TL;DR: Children need to know that you care about them. Find ways to connect and listen to your students. Greeting students, morning meetings, small talk, and laughter are great ways to connect. As educators, I think we all can agree that we want our students to succeed. We want to see them flourish and thrive. We want them to leave … Read More
Remove the Guardrails: Facilitate a Productive Struggle
TL;DR: Mistakes are essential to experience growth. Support students and facilitate a productive struggle for maximum growth. Challenges: Facilitate a Productive Struggle Mistakes are critical to deepening one’s reflection and becoming available for growth. Challenges are what we need to embrace the core of who we are, and what we could potentially become. Failure does not define us. It refines … Read More
The Power of Quiet Thanks
TL;DR: Show thanks in a quiet and more personal way. Consistently sharing genuine thanks with those around us can help us feel more positive emotions, relish good experiences, deal with adversity, and build strong relationships. Expressing gratitude helps people feel more connected. Make a plan to share. Season of Giving Thanks November is a time when we take a careful … Read More
Read To Your Students (No Matter How Old They Are)
TL;DR: All students benefit from being read to. All content areas can find engaging books to read. Connecting the book to your content makes your subject area AND reading fun! I am a former middle school science teacher. I taught 8th-grade physical science and earth science. Even though I was not an ELA teacher, I read to my students almost … Read More
The 3 C’s of Curriculum Leadership
TL;DR: Our world is changing and we need to stay relevant. Curriculum leaders help us narrow our focus. School leaders should be able to curate resources to help with various situations. Allow student choice. Make sure to have common formative assessments. Our Changing World The world is changing and the rapid pace of change is impacting teaching and learning. A … Read More