I’ll be honest I’m not a fan of Valentine’s Day. I think it’s a hoax, a made up holiday to support greeting card, chocolate and flower companies. I mean really, if you need a day to say “I love you”
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Teachers in Transition: A Self-Care Primer
The following was written with gratitude to restorative practices expert, Monica Kaminski. I bet you can name a close colleague to whom you’ve lent a gentle ear as they transitioned to a new professional or personal identity. Maybe they were
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An End to Civil Discourse: One Teacher’s Response to HB2002
Remember how I reminded us to trust, but verify? HB20002 was the first education bill dropped this session. It is a bill outlining a ban against teachers discussing any political issues, court cases, and/or current legislation in school. I don’t
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Sparks, Fireworks and a Whole Lot More: Fostering Talent in the Classroom
What if we were given the opportunity to work only on those things we are good at doing? What if our schools encouraged students to focus on activities that they were able to successfully execute merely because these activities brought
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Not Enough
Three miles is not enough. Mile one presents angst and anxiety, my mind is full and racing. The thoughts of turning around, running home and crawling back into bed creep in. The only thing keeping me going sometimes is simply,
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Getting Real: Special Needs Families
This week, leaders around the country offered their State of Affairs speeches. As the leader in your classroom, how would you respond if someone asked you to speak about the “State of Relationships with Your Special Needs Families?” How are
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The Gifts they Bring: English Learners and Gifted Ed.
A few weeks back I was chatting with a gifted education specialist in our district, an excellent teacher my son was lucky enough to have in elementary school. I asked him some questions that had been in the back of
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National Board is No Secret Handshake Club
A few years back, a very good friend of mine won a highly regarded award for teaching. Another educational leader joked with me, “well of course she won, she’s an NBCT and you are all part of that secret handshake
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Sparking Joy: Marie Kondo in the Classroom
If you haven’t had the absolute pleasure of watching Netflix’s latest phenomenon, you simply must find the time to watch Tidying Up with Marie Kondo. One lazy morning during maternity leave last month, I happened to click on it, and
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A 30 Day Update
Instead of a resolution, I started off the New Year with a 30 day challenge. You can see the details of my challenge and start your own here: http://www.storiesfromschoolaz.org/setting-resolutions-30-day-challenge/ Now that my 30 day, no email challenge has finished, the
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