Author: Eleanor K. Smith

Eleanor K. Smith is a retired special education teacher. She received her Bachelor’s from Michigan State University in Elementary and Special Education, and her Master’s from the University of Central Florida in Elementary Education with an emphasis in Gifted Education. Her thirty-plus year career in special education included teaching in Texas, Florida, and Maryland. In 2013, she was recognized by the NASA Explorers School Program as a Merit Teacher. She is the author of eight books. Six books featuring "Tex the Explorer," written as Ellie Smith, illustrated by Eyen Johnson. (These are Children's Books, Early Reader, Science Fiction) She is also the author of two books about authentic teaching including "One School's Journey, Further Down the Path" written with Margaret Pastor. (These books tell the story of the journey of the staff at their elementary school as they set down the path to discover how to engage their students using authentic projects.) Catch her blog at: The-Educational-Journey.com

Parents Teaching Authentically

by Eleanor K. Smith, posted in Authentic Teaching, Blog, Uncategorized

I love winter! I love snow! Which may seem strange as I grew up in South Florida. I have just always loved the colder weather. (My mother won’t visit me in Pennsylvania, except during the summer months, so she definitely does not agree with me!)

However, snow does present problems for parents, especially during snow days when the schools are closed. If you are at home with your kids during a snow day, this is a golden opportunity to do some authentic teaching.

Plan and write a schedule for the day. Bake and have your kids read the recipes and measure everything. (Even little ones can find numbers in recipes and count out cups, etc.) Trouble shoot how to walk the dog. Discuss how the snow may be impacting an eldelry neighbor, and make plans to help. Read/research/study some meteorology – why does it snow? Watch the weather on tv – great teaching tool.

Most importantly – practice thinking out loud. We are constantly making decisions, and our thought processes/problem solving skills can be taught authentically by thinking out loud. Talk through what you are thinking, in front of your kids.

And, see ya in June, Mom!

Welcome 2025!

by Eleanor K. Smith, posted in Authentic Project Ideas, Blog, Uncategorized

How in the world is it 2025? I remember the turn of the decade/century/millennium like it was yesterday, and now a quarter of a century has passed!

Once again I would like to thank all of my readers for giving me the opportunity to continue to write about my passion – authentic teaching and learning. This gives me a chance to continue to participate, in a small way, in the profession of education that I am honored to still be a part of.

Staying engaged makes me happy, and is good for my mental health and growth. As we start the new year, a great authentic project would be to somehow engage older folks in your community with your students. This could be a project in itself, or they could assist with another project. Most likely, it would be a combination of both. Older folks are a wealth of information and fantastic volunteers. Win, win for everyone!

Happy New Year!

Holiday Blues

by Eleanor K. Smith, posted in Blog, Social Awareness and Responsibility Skills, Uncategorized

This is the time of year when evidence of the holidays is everywhere. You can’t turn a corner without seeing something holiday related. The television is in full holiday mode with commercials, specials, movies…about the magic of the holiday season.

I have written a great deal about giving to others during the holiday season. However, we also need to remember to take care of ourselves. And, in my humble opinion, the two are connected. If you are alone, or lonely, or the holidays aren’t giving you the holiday glow – try doing something for someone else. You will be surprised how good this makes you feel. Dropping off a simple, inexpensive, or homemade gift will so cheer up someone else, and in return, cheer up yourself!

And don’t forget to show children how important it is to think of others, and how good it will make them feel!

Happy Holidays!

Spreading Joy – Giving Back

by Eleanor K. Smith, posted in Blog, Social Awareness and Responsibility Skills, Uncategorized

This is my favorite time of the year! I love all of the decorations, celebrations, giving, sharing…

This is also the season where I always share a family story…

When I was 12-years-old, my great-grandfather gave me Avon face powder for a holiday gift. Needless to say, I was disappointed by this gift. Instead of lecturing me about being ungrateful, or exchanging the powder for a different gift, my mother agreed that this was not a great gift for a girl my age. She suggested that perhaps there was a woman somewhere, that might not be getting gifts for the holidays, who would appreciate this gift.

