This year has been hard. Not only have my husband and I been in a holding pattern, but I’ve also been struggling to find my place and my own direction. I’m constantly plagued by questions. Where are we headed? What do I want to do? Where do I want to go? How do I want… Continue reading It is enough.
Tag: educators
Turn Off the Scoreboard
I was on the phone with my dad today, which is our Wednesday tradition, and we were having a conversation about education. It’s pretty typical for me to share what I’m up to with teaching and learning, and he usually has some input. He’s an incredibly fiery and vocal guy, clocking in at 5’5”, so… Continue reading Turn Off the Scoreboard
Stop Closing the Door
Close your door, and do what’s best for kids. I hear this sometimes. I’ve said this before. And from what I’ve gathered, the sentiment is not all that uncommon. Amidst all the district initiatives, required testing, and things we have to do, educators know when practices are becoming detrimental to our students. We instinctively know… Continue reading Stop Closing the Door
Letting Go of Control in Your Classroom
When I talk to other teachers about personalized learning, I always share how difficult it was for me at the beginning (and sometimes it still is). There are always challenges with anything, especially when it’s new, and personalized learning is no different. This philosophy allows for a lot of student freedom, self-regulation, and choice, which… Continue reading Letting Go of Control in Your Classroom
Lift Each Other Up
There’s a lot of hate out there. It’s permeating so many aspects of our lives these days. You see it on television, in print, and on social media. It’s difficult to escape, and it’s becoming more of the norm in the teacher-sphere. There are entire Reddit threads, social media accounts, and pages devoted to hating… Continue reading Lift Each Other Up
Risky Business
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 Case for School Librarians
School librarians are a significant part of the educational experience we offer our students. They provide collaborative, engaging learning environments full of information for our kids. They are a wealth of knowledge on the books they have available, easily able to recommend and direct kids toward their next great read. They develop positive relationships with… Continue reading The Case for School Librarians
Teachers are Professionals
When we enter into the teaching world, we are usually aware of the difficulties that come along with it. The long hours, the low wages, the tough conversations, and the emotional toll it can take. This is fairly well publicized, and many of us know it’s part of the job. What some of us don’t… Continue reading Teachers are Professionals
An Ode to Poetry
Oh, poetry. You beautiful, expressionist, challenging, frustrating beast. Many struggle to find your deeper meaning, your hidden messages. Children sit in schools, turned off and annoyed by your very existence, writing the same poems (ahem, haikus) year after year. This year I took a new approach to teaching poetry, and it’s one that I wish… Continue reading An Ode to Poetry
On Teacher Culture
Culture is an important component to any well-functioning classroom. Because of this, we’re often discussing methods to create a more supportive, responsive environment for our students to learn. One that respects and values each individual, giving them room to experiment and learn from their mistakes. The time we spend developing this culture for our students… Continue reading On Teacher Culture
Curriculum Coffee 