I ended the school year completely deflated with my school’s double digit AIMS score losses in two out of four grade levels. Confident my school would fall from an A to a C or D, I was shocked to
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A New Year
August 2013 I have begun my second year as an elementary principal. Honestly last year was just blurry. So it should be different this year, right? Actually it is. As I prepared for the “first” staff meeting, the “first” parent meeting, the “first” day, I
Read MoreThe World isn’t That Flat
A good friend of mine recently became a special education teacher. It is her second career, so she's a bit older than most rookie teachers. But she's got the optimism and enthusiasm of someone in her early twenties, and it's
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Summertime and the Reading Was Easy
After 65 days I could call my own, it’s back to the work. I spent a good portion of my time reading and hope to take much of what I learned forward into my professional duties. School days are
Read MoreWhat If? #4: What if teachers had it all?
How would your teaching change if you had all the resources you needed?
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Bill Gates, Dead Squirrels, and Teacher Preparation Programs
Let’s be honest, how many people do you know who drop out of an elementary education program because it’s too rigorous? Personally, I don’t know any, but I do know quite a few who have dropped out of teaching because it’s too hard.
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Why I Joined the “Union”
I reflect on why I pay my professional association dues.
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Should I Join the Union?
I want to associate with groups that are transforming the profession and providing opportunities for me to develop my practice and leadership skills. I don’t want to associate with groups that preserve the blue collar, us against them, power
Read MoreNOT Like School in the Summer
When I was a kid, I used to watch Fat Albert, a cartoon about a bunch of kids living in "the projects" in some urban setting. The kids had a common insult for eachother: "You're like schoooool in the summah.
Read MoreThe Real Barrier is Permission
I spent this last week teaching a workshop on social media for learning at Arizona K12 Center's Camp Plug and Play event. We approached the topic from the perspective of personalized professional development and an integrated aspect of project based
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