Blog – Page 4 – Josh Stumpenhorst

Afraid of Feedback

Posted on May 15, 2018 by stumpteacher

Do we not ask for feedback because we are afraid of what we might hear? When I taught in the classroom, I did end of term surveys almost every year. In my new role in the Learning Commons, I regularly seek formal and informal feedback from students and teachers. That feedback is what I use […]

Out of the Classroom but Still Relevant

Posted on May 7, 2018 by stumpteacher

In a previous post, I outlined what I thought was a real problem with individuals who are out of the classroom and therefore out of touch with the realities of the classroom. My concern was individuals who are not teaching and yet dictating best practice models or strategies for classroom teachers. Even with the best […]

Out of the Classroom and Out of Touch

Posted on May 2, 2018 by stumpteacher

If you don’t teach in a classroom, you are out of touch with what classroom teachers are dealing with. This is a statement people will argue over and defend on both sides. Consultants will charge you obscene amounts of money to come in and tell you how to do a job they have not done […]

Best Books of 2018 (part 1)

Posted on April 30, 2018April 30, 2018 by stumpteacher

It is that time of year when lots of folks share their “best of” posts for the 2017-2018 school year. I love looking at the best books lists just to see what others are reading and enjoying. I thought I would take a crack at sharing the books I find myself putting into kids’ hands […]

Learning Sweet Spot

Posted on April 25, 2018 by stumpteacher

Last week I was able to get a Carbide3D Nomad 883 Pro Desktop CNC Mill for the great folks at Carbide 3D. I wanted to put the full title to make it sound extra fancy. Simply put, it is a machine I can send a file to and it will carve it out of wood, metal […]

Mandated Making

Posted on April 21, 2018April 21, 2018 by stumpteacher

Makerspaces are showing up in schools, classrooms, and libraries around the world. Personally, I think it is great to see this movement taking hold. In some cases, I see it as a push back to the standardization of schools and over-reliance on a canned curriculum. I love when a student stops by our school’s makerspace […]

Graduation Speech

Posted on April 20, 2018 by stumpteacher

This was originally posted nearly 8 years ago when my son was “graduating” preschool and moving to the big, bad elementary school. As I reread it, I felt compelled to reshare it as I fear much of it still rings true with me as a parent and as an educator. Good afternoon friends, families, and […]

Moments

Posted on April 14, 2018April 15, 2018 by Josh Stumpenhorst

As teachers, we are tasked with teaching content and helping kids grow into productive and successful citizens. We are given a set of content standards we must cover and a battery of assessments to determine if we have succeeded in doing so. Our evaluations are based on how we plan and deliver our lessons as […]

The Belt Buckle

Posted on April 12, 2018April 15, 2018 by Josh Stumpenhorst

Have you ever said, “I will never do that.”? Well, this time last year, I said those exact words to my father after he finished a 50-mile trail run. He had done a few 50K runs (31 miles) and that was his first 50 miler. While I was impressed with my dad and his accomplishment, […]

Lessons From the Run

Posted on March 12, 2018April 15, 2018 by Josh Stumpenhorst

On January 1st, 2012 I took on a challenge to run at least one mile every day for a whole year. On January 9th, 2012 I ended my streak due to an injury. I took two days off and started back up on January 12th, 2012 and have not missed a day since. My run […]