TL;DR: Serving on the board of directors for a state or regional organization is a great way to give back. When organizing a conference, consider who your keynote speaker will be. You will also need to book exhibitors and sponsors. Make sure participants get what they need and know where to go. Ensure that session speakers have everything they need … Read More
Teaching Children to Meditate Makes Sense
TL;DR: Meditation helps students develop emotional regulation. It helps them improve their ability to handle stress or cope with difficult situations and develop empathy and compassion. Regular practice can also help students increase their level of self-awareness. Bring meditation to your students by starting simple. Use visualization techniques, make it a part of your routine, use props to help students … Read More
Having Tough Conversations in Schools
TL;DR: We need to be more comfortable with having tough conversations in schools. Diving deep into the uncomfortable is part of the job of an educator. This year, my school is focusing on developing more equitable practices, which include equitable grading, incorporating equitable dialogue into our curriculum, and addressing behavior issues where students aren’t treating each other equitably or respecting … Read More
Becoming an Instructional Leader
TL;DR: Instructional leaders don’t have all the answers, especially at the beginning. It is important to tap into tools and resources to be an effective instructional leader. How does an educator become an instructional leader? “An instructional leadership mindset includes an intense moral purpose focused on promoting deep student learning, professional inquiry, trusting relationships and seeking evidence in action” (Timperley, … Read More
Show 110: Matt in the Hot Corner
A last-minute guest cancellation led to Ken and Matt pivoting on the spot with a new idea. It turned into a part 2 of 2 episodes with each host in the hot corner. In this show, Matt reflects on his frustrations with assessments. In This Episode: The value of assessments Involving students in the conversation Formative versus summative Help us … Read More