TL;DR: Book bans pose challenges for teachers, requiring them to navigate policies and laws while balancing their responsibilities to students. Teachers should familiarize themselves with school policies and relevant laws to understand their options and responsibilities when facing a book ban. Staying informed about current events and book ban developments, preparing alternative materials, advocating for students, and using book bans … Read More
Connecting While Walking and Working
TL;DR: The WALK acronym (Wonder, Assist, Learn, Kindness) provides guidance for enhancing connections while walking and working, particularly for educators. Connecting while walking and working creates opportunities for visibility, accessibility, recognition, and two-way communication, fostering positive interactions and learning experiences. Planning what to read or work on, being aware of how to walk courteously, and considering the use of tools … Read More
Landmines for Instructional Leaders
TL;DR: Instructional leaders must avoid common landmines in their role, such as prioritizing everything as important, lacking clarity in implementation plans, avoiding conflict, focusing solely on data instead of individuals, and dealing with curriculum clutter. To overcome these challenges, instructional leaders should provide clarity and prioritize effectively, embrace healthy conflict for curriculum improvement, balance data-driven decision-making with a focus on … Read More
Reflecting on the Year That’s Passed
TL;DR: Reflect on your professional goals and evaluate your impact on students and staff. Express gratitude to those who have positively influenced you. Identify areas for improvement, celebrate your wins, and continue learning and reflecting on your purpose in education. As you read this, you may have recently finished your school year or will soon finish. In retrospect, you may … Read More
Mental Health Awareness: 3 Key Ways to Be There for Students
TL;DR: Students need to feel visible and cared for. Say “hi” to each student, by name, every day. Educators who do this will create a small, but tangible and meaningful reminder for students that they are visible and cared for. Cheer students on. As educators, we have a wonderful opportunity to show up, demonstrate our interest in them as people, … Read More