My experience in education hasn’t been long, being that I’ll enter my 6th year in August, but it has been full of change and growth. The evolution I’ve gone through has been extensive, including philosophical changes, shifts in my mindset, and entirely new instructional practices. When I reflect on my growth, it’s exciting to see… Continue reading Risky Business
The past few years, this topic has undergone a barrage of scrutiny. From the arguments of it being absolutely necessary for a student’s development, to the ones reviewing the number of hours students spend at school each day, it’s a hotly contested issue. Then there’s the consideration of including it in an overall grade, or… Continue reading On Homework
The past few weeks I’ve been doing some reflection on vocabulary instruction. Our language arts curriculum is up for review this year, and it’s led us to have some fantastic conversations about best practice, resources, and instructional methods. I love these nerdy conversations because they’re right up my alley, and they give me an excuse… Continue reading Meaningful Vocabulary Instruction
Professional development is an interesting concept. When most of us hear it, undoubtedly our minds go straight to an all-day conference with a keynote speaker, breakout sessions, and a hopefully free lunch. Hastily grabbing the official paper on the way out the door so you can log these hours into your licensure system, and ensuring… Continue reading Redefining professional development
This school year, much of my focus has been on student empowerment. My district has undergone some massive shifts, all centralized around the concept of personalized learning. It has been a powerful overhaul, and one that has involved a lot of time and effort from devoted teachers. A majority of us have taken huge steps… Continue reading The Passion Project