Clapping vs. Critiquing In Classrooms
Let me get straight to the point… Our classrooms should have far more clapping than critiquing. How motivated are you when somebody tells you that you are doing something wrong? …
The Truth About School Data (It May Not Be What You Think)
Formal data tracked by schools for headlines in newspapers: Test Scores Attendance Honor Roll Informal data tracked by teachers for authentic proof of …
Make June & July Extra Awesome with This Simple Link
YOU deserve to have an awesome summer. We as teachers deserve that every year, but especially after this school year. And as much as I want to turn off my …
What an F Means to Students This Year (And Probably Every Year)
A loving reminder to parents, teachers, and education leaders… Letter grades this year are more of a reflection on how kids can: COPE during CRISIS rather than their knowledge of …
The Real Reason Kids Come to School
Here is a big, bold, beautiful reality about why kids come to school: Kids don’t enjoy going to school because they love information. Kids enjoy going to school because they …
The 3 Pillars of SEL: Social-Emotional Learning
If this year has proven anything it’s that our kids are not connected to buildings, they are connected to people. But our kids need more than just connection. They …
The Amazon Box for Teachers
1 year ago today was different in so many ways… 1 year ago our laptops were propped up on an Amazon Box. 1 year ago we were learning how to …
SEL- Not Just Another Educational Acronym
There have been lots of questions about what I’m teaching this year. In the midst of everything going on last spring a big announcement happened during a big pandemic. So …
“That Teacher Is Driving a What????” Dreaming Big Every Day
Have you had a dream car since you were a kid? I have! I remember watching Keeping Up with The Kardashians nearly 20 years ago and falling in love with …
School Safety vs. School Safety
Drills. Drills. Drills. Not to be confused with the 90’s hit by Destiny’s Child, Bills, Bills Bills. Never in a million years did I think, we as teachers, would be …
New Classrooms For ALL Teachers
This is my new classroom for next year. Like you, I have absolutely no idea what it will actually look like when school actually starts. Even right now it feels …
3 Things Teachers MUST Do This Summer
We are coming into this summer with a lot of unknown. There are SO many questions we have, but the reality is we don’t have control over most of it. …
Stories Matter In Schools! What’s Yours?
Schools are filled with kids. And because there are so many kids coming through our hallways every single day, sometimes what happens is our kids become just numbers. We know …
“Why is She So Happy?” First Impressions in Schools
“Why is she so happy?” This is the question that I overheard two of my students asking each other earlier this week in the hallway. You know, back-to-school time is …