In my hardest year of teaching, we had a toxic school culture after a leadership change. I had panic attacks in the parking lot. Eight teachers quit by December. I had a stretch of nineteen days where I had no prep period. For me, community,…
Roy Kent gets it. There’s a scene in the last episode of this season’s Ted Lasso where the team’s game plan doesn’t seem to be working. The coaches huddle together in Ted’s office and debate whether they should stick with the plan or try something…
When we think of choice-based reading, we often imagine silent reading with novels. However, we can take a student-centered, choice-based approach to non-fiction as well. In this article, we explore nine different areas of student empowerment within informational text reading. Listen to the Podcast If…
It’s been quite a year so far in American education. Between school board battles over Critical Race Theory to protests over mask mandates, we are seeing significant social strife playing out in the context of our schools. We’re also seeing school staff shortages, leading to…
It’s important that students get a chance to chase their curiosity and connect with experts in the field. This can help inspire possibilities for all students. In my latest podcast episode, I interviewed Dr. Sarah McAnulty about what she’s doing to help connect classrooms to…
Early on in my project-based learning journey, I made a vow to go 100% project-based. My students would learn everything through exploration and discovery. I would remain the guide on the side observing the process and helping out only when necessary. After leading students through…
In this podcast interview Dr. Kristen Mattson shares a bold vision for how we define digital citizenship and digital ethics. She also provides practical strategies that teachers can use in the classroom and integrate into their curriculum. Listen to the Podcast If you enjoy this…
For the last three weeks, I have been planning out this semester’s courses. I am teaching eight courses ranging from fully in-person to fully virtual but synchronous (using Zoom) to fully asynchronous and online with a combined hybrid approach mixed in. My goal is to…
I am an incessant doodler and constant illustrator. I tend to make sense out of ideas by sketching them in notebooks and whiteboards and random scraps of paper. However, when I first began this blog back in 2002, I hid my artistic side. I wrote…
We aren’t sure what this year will look like. With the spike in Covid cases, it might involve more hybrid or virtual learning. Or it might be more of a “return to normal.” But regardless of the situation, we do know that teachers will continue…