: Grief and Your Students: Honoring, Sharing, Healing
“In this role as an evaluator, you have the opportunity to provide meaningful professional learning to your colleagues across the country. Helping educators improve their craft to benefit their students is a fulfilling feeling!”
—Travis, Evaluator for 5535: Coaching Athletes for Character and 5548: Enhancing Physical Education with Technology Tools
What advice would you give to an educator taking our courses?
“The advice I would give to an educator taking courses with Teaching Channel is to fully engage and participate in the learning experience. Take advantage of the resources and support available, and don’t be afraid to ask questions and collaborate with fellow educators. The more you invest in your own growth, the more you’ll get out of the courses and give back to the world of education!”
—Anwar, Evaluator for 5259: MTSS for Student Success and 5121: Bringing Distance Learning to Life with Equity and Humanity
“Set aside enough time before the end of the session to ensure that you are not trying to rush to finish. Make sure that you are creating resources/lessons/etc. that are relevant to your teaching situation. We want you to be able to use what you learn in these courses and apply them to your classroom. Take time to reflect on your current teaching practices and how you can implement the strategies, resources, tips, and techniques to improve your instruction.”
—Kayla, Evaluator for 5025: Making Content Accessible for Your English Language Learners
“My advice to educators taking our courses is to embrace the learning journey with an open mind and a proactive approach. Engage actively with the course materials and apply what you learn in your own teaching context. Don’t hesitate to ask questions or seek clarification when needed. Most importantly, enjoy the process of expanding your knowledge and enhancing your teaching skills!”
—Paige, Evaluator for 5118: The Keys to a Connected Google Classroom and 5838: The Challenging Child: Strategies for the Early Childhood Classroom
“Relax. We aren’t trying to crush you or overwhelm you with busy work. Make the course work for you, don’t work for the course. In other words, when you create content, create something you can actually use and not just as a grade for the course.”
—Nate, Evaluator for 5835: Create and Captivate: Using Online Presentations to Teach and 970: Math Works: Teaching Math with the Brain in Mind
What do you love about our educator students?
“I’ve gained a true sense of awe and pride in the teaching profession. Since becoming an evaluator…over 7 years ago, I’ve been able to view the work and reflections of thousands of teachers worldwide. Everyone has displayed a passion for the art and craft of teaching as well as continual improvement. All the teachers I’ve worked with are truly working for the students.”
—David, Evaluator for 5833: One Stop Shop: Online Docs, Spreadsheets, Slides, and Forms for Your Classroom and Integrating Computational Thinking and Coding Across the Curriculum
“It is so impressive to reflect upon the initiative of the educator students that take our courses! It is clear that they want to increase their ‘teaching toolkit’ in order to engage students in the learning process in an equitable and interactive manner. It is clear that our students care about their students and that they are driven to find ways to make their lessons more effective and fun.”
—Heather, Evaluator for 5262: Innovative Makerspaces for All Students, and 5588: Choosing the Right Tech Tools for Your Classroom
“I love how hard-working and thoughtful our student educators are. I am constantly finding ideas in their work that I had not previously thought of, or lesson ideas that I will use in my own classroom.”
—Jason, Evaluator for 5539: Exploring the Multidimensional Complexities of War
“I love that the students are conscientious, eager to learn, and driven.”
—Abbie, Evaluator for 5683: Teach Like a Champ: Effective Strategies for an Engaged Classroom
“There are many wonderful attributes of our educator students. I love the way they approach the courses with a growth mindset. It truly demonstrates that, as educators, we are always learning. Educator students create informative, creative artifacts that are engaging for their audiences.”
—Nicole, Evaluator for 5544: A Guide to Oppositional Behavior Disorder (ODD) and Similar Behavioral Challenges
Do you have a favorite or “can’t miss” course that you would recommend to a colleague?
“My favorite “can’t miss” course is the Fake News course, 5122: Teaching Media Literacy in a Fake News World. I think this is one of the most relevant and necessary courses for educators to help their students become media literate and well-informed members of society. The modules, videos, and applications are interactive and the final products are practical and useful immediately.”
—Rachel, Evaluator for 5122: Teaching Media Literacy in a Fake News World, 5133: Project-Based Learning for the Digital Age, and our Personalized Continuing Education Courses
“I would absolutely recommend course OL 5269 Building Comprehension with the Science of Reading. This course has received fantastic feedback from educators in all areas of teaching and targets the comprehension strands of Scarborough’s Reading Rope. Many teachers are familiar with the Decoding components of the rope, but not the comprehension strands. This course puts all the pieces together!”
—Elizabeth, Evaluator for 5269: Building Comprehension with the Science of Reading and 5275: Refresh Your Language Classroom with Active Learning
“The favorite course that I am evaluating is my game-based course. I am a big believer in game-based education and I feel that it can make the classroom a rewarding and fun place to be. It helps learners to understand how to scaffold instructions for multi-language learners at the same time providing excellent strategies for incorporating gamification and game-based learning in the classroom.”
—Elizabeth, Evaluator for 5504: Teaching with Games for Multilingual Learners and 5532: Culturally Responsive Teaching in the Special Education Classroom
Read what our educator students have to say about their evaluators:
| “Wow! Course material and evaluator are all top notch! Thank you!” |
| “I appreciated that the evaluator took time to provide specific feedback to the work I submitted. It continued to support my work.” |
| “He gave great feedback and recommended other resources that would be helpful.” |
| “The course evaluator provided very positive and helpful feedback quickly on each module. She even included a lot of great additional ideas and information.” |
| “My evaluator always had thoughtful and thorough feedback for each of my assignments. She validated my views and offered suggestions for ways I can extend my learning to others within my school and beyond as an advocate for play in early education and older.” |
| “They responded thoughtfully and in a timely manner. I loved the recommendations of other resources to look at, too!” |
Now that you’ve had a look behind the scenes at Teaching Channel, you can rest assured that your coursework is in good hands! Evaluators are curious and empathetic, and they truly appreciate you and your contributions to education. As lifelong learners, they’re eager to explore the resources and ideas that you share. So, the next time you’re staring at a blinking cursor on a blank page, struggling to complete that module, just remember—your evaluators are cheering you on and can’t wait to hear what you have to say!
