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Teaching from the Heart
I was thrilled when I got a new job teaching preservice teachers at the local university. As I anticipated my new role, I had visions of students huddled together, engrossed...
Gratitude Week
Feeling gratitude and not expressing it is like wrapping a present and not giving it. —William Arthur Ward “I’m going to write to Mrs. Fox. I had her in kindergarten.”...
The Gift of Time
Time has a wonderful way of showing us what really matters. —Margaret Peters It could almost snow, I thought as I got out of my car. It’s that time of...
The Hermit Crab Essay: Finding a Shell to Share a Vulnerable Story
When I was in fifth grade, I went to a Girl Scout overnight at a science center. As we were leaving, they gave every girl a hermit crab in a...
Use Math Practices to Deepen Friendships
I found the perfect book for my kindergarten students in the recently published Friends Beyond Measure: A Story Told with Infographics by Lalena Fisher. Fisher presents math as a vehicle...
Fake It ‘Til You Make It
I’m seven months into being a first-time foster parent to five incredible siblings. The journey is like nothing I can describe most of the time; my husband and I would...
Going Deeper with Math Curricular Materials
My child is bored. How are you challenging my child? My child already knows how to do that. Many times these comments from families come from a place of wanting...
Bridging the Gap (Session 2): Finding Your Footing
Science of Reading versus curriculum—that was the buzz. The Sold a Story podcast was the heart of the chatter, and teachers were choosing a side of the fence. As the...
The Digital Declutter: Developing a Life Beyond Distractions
“I wish it need not have happened in my time," said Frodo. "So do I," said Gandalf, "and so do all who live to see such times. But that is...
Setting Middle School Readers Up for Success
In my class, students do a good deal of reading outside of their literacy hour in a block of time called “independent reading.” While I still encourage students to read...
When Coaching Fails: How to Help Educators Who Resist Help
It’s Year 5 in my tenure as principal at a previous school, and a teacher continues to use worksheet packets for literacy instruction. This, in spite of the fact that...
Why Don’t School Leaders Give More Feedback?
What's the toughest part of our jobs as instructional leaders? In a sea of many challenges, communicating feedback to faculty members rises to the top. We see opportunities for improvement,...
Searching for Patterns with First Graders
In my coaching role this school year, I have had the opportunity to be in a few different first-grade rooms. When teachers express a desire to keep all of their...
Criteria for Success
At our end-of-the-day middle school collaboration meeting, teachers often share their experiences with students or classes. One lament that came up often at the beginning of the year was about...
Using Fiction Writing to Change Attitudes About Writing
I began my writing blog in 2011 and was absolutely terrified to share my writing with the world. Slowly, I became more comfortable. I joined weekly challenges on other blogs...
Managing Independent Projects (SHORTS)
If you had been able to walk around our classroom last Friday, you might have paused to see Sophie sketching a picture in a comic strip panel. As you glanced...
Building a Professional Library from Scratch (SHORTS)
Almost everything about Emily's new coaching position was perfect. The school was one of those charming, old, traditional brick buildings with lots of character: high ceilings, hardwood floors, wide corridors,...
Jose the Late Bloomer
Jose was a first grader, the youngest English language learner in my class. I can still remember his messy hair and quiet yawns. He seemed to like school, but it...
Photo Booth and Young Readers
How many times had I seen that Photo Booth icon on my laptop but not really given it much thought? How many times did I think of Photo Booth as...
Overcorrecting
Hey Suzy, Thanks for spending time with me and my kiddos today. I agree that they’re starting to understand how to “go back to the text” to support an opinion....
Planning for PD in the Company of Teachers
Continuously thinking about what new information to share with teachers, and how to share it, often puts planning professional development at the heart of a literacy coach’s role. But what...
