Have you ever wondered what goes on in the minds of your students? What are they thinking as they sit in class? As you greet them? When they walk out of the door and onto the next grade
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High Stakes Testing: Friend? Foe? Neither?
I use to say April belongs to testing as this was the month my district began high-stakes state testing. Now, they start in March and end in May. That means high-stakes testing consistently touches the climate in my class for
Read MoreLiteracy and STEM
A few weeks ago, I was blessed to attend a wonderful Professional Development at the Arizona Science Center called “Integrating STEM Through Literature”. It did exactly that! Hosted in the CREATE Makerspace, I joined ten other teachers in linking the
Read MoreBRICS Are For Kids!
Let me begin with an apology. This spat will not include a lot of formal research or quotes. Well, not as much as I want to give. This is a topic that each person will need to do their own
Read MoreThe End Is Near….
The end is near. Near, but yet it feels SO FAR away…. Of course, I mean the end of the school year. That glorious time of Science/STEM/STEAM fairs, state assessments, Book Fairs, district benchmark testing, finals, planning for promotion ceremonies
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There’s a First Time For Everything
“The winner of the Excellence Award is Caitlin Gawlowski!” rings over the school intercom at the end of the day. I was out on duty supervising students at dismissal and actually did not hear it the first time. “Why is
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Social Development is More Important Than Ever (Part 1)
In a time of redefining normal, I believe we have simultaneously developed a deeper appreciation for the reality-based social development within the child. As a Montessorian, we hold that social development is the adaptive work of the child. It is
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What’s the Priority?
There have been a lot of changes in my district this year, many being controversial. One of the least controversial changes has been the adoption of what we are calling “priority standards”. That is until I walk into the room.
Read MoreSpanish in the Classroom…Update
In a previous blog, I shared that I have several students with Spanish as their first language in my class. I have also been taking Spanish conversation classes to help better support them. I thought I would provide an update
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Getting Comfortable Being Uncomfortable: Reflections of a NBCT
I first saw the fireworks in December 2018. I added those four little letters to my email signature, and then my life began to change. I was a National Board Certified Teacher! Immediately after becoming an NBCT, I got a
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