I love to learn. I would be the person in college for the rest of my life if I could fit it in with everything else I do. So when I came across Harvard’s open classes, I was in heaven. Several universities, many Ivy League, offer open classes that are free online and can be […]
Posted inInstruction & Curriculum
Dear Principal
Every year when school comes to a close, I feel I must reflect on my own actions and decisions as well as the actions of others on my campus. I understand that it takes an extraordinary kind of leader to navigate the lanes of district mandates, student needs, and teachers wants. This letter is intended […]
Posted inFeatured, From the Front Lines
Losing Sleep Over Charlotte… Danielson, That Is.
It was my first year back to public school. I had spent so many years in alternative ed, special ed, charter and private schools, and I thought this might be my road to retirement. Until I met Charlotte. Actually, I didn’t so much meet her as I was hit over the head by her Framework […]
Posted inHigh School
Graduations, Endorphins, and Persistence
It happens to me every year about this time the feel-good buzz of a school year’s end inevitably changes my outlook about the prior 35 weeks. Happy memories are expressed in end-of-school projects, field trips create great photo ops and lasting bonds, little gifts come from students, and the emotional high of graduation dominates any […]
Posted inFeatured
Am I Enough as a Teacher?
It is the end of the school year and every teacher is utterly exhausted. Yes, all of us. We are proud of our students, but the end of the school year is a trying time. As we finish up the school year, we wonder did we do enough. Are our students ready to move on […]
Posted inKindergarten
Kindergarten Readiness: 10 MORE Things Your Child Should Know
Last week, I explored the academic side of Kindergarten readiness. But school readiness is not all about regurgitating facts because some things just cannot be measured. One child’s brain development differs from another’s, but there are many things that teachers look for that have nothing to do with intelligence. Here are 10 more things to […]
Posted inInstruction & Curriculum
Facilitating vs. Teaching
Facilitating in the classroom is a different bird than teaching in front of the class. When most people think of teaching, they picture an adult standing in front of a classroom giving information to students. That is exactly the picture that I have from my K-12 school days. For many decades, when public education was […]
Posted inCurrent Events in Education
The Bathroom Battle Is Coming to Your School – Are You Ready?
When the U.S. Dept. of Education issued its “Dear Colleague Letter on Transgender Students,” it essentially asserted that transgender bathroom rights will be an issue that schools are expected to solve. This upcoming fall will no doubt make school bathrooms a boiling issue. Will you be ready for it? Schools have not been asked to take up a rights’ issue of this magnitude since Brown […]