TL;DR: Navigate your self-care through the 3 ships: relationships, leadership, and partnerships. Teachers are more stressed, overwhelmed, and past the point of burnout than ever before. Implementing self-care is something that needs to be done proactively and often. When I first started on my maiden voyage into education, our school had a part-time wellness coordinator. As a stipended paraprofessional, her … Read More
Reinventing Student/Teacher Conferencing in 2021
TL;DR: The purpose of conferencing is generally to discuss a student’s strengths and weaknesses. A structure for effective conferencing with large classes is shared. Questions to ask during conferences can include: What are your questions? In what way can I help you? What will you improve on? Unfortunately, while I had some great teachers in the past (both K-12 and post-secondary), … Read More
Never Too Old For Play
TL;DR: “Play” is an activity that one chooses to do and that brings that person enjoyment. Play looks different for everyone. What might be considered play for someone might be work for another, and vice versa. Another teacher/friend talks to me about play! Marie McCumber is a teacher of 5th graders at the Ohio State School for the Blind. … Read More
Riding the Waves of Change
TL;DR: Change is inevitable. We should welcome the changes to the way we approach curriculum, instruction, and assessment. Those in the education world should research, ask good questions, and include all the various stakeholders who live and interact with the experiences on the frontlines. We need to make teaching and learning practices more accessible for students and families. The Crashing … Read More
Developing School Culture No Matter Who You Are
TL;DR: When hiring new staff, consider those who move your vision forward. Non-teaching staff members (counselors, librarians, paraprofessionals, custodians, etc.) play a big role in developing school culture. Parents and community members are vital to the building of school culture. My assistant principal is involved in a book study for a book that is based on the premise that you … Read More
