Posted inElementary School, Featured, From the Front Lines, Kindergarten, Principals' Corner

To The Depths of Darkness and Back: A Personal Lesson

Have you ever doubted you’re doing the right thing? If all your time spent teaching was actually worth it? If you were really having an impact on students? Does this profession provide you a way to light others’ candles? Or do you find you’re burning so much that you’re doing nothing but burning your candle […]

Posted inFeatured, Instruction & Curriculum, Literacy

Tackling the Infamous Research Paper: 4 Tips to Help Struggling Students Succeed

It’s that time again when  teachers across America take out their MLA Handbooks, their endless supplies of index cards and sources and assign the infamous research paper. In response, students groan and complain and many try to get out of the assignment but in the end the research paper “stands” and the student is the […]

Posted inCharter Schools, Current Events in Education, Featured, Middle School

Politics As Usual – Pt.1 (Charter School Diaries #12)

Week 3/25-3/29 [fusion_builder_container hundred_percent=”yes” overflow=”visible”][fusion_builder_row][fusion_builder_column type=”1_1″ background_position=”left top” background_color=”” border_size=”” border_color=”” border_style=”solid” spacing=”yes” background_image=”” background_repeat=”no-repeat” padding=”” margin_top=”0px” margin_bottom=”0px” class=”” id=”” animation_type=”” animation_speed=”0.3″ animation_direction=”left” hide_on_mobile=”no” center_content=”no” min_height=”none”] In any job, there is always office politicking going on. In public education, district-wide politicking is the norm. The cycle is never ending. Policymakers are pressured by parents who […]

Posted inFeatured, Instruction & Curriculum

Listening with Empathy—Can You Hear the Growth?

“I like to listen. I have learned a great deal from listening carefully. Most people never listen.” –Ernest Hemingway.  [fusion_builder_container hundred_percent=”yes” overflow=”visible”][fusion_builder_row][fusion_builder_column type=”1_1″ background_position=”left top” background_color=”” border_size=”” border_color=”” border_style=”solid” spacing=”yes” background_image=”” background_repeat=”no-repeat” padding=”” margin_top=”0px” margin_bottom=”0px” class=”” id=”” animation_type=”” animation_speed=”0.3″ animation_direction=”left” hide_on_mobile=”no” center_content=”no” min_height=”none”] Spring is here; too bad Mother Nature has not listened to that […]

Posted inCharter Schools, Current Events in Education, Featured, High School, Opinion, Principals' Corner, School Improvement

Ready or Not? (Charter School Diaries #8)

Week – 2/25 – 3/1 What do you do when you’re a teacher and there is poor instructional leadership capability amongst the administrators within your building or within your district? Usually, if you are in a school and/or district where there is a lack of instructional leaders, there is an overabundance of procedural leaders – […]

Posted inCommon Core, Opinion, Principals' Corner, Uncategorized

In Texas, Progress; But the Fight Continues

This is a cross-post from EdGator.com. [fusion_builder_container hundred_percent=”yes” overflow=”visible”][fusion_builder_row][fusion_builder_column type=”1_1″ background_position=”left top” background_color=”” border_size=”” border_color=”” border_style=”solid” spacing=”yes” background_image=”” background_repeat=”no-repeat” padding=”” margin_top=”0px” margin_bottom=”0px” class=”” id=”” animation_type=”” animation_speed=”0.3″ animation_direction=”left” hide_on_mobile=”no” center_content=”no” min_height=”none”] I got involved in the scrap over education two years ago when I wrote an epistle known as “The Alamo Letter” to my state legislators. […]