Lead Lit Article Type: Read It
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The Stories We Tell Ourselves
In a quest to better myself as a literacy learner and leader, I recently enrolled in a doctoral-level literacy course at a local university. The instructor was kind enough to...
Building Effective Literacy Teams
When our kids were little, I don’t know where I would have been without my husband. I can’t imagine having to make tough parenting decisions alone. We both brought different...
Where the Magic Happens
Jeff Wilhelm was a new faculty member at the University of Maine when I enrolled in his graduate course called Teacher Research many years ago. The signature assignment in this...
Go-To Texts for Demonstration Lessons
As coaches we are always on the lookout for new picture books that we can use during demonstration lessons. These texts must be short enough so we can quickly read...
New Year Resolutions
Are you idealistic like me and pledge to do your job SO much better at the beginning of every year? Perhaps you’ve just finished an “off” year . . ....
First Days of Reading Support
The first weeks of school set the tone for the entire year. In these beginning days, teachers and students start to build connections that will carry them through the year....
Defining Your Role as a Coach
After eight years, my husband and I have settled into our marriage. Balancing the demands of our relationship, our full-time jobs, our two children, and everything else means we have...
Professional Development Offerings for the New Year
I never teach my pupils; I only attempt to provide the conditions in which they learn. Albert Einstein A few years ago, my daughter entered a drug awareness contest....
Always “On”: Reconsidering Connectivity
A few months ago, I sat in a training for a new online learning management system my school district is rolling out to our middle school and high school students...
Coaching Connections
Recently I attended an intensive weekend yoga retreat. I spent a full day out of my comfort zone, pushing my limits doing things like boat pose in the air while...
Refining Reflective Practice and Notetaking
Ten years ago, as a first-year middle school teacher, I clumsily juggled piles and piles of information (and that was before standardized testing really amped up!) about my readers and...
Parents in a Foreign Land
For students who are new to the English language, nothing comes easy: They have to work hard to figure out a new language, new customs, new foods, new friendships, and...
Conflict: A Coach’s Perspective
“But that isn’t my vision!” The teacher I was working with was getting more and more frustrated. I was serving as the editor of a book being collaboratively written by...
No Cutting Corners in Coaching
Recently, my husband and I decided to give our bedroom a much-needed makeover. We bought our current home about six years ago, and every summer I have chosen one room...
Autobiographical Listening
I recently attended an excellent three-day leadership conference that was by all measures a success: I met some great people, got some much-needed inspiration, and came back with a notebook...
Inclusion: What Does It Mean?
It’s been five years since all of our reading specialists, special education support, and ELL teachers starting servicing kids in the classroom, and this year, we finally stopped and took...
Bounce-Back Spirit
In the 2008 Big Ten Women’s Indoor Track 600-meter race, Heather Dorniden was favored. The runners ran closely, in a pack for the first two-thirds of the race. If you...
The Students Behind the Numbers
Data is everywhere. From the digital speed displays as we drive our vehicles, to the number of calories for each option at a restaurant, we are immersed in information. This...
From Worksheets to Workshops
At the beginning of my time at Miami Elementary School, I sent my teachers an email with my calendar and a list of ways I could support them. One item...
In the Trenches: Reflection, Not Perfection
As a middle school literacy coach whose job is to provide job-embedded professional development, I am fortunate to find myself in classrooms a good amount of the day. My stance...
Better Meetings Through Reflection
Think of the hours most of us spend in meetings. There are professional learning community meetings, staff meetings, grade-level meetings, curriculum meetings, data meetings, student intervention meetings, study group meetings,...
