Source: Unsplash I normally write a reflection at the end of the school year. However, given everything that has happened in 2020, I wanted to take a moment to breathe, reflect, and appreciate the incredible resilience our students have shown this past semester. Below are just a few of the experiences I’ve had since August
I wish I could register every moment of confusion in my student’s eyes, peek over their shoulder at the passage they’re struggling with, and simply pull up a chair next to a student that needs help. Instead, I’m scanning 25 miniature faces while squinting at tiny boxes of screens and frantically giving feedback as quickly
The start of every school year is filled with exciting beginnings and opportunities to try new activities & lessons. This year is different. Anxiety levels have reached unprecedented levels as we try to make plans that will quickly change depending on the spread of COVID in their communities. Many districts have chosen to start the
Trying to transition a traditional curriculum to an online setting can be overwhelming especially as we juggle taking care of our own families. The biggest struggle for me has been feeling a constant state of dissatisfaction because I feel like I’m not reaching every student; this has led to a lot of trial & error.
During the 4th annual Illinois Council of Instructional Coaching Conference I was able to attend Jane Kise’s keynote: Coaching Teachers Who Just Don’t Think Like You. Although her talk was chock-full of instructional coaching strategies, one insight really stood out: “There are no resistant teachers, but rather, only teachers whose needs during change have not
The end of every school year leaves a gnawing feeling of self-doubt: What more could I have taught my students? How could I have developed their skills further? Did I truly inspire anyone? Did I change how they view themselves or the world? As I sit in front of empty chairs and desks I’m trying
Teaching is one of the most stressful professions in the world. From debating whether I used the right approach while dealing with a challenging student earlier in the day or mentally crafting an email I plan on sending a parent after school, the stressors of everyday teacher life lead me to constantly think about what
As more schools go 1:1, students and parents are demanding a central hub for organizing the rapidly growing number of digital materials teachers are creating. Google Classroom, Schoology, Canvas, Edmodo and other Learning Management Systems (LMS) have helped many schools tame this digital information explosion; however, as with any remedy, there are side-effects you should
Teachers at predominantly white schools, especially those in conservative communities, may be reluctant to discuss race in the classroom. However, it is precisely in these communities that conversations about how race, ethnicity, and other social identities are critical for broadening students worldview. Here are some ideas on how to have these conversations based on a
SOURCE: ASCD You’ve collected exit slips, spot checked students’ homework, skimmed their Google Doc, seen the results from a Google Form, Pear Deck, Formative or Socrative. What do I do next? In this era of student centered-learning and data informed instruction we know we should be formatively assessing our students frequently. However, what should