TL;DR: Models are a great way to determine student understanding of content. Use exemplars to inspire students to do great things. Encourage students to let their passions fuel their creativity, and give them lots of loose parts to experiment with. Provide expectations, but let students determine how they rise to those expectations. Student Designed Models I am big on student … Read More
What Education Could Be
TL;DR: Education has evolved so much over the years, including busing, school meals, accommodations, and more. Imagine what education could be if we stopped placing limits on it. This post shares a hypothetical ideal world for education. How We Got Here The 14th Amendment required states to set up a public school system. That was in 1868, 153 years ago … Read More
Teachers Need the SEL Approach Too
TL;DR: Struggling through depression made me feel lost and alone. Remote learning started to help me heal and become myself again. SEL is important for adults, too. I have been meaning to find a way to settle down to write this blog. It has taken me some time to overcome my own anxiety issues, both personal and professional. After my … Read More
Ideas to Commemorate World Kindness Day
TL;DR: World Kindness Day is November 13th. There are many ways you can bring kindness lessons into your classroom. Discussing what it looks like to be kind, random acts of kindness, and kindness cards are a few ideas you can incorporate. Did you know that Saturday, November 13th is World Kindness Day? Since you likely have no school on a … Read More
ISJ and ISNB Introduction
TL;DR: Science is a messy process that leads to understanding. Students need to learn and appreciate the messy process in addition to the end result. Interactive science journals (ISJ) and interactive science notebooks (ISNB) are tools that will help students understand the difference between the process and the end result. “Take chances, make mistakes, get MESSY!” – Ms. Frizzle, The … Read More