TL;DR: This post shares a poem that encompasses what goes through a teacher’s mind on a daily basis. ‘Twas the Night Before Teaching ‘Twas the night before teaching when all through my mind, No positive utterance of self-talk could I find. My briefcase was slung by the front door downstairs; Inside—tomorrow’s lesson—planned with great care. I was s’posed to … Read More
Be Prepared
TL;DR: It isn’t enough to just have more substitutes; we need better substitutes. Substitutes, teachers, and administrators can all work to be better prepared. The Case for Better Subs Substitute teacher. Guest teacher. Sub. Whatever you call them or know them as, they are a crucial part of the education system. This year especially, as the world continues to grapple … Read More
Calling All Superheroes: How to Rescue Our EL Students in a New School
TL;DR: Superheroes work best when they have a plan and a team. This post shares 10 questions to consider and get answers to when working with new EL students. How to Rescue Our EL Students in a New School POW! What do we do now? When Hua arrived at our school last week, many of our teaching teams were in … Read More
Rule-Breakers & Risk-Takers
TL;DR: We’ve noticed recently how often adults don’t follow the rules. Treat students with compassion when they break rules. We ought to produce a generation of ‘risk-takers’ who understand how to analyze their decisions and understand consequences. Uncharted Territory School has just moved back on-campus for us despite a bloom of COVID cases. It feels like we’re entering unchartered territory … Read More
The Gift of Contribution
TL;DR: There are so many ways we can contribute to the communities we find ourselves in. We will dive into these questions: How do you add value by your presence? And how do you add value through your words and actions? How much value do you add and how can you add more? How often do we show we value … Read More