TL;DR: The beginning of the school year gives us an opportunity for a fresh start. Instead of a negative mindset, identify student’s passions and interests, and how we utilize those to empower students. We can have some fresh mindsets about unmotivated students, lack of support at home, and students without a dominant language. Mindsets to embrace are linguistic inclusivity, want … Read More
Why I’ll Never Go Back to “Normal”
TL;DR: Distance learning helped us connect. Rather than going “back to normal,” educators can take all of the things learned during COVID to make positive changes going forward. Why I’ll Never Go Back to “Normal” I won’t lie to you. There were days last year that I taught in pajama pants, shoes-off, with a cat in my lap. Days where … Read More
Tiny Teachers: Roots of Empathy
TL;DR: Love builds brains and bridges, as well as grows emotional literacy. This post is the first of a new blog series – Better News. The post features @RootsofEmpathy! Roots of Empathy (ROE) is a classroom-focused social and emotional literacy program. It leverages the influence of local families and their babies. Children also have an immeasurable influence in the lives … Read More
Episode #45: Jessica Cabeen
Jessica Cabeen was named the 2017 Minnesota Principal of the Year. Jessica is the Principal of Ellis Middle School in Austin, Minnesota. She is the author of “Leading with Grace”, “Hacking Early Learning”, “Unconvential Leadership” & co-author of “Balance like a Pirate”. Follow Jessica on Twitter/IG @jessicacabeen & FB: principalinbalance Visit her website: www.jessicacabeen.com to sign up for her monthly … Read More
Episode #46: Alexis Shepard
Alexis Shepard (aka The Afro Educator) is a 10th year educator in Upstate, South Carolina, with both middle level and elementary experience. After multiple encounters with burn-out, a desire to take steps towards self-care led to the creation of her brand, #TheAfroEducator. Originally intended to facilitate connections with like-minded educators, a passion was ignited in Alexis to empower teachers towards … Read More