Clik here to view.
A Mission To Learn
Every school year I write a mission statement for myself. This year, my position may have changed, but my passion is just the same. I’ll keep learning. I’ll never ask someone else to do something...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Making Change Happen
Everyone talks about “needing change” in education. We all know the parts that are bad, I don’t need to repeat them here. We know what’s not working, we have schools filled with great people who know...
View ArticleClik here to view.
It’s Not Always Easy, But It’s Learning
Life is really just a series of stories that strengthen our understanding. This day? I can remember being at the lakeshore, and she was insistent on getting to the water, and stepping in. I wanted to...
View ArticleClik here to view.
You Are What You Share
I’ve been looking at lots of schools social media accounts. What do I see a majority of? Sports scores. Football team announcements. Cross Country meet results. I can’t help but wonder, are sports...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Something Magical
In the past two months, my entire life has changed. I moved to a new state. I lost my grandma. My daughter started a new school and my husband started work in a new location. I said goodbye to...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Power Up Projects
We live, and teach, in an amazing time. Projects that we’ve all tried in the classroom can be made even more meaningful through the power of technology and connecting learners on a global level. 1.)...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Through Their Lenses
Different thinking. is ‘different’ allowed in most schools? By allowed, I mean supported. Is thinking outside the box accepted, or even better, is it encouraged? Are we so caught up in bubbling...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Clik here to view.
The Decisive Element
In our excitement, they find motivation. In our kindness, they are reminded to be kind. In our questions left unanswered, they seek more questions. In our collaboration with colleagues, they see that...
View ArticleClik here to view.
More of What Works for Kids
This morning I found my daughter, in the foyer of our house, doing some research for her school project. Markers strewn about. Ipad on the floor. Marker in hand. Taking notes on her posterboard....
View ArticleClik here to view.
Less is More
Less time talking about society’s lack of appreciation for teachers, more time invested in celebrating each other’s accomplishments. Less feeling like teaching is a competition, and more feeling like...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Ruining The Gift of Wonder
Confession time. I suppose it’s okay now that I’m in my thirties to admit this deep secret I’ve been carrying for years. Once, when I was a kid, I waited until my parents went out to the store and...
View ArticleClik here to view.
The Road to Better
It’s so popular to say, “Take a risk.” It’s even popular to talk about how risk-taking fits into the classroom. We want to build schools and classrooms where students feel they can take risks. Try new...
View ArticleClik here to view.
A New Measure of Success
I can remember slipping my stack of disheveled worksheets from my classroom mailbox each week when I was about eight. It was a week’s worth of activities, ready to take home to my parents. I’d thumb...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Take Some Time
I’m just not sure if I know of any other field that works so hard or does so much, with so little appreciation, than education. Everyone can name an educator who changed their life, yet teachers are...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Make It Happen
Education isn’t something we sit around and wait to happen. It’s something we make happen. We can’t force it, but we have to put in the effort to plan, guide, sculpt, and lay out the conditions for...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Growing Global Learners
I’ve done a few projects with students, and notice I say “with,” not “to” or “for”. The projects, they are theirs. Ever since students planned and hosted an election for kids around the country, I’ve...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Clik here to view.
Thankful
This week is Thanksgiving. When I think about this past year, the good, the bad, and the downright hard times, I know that I have so much to be thankful for. Sometimes I know I don’t take note...
View ArticleClik here to view.