This was before the internet, Giving Trees, etc., and it took many phone calls for my mother to find an agency that was collecting gifts for needy families. We ended up “adopting” a family for the holidays. Our whole family picked out gifts for this family. This was a tradition we continued throughout my childhood, and a tradition I continued with my own children, and now my grandchildren.

With the internet, Toys for Tots, Giving Trees… There are so many ways for children to become authentically engaged in the spirit of the holidays. Children can be given examples of ways to make the holidays special for others, can choose to engage in these activities/organizations, or come up with new authentic ideas.

Happy December! Happy Authentic Teaching!

Authentic Teaching vs Authentic Projects

by Eleanor K. Smith, posted in Authentic Teaching, Books for Teachers, Uncategorized

Every once in awhile, I feel a need to revisit what constitutes an authentic project. An authentic project starts with a driving question, or a photo, a class discussion, a current event… Something triggers discussion. From there, you and the class investigate. This is all part of authentic teaching and learning. It may stop there. Lack of interest, information, motivation…

If you and the class decide to pursue this topic, it can lead to an authentic project. You decide as a group, how to pursue this. What you decide now may change, and hopefully will, that is authenticity. Different students might want to pursue different angles on this project. That is what you want. You are still in charge, you are driving discussion, and even more importantly, listening to and guiding your students.

Meanwhile, you, as the educator, are processing how to tie your curriculum goals into where the class is headed. Sounds daunting, but remember, your students are engaged and motivated, so you have the mental space to look for all the curriculum opportunities. Trust me, take the leap, this works!

This is a very simplified introduction to something I strongly believe in. Just a reminder, I am very proud of my book, written with my former and forever principal, Peggy Pastor. One School’s Journey, Further Down the Path, is an entertaining and easy read (I am not biased – OK I am) that explains authentic teaching and learning. It is available on Amazon, both in print and on Kindle. I am not pushing this book to make money, any money we make from this book, we both donate to The Jared Box Project, another passion of mine. I truly believe in authentic teaching and learning, and am passionate about getting this information out!

One School’s Journey, Further Down the Path by Eleanor K. Smith and Margaret Pastor

Available on Amazon

Tis the Season to Give Back

by Eleanor K. Smith, posted in Blog, Social Awareness and Responsibility Skills, Uncategorized

From the book Tex the Explorer and The Jared Box Project

Illustration by Eyen Johnson

As many of you know, I am passionate about two things, authentic teaching, and The Jared Box Project. These two things work together perfectly, when you are authentically teaching about giving. It is so important all year, but especially this time of year, to remember to give back.

Jared McMullen was diagnosed with an incurable brainstem tumor in 1999. He carried a backpack full of toys and games to all appointments and questioned why the other children didn’t bring toys to their exam rooms. Jared shared his toys and invited the other children to join him in a game of UNO. At just 5 years old, he demonstrated faith, wisdom and compassion for others.

Jared’s classmates sought to honor his memory and created boxes filled with toys for the patients at their local hospital. What was intended as a one-time project has grown into a nonprofit that reaches into the hearts of children and their families across all 50 US States, and also internationally.

I did a presentation last year at a special education school. These children had a great deal on their plate, but all engaged and enjoyed making Jared Boxes. They already earned credit at their school store (for task completion and behavior), and during the Jared Box Project (the name of the project and a project!) they used their credit to buy items for the Jared Box that they were going to make. The students were all engaged, proud, learning, and eager to share their finished boxes.

For more information about The Jared Box Project visit TheJaredBox.org

Tex the Explorer and The Jared Box Project

by Eleanor K. Smith, posted in Blog, Books for Children, Social Awareness and Responsibility Skills, Uncategorized

We have officially finished the award season for Tex the Explorer and The Jared Box Project. Eyen and I have been overwhelmed with the awards this book has earned.

