“Tough” Love: The Risks, Rewards, and Resilience of Teaching At-Risk Kids

Andrea BitnerBlog, Connect Better, Engage Better, Manage Better

TL;DR: Working with at-risk students takes a desire to understand who they are. A revelation of working with at-risk students: They don’t mean it. They don’t see it and don’t realize what they are doing. Developmentally, they may not be able to see you. Ruby Payne’s book “A Framework for Understanding Poverty” helps us see “hidden rules” and how they … Read More

Connecting Our EL Students Across the Community

Andrea BitnerBlog, Connect Better, Differentiate Better, Engage Better, Lead Better

TL;DR: EL students can feel very isolated and overwhelmed in school. Bringing EL students together can help them feel less alone. As educators, we need to find ways to give them a sense of community. Connect the dots to see the bigger picture when connecting our EL students across the country. Connecting Our EL Students Across the Community: Flying Solo … Read More

Unmasking the Fears of Communicating with EL Parents

Andrea BitnerBlog, Connect Better, Differentiate Better, Engage Better, Manage Better

TL;DR: أهلا بك…欢迎…bienvenido….welcome! We can empower ourselves and improve relationships by taking action to empower our EL parents. Learn the preferred language spoken at home for EL parents. Below are three great translation resources you can access to help communicate with EL parents rather than asking a family friend or sibling to help communicate. “Andrea, you HAVE to be at … Read More