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It’s Not About Us
One of our teachers scheduled an appointment with me. Assuming she wanted to discuss her midyear professional goal, I was surprised when she came with guided reading resources. “I wanted...
Supporting Introverts at Any Age
When I was a first-year teacher, I remember being exhausted at the end of the day. Not from dealing with student behaviors—I had a wonderful class, as my principal was...
The Other Agenda
Teachers are always on the lookout for a fresh idea. They look to their colleagues, to curated sites such as Pinterest, and to any number of other resources for new...
The Secret to Better Meetings: It’s All in the Ending
I had learned already never to empty the well of my writing, but always to stop when there was still something there in the deep part of the well, and...
Supporting Introverts in Fifth Grade
I was the quiet child in your classroom. I liked to sit in the back, ideally behind a tall classmate, and didn’t speak unless it was required. Because of this,...
A Booklist for Women’s History Month
March is Women’s History Month. At my school this year, we’re celebrating as part of an ongoing effort to bring more awareness of the contributions throughout history of different and...
Teaching Students to Start at the Right Place
I read a lot of student writing. Somehow, no matter how many years students have heard about small moments, they fall into the trap of making stories longer by making...
Literacy Routines for Applying See-Think-Wonder
What do you see? What do you think about that? What does it make you wonder? Debbie, Paula, and Sylvia are doing a book study with Making Thinking Visible: How...
Starting the Day with Literacy
The halls have cleared and I’ve said goodbye to my last former student who stopped in for a visit on his way to his class. I walk into my classroom...
Choosing Our Words Carefully
At the start of our collaboration session, Kathy shared, “I have really been thinking about the word unfortunately and how I have seen it being used lately.” She proceeded to...
Do I Really Have to Keep Conferring Notes?
When it comes to conferring, the million-dollar question is “Do I really need to keep conference notes?” This is a fair question, and one that is best answered by looking...
Reminder Notes
This sweet invitation—"you can come to my basketball game"—greets me after children have been dismissed for the day and I’m cleaning up my teaching area. It is common to find...
The Ins and Outs of Using a Jot Lot
We’ve often talked with colleagues about how reading feels much more challenging to teach than writing: It’s so hard to know what’s going on in their heads as they read....
Finding a Coaching Model That Works
Our district coaching team is made up of four literacy coaches, each of us based in our own school. Although we are responsible for many aspects of literacy instruction in...
Aligning Beliefs and Practices: Homework Policies
A few years ago, after rereading Debbie Miller’s book Reading with Intention, I led our teachers through an exercise of defining their beliefs about teaching and aligning practices. They named...
Unspoken Leadership
I once attended a student recognition event at a local high school as a community leader. Students from various pathways were nominated by one of their teachers in their respective...
Coaching for Confidence
Every once in a while, even the most capable, talented teachers have a year that tests their skill and sanity. You may find them questioning their decision to continue teaching....
Increasing Read Alouds in the Primary Grades
Years ago, I was sitting in a workshop led by Debbie Miller as she talked about the importance of reading aloud to students. Of course I already knew the importance...
Sustaining Trust While Maintaining High Expectations
As a principal in a new school, I have been hesitant to start observations of teachers. My big goal this year is to build trust and develop relationships with staff,...
Read-Aloud Gone Awry
Some years back, I was reading a book aloud to my seventh graders. We weren’t yet to the halfway point, and I was happily enjoying the whole thing—I loved the...
Poetry Read-Alouds During Transitions
There they sat. Spines showing and alphabetized by author: never moved, read, or enjoyed. I would gather some for Poetry Friday, only to realphabetize and let them sit until the...
