Long Standing Traditions at School

Tim StephensonBlog, Connect Better, Engage Better, Reflect Better

TL;DR: Creating school-wide experiences for students beyond the classroom makes school an enriched place to be. When you have an idea, have the courage to follow through with the idea. Enjoy reading a poem written for the whole school as part of a performance. The first year I did this was 2005. The staff at school was wondering about whether … Read More

‘Twas the Night Before Teaching

Sara JesseeBlog, Connect Better, Manage Better, Teach Happier

TL;DR:  This post shares a poem that encompasses what goes through a teacher’s mind on a daily basis. ‘Twas the Night Before Teaching ‘Twas the night before teaching when all through my mind, No positive utterance of self-talk could I find. My briefcase was slung by the front door downstairs; Inside—tomorrow’s lesson—planned with great care.   I was s’posed to … Read More

The Best Gift Is You

Tim StephensonBlog, Connect Better, Engage Better, Reflect Better

TL;DR: This post shares a yearly tradition to write a poem for staff and students on the last day of the school year before winter break as encouragement and to build community. I thought I would share with you, for this month’s blog, a poem I wrote for my school’s students and teachers. This is something I started doing back … Read More

Celebrate Poetry: What Will Your Verse Be?

Teach Better TeamBlog, Engage Better, Lesson Plan Better

TL;DR: Poetry offers students an access point into language. Spoken and written word have the power to foster conversation, liberation, and increase student voice. Poetry instruction that is multimodal (spoken word, video, and audio) increases engagement and can be a great way to delve into social justice topics in the classroom. It’s OK to just celebrate poetry without feeling intimidated … Read More

Pause.

BreAnn FennellBlog, Reflect Better, Self Care Better

TL;DR: Traditions were broken all around the world due to the global pandemic. Next year, we can repair the traditions that 2020 took from us, or we can recreate new ones for our families. BreAnn presses pause on her Play Better series this month to share a poem reflecting on the importance of tradition. Pause.  My husband’s grandma passed away. When I … Read More