On Saturday, September 28, 1974, Gerald Ford was president. Rock Me Gently topped the pop music charts, The Longest Yard would soon be number 1 in the box office, and Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy was enjoying a 10 week run
Read MoreBelow the Surface
Core Proposition 2: Teachers know the subjects they teach and how to teach those subjects to students.* This statement seems easy enough to interpret. Of course, a teacher has to know their subject area to teach it to someone else.
Read MoreBegin with the End in Mind
As I push forward and try to recreate or maintain levels of stability for myself, my family, and my class, I paused to observe if I was still on track with my students to help them develop into the ultimate goal
Read MoreBlood, Sweat, and Tears: Oh My! Teaching National Board Pre-Candidacy in my District
I am a ball of nervous and excited energy, bouncing on the tips of my toes. Internal dialogue is going on in my head ranging from “Don’t be too excited. You’ll talk too fast!” to “Let your passion and excitement
Read MoreThe Elephant in the Room
Take care of yourself. Are you eating well? Do you have a hobby? What do you do for fun? We’ve all heard it. Take time for yourself. It seems that self-care is all the rage lately. I agree that setting
Read MoreClassroom Priorities
What is the most important thing you do as an educator? How do we figure out the answer to that question? Should we rank them? Should we prioritize them? How do we do everything? Here is a quick list of
Read MoreBegging Isn’t Enough
“If you care about schools, thank a teacher. And while you’re at it, please beg them not to quit.” Local journalist Steve Irvin tweeted this a few weeks ago. The same day Steve Irvin made his post, I sat quietly
Read MoreThe Magic of Books
Scene: My sister sent me a video of my niece this week. 15 months old, she is sitting as her mom reads one of her favorite books to her, and she parrots the words “a baby” on cue after her
Read MoreThe Problem of Choice
In nearly every teacher-led meeting I’ve ever attended, the conversation tends to revolve around the same issues: test scores, grades, curriculum, standards alignment, and how these relate to vaguely defined “student achievement”. I can count on one hand the PLCs
Read MoreParent/Teacher Conferences
“Conferences will be at the end of the quarter, make sure you are ready!” Where did the quarter go? Time to spend time assessing and gathering data to show parents. We also need to spend time reflecting on the students
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