It is the start of a new year, and I have been thinking about habits and goals that I want to see myself accomplish this year. I started habit tracking last year, and I have been exercising at the gym for 30 minutes a day, reading for at least 20 minutes a day, and doing a Duolingo Spanish lesson each … Read More
Rethinking Teacher Evaluations: Consistency Over Performance
The topic of teacher evaluations often stirs a mix of anxiety and debate among educators. I feel the stress and anxiety in classrooms all around the country. While these assessments aim to measure teaching effectiveness, they tend to (more often than we’d all like to admit) promote a culture of “performance” lessons—special classes designed to impress school leaders. This raises … Read More
Why Black History Belongs in Every Classroom All Year
Why Black History Belongs in Every Classroom Year-Round Despite Black individuals’ profound contributions and enduring legacies throughout history, the full breadth of Black experiences remains underrepresented in many school curricula. This gap denies students a comprehensive education and hinders the opportunity to foster a more inclusive and informed society. To address this disparity, educators must champion the integration of Black … Read More
Do Kindergarten Crafts Really Make a Difference?
Traditional, copycat crafts have long been the norm in most early childhood classrooms and kindergarten classrooms, despite not having any educational or developmental theories to support them. What can be wrong with these adorable, sometimes intricate projects that have have been sent home from preschool and kindergarten classrooms for as long as any of us can remember? Meeting students where … Read More
What would you do with 5 extra minutes in your day?
We are one month in from creating our New Year’s Resolutions. Some of us may have come up with our one word to anchor us in this new year, some inspired by Gretchen Rubin and created 25 in 25 lists, and some of us may have tried to put our goals in the start/stop/continue/consider buckets. Now that it is February, … Read More