This might be the most challenging blog post I have written to date, for I am moving on at the end of this year. I am leaving the safety-net of the connections I have made, and the projects I have
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Covid Kids: Learning Loss or Immeasurable Gains?
I recently read an online post in which someone described their frustrating year, teaching from behind a screen. They shared that this was a “lost” year for student learning. Yet, I wonder if that’s true. Did our students truly slide
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Supporting First Year Teachers
Next month, thousands of college students across Arizona and the country will proudly move their graduation tassels from right to left, signifying the completion of their degree. This momentous occasion symbolizes their hard work and dedication as they worked toward
Read MoreBuilding A Winning Team!
I’m sure I’m not alone in the belief that my school team is the best. I know many of you would look at the team of people you work with and wouldn’t want any other group of educators. I’m
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Lessons from Brooks’s Preschool Classroom
Ring, ring. “Hi! This is Mrs. Clark. I am your student’s English teacher.” In my 8th year of teaching, I feel comfortable picking up the phone, calling a student’s home, and saying those words. FINALLY. The act of calling families
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Platforms Vs. Foundations. Pre- and Post- Pandemic Metaphors
Lately I have been considering the term “learning platform.” If you are a teacher, you have likely been expected to utilize multiple learning platforms over the past decade. If you have been avoiding digital learning platforms, then you certainly have
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Can We Reimagine Our Profession? I Believe the Answer is Yes!
Little grey boxes with students’ names fill my screen four and a half hours a day. Maybe a few brave souls flip on their cameras for four and a half seconds a day if I am lucky. These little grey
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Why I Chose to Maintain my National Board Certification During a Pandemic
I try to remember to look at the small pupil of the laptop camera instead of the grid of faceless names before me as I smile, wave and say hello. I am collaborating with a colleague to teach Hamlet to
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Four Little Letters: NBCT
Four little letters: NBCT. Four letters that have come to mean so much to me. Four letters recently added to my name: NBCT. Three years ago, I decided to start the National Board Certification process. I knew two NBCTs, and
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The Camera Conundrum: On or Off?
“Mrs. Clark! Mrs. Clark!” shouted a student from across the Target parking lot a few weeks ago. I quickly turned around searching for the owner’s voice through a sea of cars and SUVs. A masked girl wearing a sweater, jeans,
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