Award Winning Teacher – International Speaker – Author
Socrates has been credited with uttering the phrase, “the unexamined life is not worth living.” This is an expression I have discussed many times with my good friend and fellow educator Chad Miller. In our many conversations we come back to the understanding that in life, reflection is crucial to growth and evolution of one’s […]
Continue ReadingThis month I officially started the next step in my teaching career. I have taken the position of Library Resource Center Director in the junior high which I have taught in for the past 13 years. Now some people might wonder, “What is a Library Resource Center Director and what do they do?” Basically, I […]
Continue ReadingDifferentiation is nothing new but certainly a topic of discussion in many school faculty, department and PLC meetings. Teachers are constantly being asked to differentiate everything in their classrooms. This ranges from lessons and activities to furniture and assessments. The goal of differentiation is to create a more personalized learning experience for each child and […]
Continue ReadingFor the past 13 years I’ve taught junior high students English and History. As I walked out of the school building this week after the final day of school something was different. In the fall, I will not be returning to the classroom where I have spent countless hours trying to motivate students to learn […]
Continue ReadingIf you read enough tweets, blog posts, education books or attend enough conferences you will likely come across many people who claim to have it all figured out. They will tell you schools are broken and the system needs to be changed. In some cases they’ll go so far as to say the entire institution […]
Continue ReadingIt is that time of year again. The weather is turning nicer. The days are longer. There’s the smell of young children still not yet understanding the need and value of deodorant and personal hygiene in the halls. Yes, I’m referring to the end of the year in schools across the country. It is often […]
Continue ReadingLots of people talk about trends and fads in education. There is always a discussion about which ones will stick around and stand the test of time. Most educators find themselves on one end of these discussions. On one hand you have the educators who are skeptical of any new idea or product. They are […]
Continue ReadingThe other day my son was on the phone with his aunt. It was a pretty typical conversation of how are things going and various topics of small talk. When my son told her he had played a soccer game that afternoon the first question she asked was, “did you score a goal”. I’m not […]
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More than once I have heard the phrase, “these kids are just lazy and not motivated anymore”. In fact, I have said that very phrase out loud a few times and thought it dozens more. Classrooms are often filled with children not interested in what is being taught and completely disengaged from the learning taking […]
Continue ReadingI think it is safe to assume most people have heard the phrase “you can lead the horse to water but you can’t make it drink.” As teachers we do a lot of leading horses to water. In addition, we do a fair amount of herding kittens but that is a topic for another time. […]
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