TL;DR: Sometimes it is difficult to fully recognize where the dividing line is between work and home. Summers are meant to rejuvenate, reconnect, and reflect. When you start to dread going back, reflect on the goodness present in teaching. After finishing another long year of teaching, one of the most challenging since 2020, you may ask yourself: Is it worth … Read More
Summer Reflections: Best Practices
TL;DR: Relationships you build with your students go beyond the classroom. Research-based best practices are worth the extra effort. It is not enough to know your content, you have to know how to teach it. As I write this blog, it is mid July, and for me, that is the sweet spot during the summer. Enough time has passed to … Read More
Teaching Collaboration and Communication
TL;DR: How do students know if they’re doing a great job collaborating? Directly teach students what collaboration looks like. Share feedback with them throughout their class through glows and grows or a rubric. Embed practice into your lessons. Prized Classroom Possession My most prized classroom possession may not be what you’d assume. It’s not a document camera, SmartBoard, or other … Read More
5 Leadership Skills to Thrive In a VUCA World
TL;DR: The world we live in is VUCA (Volatile, Uncertain, Complex, and Ambiguous). This post shares 5 leadership skills educators need to thrive in a VUCA world. Remember to support one another. Be ready to face the unknown with flexibility. Address the repairable systems. Clarify communication. We live in a VUCA world. VUCA stands for Volatile, Uncertain, Complex, and Ambiguous. … Read More
Choosing Not to Look Back
TL;DR: Looking back at the past can change who we are. Hope was the one word chosen for 2022—a message of hope that we can connect with each other. I know that I am not alone when I say good riddance to 2021. This past year and a half, the country was torn apart, other perspectives were not accepted, the … Read More