We are so honored that we were asked to help tell Jared’s story, and to help spread the word about The Jared Box Project. The material we were given to work with was award winning.

2023 Mom’s Choice Awards® Silver Recipient

2023 indieBRAG® Medallion Winner

2023 Royal Dragonfly Book Awards Winner

2023 Chanticleer International Book Awards Semi-Finalist

2023 Story Monsters Approved®

2024 Book Excellence Award Finalist

2024 Next Generation Indie Book Awards Finalist

2024 Eric Hoffer Award Nominated

2024 Purple Dragonfly Book Awards Winner

2024 Global Ebook Awards Gold and Silver Medals

2024 International Impact Book Awards Winner

2024 The BookFest® Book Awards Second Place

2024 Best Book Awards Finalist

Authentic Project Ideas – Zoos

by Eleanor K. Smith, posted in Authentic Project Ideas, Blog, Uncategorized

One of our young granddaughters is a raccoon fanatic. She loves, adores, lives, and breathes raccoons. Her local zoo just got a raccoon exhibit. Her reaction was akin to suddenly arriving at Disney World!

This got me thinking about animals in zoos. For young learners, zoos are a wealth of authentic project ideas. And many zoos have ways to visit many exhibits virtually. Which reminds me of when my class logged into the camera in the polar bear exhibit in an Alaskan Zoo. It was pitch black when we logged in, which made me think the camera was broken. Bummer. It was actually one of my students who realized that as it was early morning where we were on the east coast of the United States, it was still the middle of the night in Alaska! Authentic Teaching Moment!

But I digress… Zoos are a wealth of authentic topics. Learning about animals and habitats. Protected Animals. Endangered animals. Taking care of different animals. And students can pick an animal of interest to further investigate. My favorite is definitely the giraffe!

Back to the raccoons. I did wonder where the raccoons came from. Turns out they were rescue animals. This would be a great authentic project for older students. Where do zoos get their animals from? What is in place in different countries to protect animals in zoos? What organizations exist nationally and world-wide to protect zoo animals?

And in case you are wondering, I love giraffes, but their tongues are disgusting!

Authentic Project Ideas – Pumpkins

by Eleanor K. Smith, posted in Authentic Project Ideas, Blog, Uncategorized

Wow, that is a lot of different types of pumpkins!  Or are some gourds?  How many different types of pumpkins are there? What is the difference between a pumpkin and a gourd? Where do pumpkins grow?  Why are they used in “fall holidays?”

What are all the different ways pumpkins are traditionally used in the fall?  Are pumpkins used in different ways in different countries? What are some untraditional uses for pumpkins? (Think pumpkin chunkin.)

Create a booklet about pumpkins.  Write a story.  Create a chart.  Graph pumpkin sizes.  Grow pumpkins! Bake with Pumpkins! Photo journal, scrapbook…

*If you end up baking pumpkin cookies with cream cheese frosting, please don’t tell me about it. I just lost 10 pounds, and I will gain it back just thinking about those cookies!

Authentic Project Ideas – Advertising

by Eleanor K. Smith, posted in Authentic Project Ideas, Blog, Uncategorized

I was going to write a blog about aviation, with the driving question being, “how in the world do these huge things fly?” But when I looked at the photo I took of the plane taking off, I realized I caught something authentic in the picture. The Alaska Airlines plane in the foreground is a flying advertisement for Disneyland!

So new question, “why would a company put their ad on the outside of a plane?” It’s not like the people inside will see it. Who is the target audience? Do you think the ad is worth what Disney paid to paint the plane this way. I can imagine this wasn’t cheap!

Open an ad agency in your classroom. What would you like to advertise? (Curriculum tie-in here?) How would you advertise this? Think outside the box! Disney certainly did – or in the case – outside the plane!