Lead Lit Article Type: Try It
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Getting Started with a Writing Habit: Six Kinds of Notebooking
I am a notebooker. I have stacks of journals that I write in across the days, months, and years. I have Morning Pages notebooks, gratitude journals, daily agendas, affirmation notebooks,...
Rewriting the Script
For years, I had been following scripts. As a student, I walked the same path each day to the bean-shaped table when my group was called for guided reading. In...
Curating Booklists for Teachers
I love celebrating all occasions with books. Welcoming a new baby? I’ll give you The Wonderful Things You Will Be by Emily Winfield Martin. Celebrating a birthday? You should read...
The Coach’s Notebook: How to Capture, Organize, and Analyze Your Data and Responsibilities
Part of my work as a systems coach is documenting my conversations with leaders and teachers around their goals for building more equitable outcomes for students. We use a Google...
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...
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...
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,...
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...
Professional Development Guide: A Template for Building a Year-Long PD Plan
A new school year brings with it excitement about all the possibilities ahead. I’ve always enjoyed those end-of-summer-almost-back-to-school meetings with principals. Everyone arrives feeling rested and with fun summer stories...
When Harsh Words Are Said: Ways to Move Forward
When an experienced coach was hired for a maternity leave position, I (Kate) began to experience what I can only describe as impostor syndrome. I became hyper-aware in every PLC...
Hope
Hope is not an emotion; it’s a way of thinking or a cognitive process. —Brené Brown What is hope? This word is woven into my day-to-day conversation: “I hope you...
Benefits and Challenges of Using AI as a Coach
When our dog, Millie, was young, we enrolled her in puppy school. She was one of two golden retrievers in this doggy behavior class. The two dogs' "retriever-ness" came out...
Building on Success and Maintaining Momentum
It’s somewhat known what happens when a school is deemed as failing. After posting dismal test scores, the state department of education comes in and provides more resources along with...
Coaching Through a New Program
Traveling in Europe in her early twenties, Josie left her friends and took a train to her father’s very small hometown. Not speaking the language and barely understanding the train...
Opening Moments
The one who does the work does the learning. —Terry Doyle, Learner-Centered Teaching The Idea When I was a fifth-grade teacher, Opening Moments were a regular part of our daily...
Cultivating a Habit of Reading Children’s Literature as Part of Our Professional Growth
I have a Saturday morning ritual that I absolutely love: going to my local library and browsing through the children’s books section. But this is not your typical “check out...
Coaching in Community: Co-Creating Learning Spaces (Part II)
“Rethinking liberates us to do more than update our knowledge and opinions. It’s a tool for leading a more fulfilling life.” —Adam Grant Ever since reading the book Think Again...
