Former NFL player and author of Protect Your Peace, Trent Shelton says, “We can’t control what the day brings, but we can control what we bring to the day.” During this unsteady time in education, what can we bring to the day? What can we realistically do? As I was thinking about this month’s Teach Happier blog and considering a … Read More
The Hardships and Highlights of A Middle School Teacher: A Thank You For ALL You Do!
Teaching Middle School is hard. There are layers and layers of developmental science that teach us educators all about the why’s and how’s and when’s and wow’s of adolescence. Socially, new social circles are emerging. Diverse opinions are converging. Physically and emotionally, young emerging adults feel like roller coasters who are operating at unstoppable and slow moving speeds (that often … Read More
How Do I Know If I Am Ready To Lead A PD Session?
TL;DR: Presenting at an education conference or district professional development day can be scary. You are the only one who can tell your story. You can design professional learning that informs, inspires, and invites change. I still remember the first time I led a teacher professional development session. My district had done a call for presenters for a teacher institute … Read More
How Aligned Content Can Boost Student Success
Education is like a complex puzzle, and one of the most important pieces is ensuring that what students learn in the classroom actually aligns with the goals and standards set by schools, districts, and states. This is where aligning our content comes into play. When I say “aligning content” what I mean is creating consistency between curriculum objectives, teaching strategies, … Read More
How AI can support teaching and learning in the classroom.
Artificial intelligence (AI) has made this an interesting time to be in education. As soon as ChatGPT was introduced to the world in November 2022, it had instant implications on the classroom. If you’re like me, you went through a roller coaster of emotions. You saw lots of exciting potential for what it could create and do for you. But … Read More