There are 2 types of ‘must’ experiences. The first is where you are forced by someone else to do something (i.e., ‘You must’). The second is where you feel compelled to do it for your own reasons (i.e., ‘I must’). How many ‘I must’ moments are you having? Using Picture …
When I taught in a middle school with only 7th and 8th graders, I realized that doing something one year made it an experiment and doing something two years in a row made it a tradition. What are your 2 year traditions? Educational Leadership:Getting Personalization Right:Student Engagement: Key to Personalized …
We must share our courage with others, in our schools and in our lives. The stories of when we stand up for what we believe and start (and continue) to build the things our kids deserve. How can we best wear our courage on our sleeves? The Art of Reflection …
You can tell a lot about someone by how they deal with surprise. Do they fear it, hoping for a return to ‘normal.’ Or, do they embrace it and see the wonder in what new opportunities lay ahead? When was the last time you were truly surprised? Why Student Data …
Some decisions bring us closer to our goals and some take us further away from them. Reflection and time are the only two ways I know to know which is which. Professional Development: Focusing on Student Choice Great illustration of the differences between differentiation, personalization, and empowered learning. And, it …
It is our job to prepare kids for what comes next. The unfortunate part is most of us can’t tell the future. Fortunately, though, the skill of thinking will never go out of style or be outmoded. Think for yourself, and model your thinking for/with kids. Hour of Code Create …
We don’t always know what is hiding underneath a question from our students (or from our colleagues, for that matter). We can’t always see the motive for inquiry, but we can support that inquiry no matter what. We can count all questions as genuine. Tackling the ‘homework gap’ with the …
There is a great deal of power in what you choose to do. Your actions show priorities and they show promises you are making to yourself and others. Our actions also tend to beg us to ask the highly reflective question, “What am I doing?” Product vs. Process? A short …
Giving thanks is not a measure of someone else’s worth. It is a measure of our own. The more that we give thanks, the more that we understand just how much others have done for us and how others have supported us in getting to where we are. Do it, …
Sometimes you can feel the raised bumps of a message through the day. Telling you to move forward, to move faster. The divots and tiny mountains of understanding that we must listen to from others and from ourselves. They spread across our daily routines. The Most Common Mistakes Teachers Make …