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For years, my tennis partner tried to get me to change the grip on my forehand volley. She’d rotate my hand, we’d hit a few, and then we’d move into...
Fail to Learn
We perform for ourselves, often the harshest of audiences. Thomas Newkirk I think every teacher has a grade level or subject area they would prefer not to teach. I...
Rethinking Spring Assessments
It’s May, and with that comes an unsettled, uneasy feeling stemming from a whole cluster of things: the culmination of a year’s worth of teaching and learning, a limited amount...
More Scholarly Discussions in Middle School
I was walking around the classroom with my clipboard, listening in on book club discussions, and heard Megan say to one of her eighth-grade classmates, “Eat my shorts,” before bursting...
That Student: Ending the Year with a PD Celebration
Students teach us how to be better. Every year we learn a lot from the children in our classrooms. To celebrate our students making us better, our last staff meeting...
Know and Wonder: Deepening Reflection at the Start of Texts
Tara and her husband both love to read, but they choose their books in different ways. Tara likes to choose books by authors she knows well and that friends recommend....
Helping Teachers Weed Libraries
I am a book collector. I love seeing books on my shelves, books in baskets in each room, book stacks on my desk, and books beside my bed. When I...
Independent Project Hiccups
Some teachers in our school have thrown in the towel on independent projects. Often our colleagues lament the many issues that come up when students are choosing their own genre...
Improving Turn-and-Talks
The turn-and-talk strategy is often used during minilessons. During a turn-and-talk, the teacher poses a question or concept and then asks students to turn to another learner and talk about...
Compass Points and Empathy
“Today we are going to discuss our thinking about one of our story’s main characters—Viola,” I announced at the start of my fourth-grade reading workshop. I was met with a...
My World Maps
What we do is who we are. I repeat this phrase often as I think about a project I’m starting with first-year teachers in grades 4-6. What we do is...
Authentic Reading in Kindergarten
Reading is a staple in our household. I am an avid reader, my eight-year-old daughter always has her nose in a book, and you can catch my six-year-old daughter on...
One Child, Many Stories
Have you ever sat down in front of a student’s data and still felt like you don’t have any answers to your questions? Those moments are too familiar to me...
Spreading Love with Compliments
It was the end of the year—a time when teacher patience is growing thin and students (and teachers) have visions of lazy mornings and long days lounging in the sun....
Observing Colleagues: Leading Successful Classroom Visits
As coaches, we are fortunate to have the opportunity to be in many classrooms and learn from a variety of teachers. Classroom teachers, however, do not always have this luxury....
Classroom Observation Etiquette
As a classroom teacher, I would occasionally have visitors observe in my classroom for the day. Some people host visitors with the greatest of ease, but I had to work...
Peer Observations with a Purpose
“Please clean up the playroom,” I reminded my daughters before dinner. “Done!” they yelled three minutes later as they skipped through the living room. I peeked around the corner and...
Talking in Front of Peers
Lately I have been doing a good deal of speaking and presenting to other educators at various conferences, and more frequently I’ve spoken or presented in front of my large...
Summer Reading
“Kids! Let’s get to the library today and turn in your summer reading list!” I yelled through the house last August. “Oh, okay, great! I’m ready,” answered one of my...
Dropping In Versus Scheduling
Last spring, severe thunderstorms blew through the Midwest. The winds ripped off siding and loosened shingles, and hail pitted windows and splintered soffits. My house took a beating. Immediately, we...
Developing a Principal and Coach Partnership
One of the most welcomed changes I have experienced as the principal in my new elementary building is having an instructional coach. In my prior district, there were coaches assigned...
