Sniffles, sneezes, and coughs. That’s what I woke up to Tuesday morning when I picked up my nine-month-old son, Brooks. I’ve been dreading this day since he was born. So far, we’ve dodged the cold bug, but I knew this
Read MoreUsing My Teacher Voice
Last year I participated in our statewide teacher walkout. This experience changed my perspective in a myriad of ways. Marching to the capitol with thousands of teachers, administrators, parents, students, and supporters is one of the most memorable moments of
Read MoreRequired Reading: What Every Educator Should Read
A social media trend took over this summer. As I scrolled through my feed, my friends began posting their “7 Day Challenges” ranging from books, music, movies, and personal photos. The challenge required participants to post pictures of their seven
Read MoreDo We Really Need 200 School Districts?
Stories from School Blogger Beth Maloney recently wrote the article The Problem with Teacher Pay in Arizona and One Possible Solution . This interesting piece proposes that a statewide salary schedule will equalize pay for teachers while considering qualifications and
Read More“The Dream Catcher” or The Girl Who Championed Self Doubt
I’m not sure if she was solving multiplication problems with the Checkerboard or working in Read Naturally when I called her over. I noticed she took a deep breath and had that faraway look in her eyes, but she shook
Read MoreInvisible Data
I indulge my yearning to simply immerse myself in teaching and with my students without having to collect easily-reportable data for folks not involved in my classroom. One solution is to provide funding or change the school day to allow teachers more time to gather data for public consumption and for use in the classroom.
Read MoreA Letter to Mr. Barrett and My Mother
Competition can be a wonderful tool to promote success among schools. However, by definition, competition means some will fail in their efforts. How do we protect the students whose schools will collapse in such a model? It will happen, just like there have already been catastrophic failures of schools that are public, private, and charter.
Read MoreSink or Swim?
Each year, I host teaching interns or student teachers (or both) as they move through teacher-preparation programs through local universities. During this process I am able to “pay things forward” by coaching other inspired people to be the best teachers
Read MoreReform or Deform: Which is it?
Like its sister-term, “accountability,” the term “reform” has had a few minutes of fame in education this year (see this swell piece by blogger-extraordinaire Nancy Flanagan). Here, Flanagan blatantly opens her piece with the statement, “Hello my name is
Read MoreLeaving the Classroom?
So I’m reading Katy Farber’s book, Why Great Teachers Quit: And How We Might Stop the Exodus, which explores the demands, challenges, and rewards experienced by classroom teachers across the country who are staying in the trenches of public education
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