Last week, I wrote about my trepidations with launching a reading intervention with some 7th and 8th grade students. As is so true with many things in education, the past week did not go anything like I planned. It was already a four-day week because of Monday’s Martin Luther King Jr. Holiday. Bitter cold temperatures … [Read more…]
This coming week, I get the opportunity to launch a reading intervention with four seventh and eighth grade students. The opportunity came about as a result of working with Amy Thacher, our amazing Literacy Coach from Great Prairie AEA. I have had the privilege of working with Amy for many, many years and always walk … [Read more…]
When I write blogposts, many times something I have read becomes the springboard for my writing. In line with meeting one of my goals for maintaining a blog, I write to process my learning. The practice of processing my thoughts through writing sure is helpful to me, and theoretically serves to make me a better … [Read more…]
Today’s post has been days… possibly weeks in the making. I have added it to it, slowly, over the last week – a luxury I have enjoyed as a result of two full weeks away from work. There are advantages to writing a post over several days: time to mull things over, less pressure to … [Read more…]
One of my favorite all-time quotes, which I reference often, comes from Brené Brown: … and as Mark Manson reminds us in the title of Chapter 6 in The Subtle Art of Not Giving a #@%!, “You’re Wrong About Everything (But So Am I).” This entire book has been chalk-full of reminders that I am … [Read more…]
There is value in identifying, analyzing, and holding close your values. I can’t remember what/who prompted me to do this several years ago, but my understanding of the process is this: begin with a list of 100 or so values (there are lots to choose from with a quick Google search.) Choose your top 20, … [Read more…]
It seems natural to write about gratitude during this season. We are just coming off of the Thanksgiving holiday, which certainly left me with overwhelming feelings of gratitude. We were so very fortunate to celebrate with our entire family for two consecutive nights. Our celebrations were tinged with sadness as we felt the absence of … [Read more…]
This past week, our instructional coaching team led several professional development sessions in a district professional learning day. The day was designed so that participants could choose their own path: they had several sessions to choose from for each time slot. It was a day packed with learning and choice. My only frustration with the … [Read more…]
Oh adversity – you tricky wicket, you. You continue to be ever-present. Thank you for assisting me in self-reflection, growth, and continued maintenance of a positive attitude with a focus on gratitude. Among many difficulties that arose this week, several occurred in my role as an instructional coach. The verb “coach,” as defined by Google … [Read more…]
Last week, I wrote about the importance of planning. When it comes to classroom instruction, planning is far more than important – it is absolutely critical. This point was highlighted beautifully in Melissa and Lori Love Literacy’s 208th episode, “No More Strategy of the Week: Connecting Comprehension Instruction Back to the Book.” The episode features … [Read more…]