TL;DR: Culturally Responsive Teaching goes beyond diversifying the curriculum. It reshapes education by embracing students’ diverse backgrounds, fostering respect, and celebrating cultural differences. CRT emphasizes authentic connections with students, integrating their cultural backgrounds into learning to foster belonging and ownership of their educational journey. CRT promotes equity in education by bridging gaps and nurturing critical thinking and empathy, preparing students … Read More
Think Better: Supporting Students in Times of Stress
TL;DR: Supporting students during times of stress requires a mindful and empathetic approach. Four steps to help students through stressful situations: self-reflection and emotional awareness, understanding the student’s needs and desires, evaluating the environment, and crafting an empathetic response. By practicing these steps, educators can foster emotional well-being, resilience, and growth in students while creating a nurturing and supportive environment. … Read More
Unlocking the Benefits Of Summer Reading
TL;DR: Assigned summer reading is beneficial for students as it promotes continuous learning, enhances vocabulary and language skills, fosters critical thinking, boosts creativity and imagination, and cultivates empathy and understanding. It prevents the “summer slide” and helps students perform better academically when they return to school. Reading during the summer expands knowledge, broadens horizons, and encourages a lifelong love for … Read More
Making Your Mark on Students and on Your Building
TL;DR: Bring inspiration into your classroom to have a positive school year. Build strong positive relationships and guide students to have positive relationships with others. Find ways to contribute to your school and community. As we start the 22-23 school year, we’re all looking for new and innovative ways to make our marks on students, our building, and/or our community. … Read More
Kids Do Better When They Can
TL;DR: Welcome to a new blog series to discuss which practices support students best. Let’s look at the social and emotional skills of our students. Kids do better when they can. Let’s explicitly teach them the skills they need to grow. Be consistent with expectations. Ask for clarification before correcting a student. I’m excited to begin this new journey with … Read More