Every few years I write that if you pay attention, the best professional development often comes out of nowhere, is free, and lasts only minutes – or even seconds. (You can read the earlier posts here and here.) Here are
Read MoreWhy Not Have Norms for Email, Too?
Pretty much every staff meeting, PLC meeting, and professional training in education starts by listing the norms by which participants should abide. The idea is keep the meeting focused and efficient. A typical list includes things like equity of voice, responsible
Read MoreAnd Today’s Word is …?
Based on how often the Arizona K12 Center features topics related to the stress of teaching on it’s 3P’s in a Pod podcast and its Homeroom page, I thought I might share a new self-care technique I discovered a while
Read MoreA Thin Line and an Outstretched Hand
The hit series The Wire featured an addict and confidential informant named Bubbles. In an early episode, Detective Jimmy McNulty needs to meet with Bubbles but is running late for his own kid’s soccer game. He ends up driving Bubbles
Read MoreLast Leaf to New Life
For Sonya Rashad I didn’t water the plants in front of my porch much last spring, and by June, the Rosemary, Lantana, and a small shrub of unknown species weren’t doing so well. The shrub had exactly one leaf left,
Read MoreClassroom Management: Consensus on Ends, Not Means
Soon, if not already, many schools will start revisiting their classroom management systems. In his “news” letter (his quotations) this week, Jonah Goldberg provides an excellent jumping off point for these discussions: “[W]e need to return to the idea of ideological and
Read More#WEIRDforED
I’d rather cough than take medicine. Sure, the medicine provides a good night’s sleep. But it makes me feel weird for days after. My mind lacks focus and doesn’t follow through on thoughts. My work ethic goes into the toilet.
Read MoreAn Open Letter to a Young Gun Rights Advocate
Dear Young Person, I hear that you support gun rights. Maybe you’re from a rural area and don’t want to lose the guns you use for hunting and target practice. Maybe you’re from a red state and don’t own a gun but
Read MoreApril 4th, A Day Remembered
(Originally posted on April 4, 2015 on The Center For Teaching Quality. I’ve added new pictures.) If you know much US history, you know that on April 4th, 1968, Martin Luther King, Jr. was murdered in Memphis, Tennessee. On that same
Read MoreBecoming “Absurdly Moderate” in Dissent
My head’s so big you can see it from the moon. Seriously. It barely fits a size 7 3/4 size hat. And now, thanks to reading Angela Buzan’s recent post, Arguing with Sandy Merz, it’s swollen beyond comprehension. And not
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