This past week brought the annual Tri-State Rodeo to Fort Madison. 75 years of “…some of the best rodeo action on earth”. I don’t follow the circuit, but I LOVE attending the Tri State Rodeo each year. The dust, the dirt, the livestock, the clown, the cowboys & cowgirls, the cool fall nights – it’s … [Read more…]
What a whirlwind of a week… or three! As I write today, I’m sitting in the Atlanta airport, buzzin’ like a bee from an AMAZING four days at the 2023 Open Up Resources HIVE conference! There is so much learning to process; I’m thankful for several hours in the airport to do just that. This … [Read more…]
100% This post was 100% inspired by the three literacy leaders I affectionately call “The Trifecta,” Stacy Hurst, Lindsay Kemeny, and Donell Pons, hosts of Reading Horizons’ Literacy Talks podcast. In Episode 6 of Season 3, Reading: The Numbers Help Tell the Stories, The Trifecta focuses on the irony of how many numbers are involved … [Read more…]
The Truth About Reading The truth about reading is that we have been failing to teach kids how to read for years. According to The Truth About Reading website, “Illiteracy and sub-literacy in America (and around the world) is a growing issue. Awareness is important, but so is action.” Action is happening in the state … [Read more…]
It takes time. This a phrase uttered in multiple educational arenas when talking about student proficiency. It takes time. I have been reminded of this over and over again in my work as a teacher and as an instructional coach. Most recently, I have been reminded of this with three exceptional learning opportunities: 1) Episode … [Read more…]
Last week, I indicated that the education world continues to present many challenges: “Our students are not the same students we had before 2020. They are displaying more frequent challenging behaviors. Despite this, we have educators at FMCSD (and everywhere!) who are working incredibly hard to meet the needs of our students.” As I continue … [Read more…]
Literacy Advocates Take Action Emily Hanford has done it again. She and colleague, Christopher Peak, have poured blood, sweat, and tears into the podcast, Sold a Story, that reveals, once again, the cause of the literacy crisis in America. Hanford is the reason that I, and so many others, have shifted our way of thinking … [Read more…]
This past week has allowed a peek into what our teachers are doing with students to set academic goals. In addition to our standing district beliefs, vision, mission, and goals, Fort Madison Community School District has identified the following goal for the 2022-2023 school year: “By May 2023, FMCSD will improve ELA and Math proficiency … [Read more…]
More Work to Do Yesterday, I found myself being frustrated at a social media post that expressed a less-than-favorable opinion of the EL Education curriculum, specific to the Modules. As I read the equally unfavorable comments that poured in after the original post, my heart sank. I felt like I was sitting on a cracking … [Read more…]
Education with Purpose & Employment with Passion In partnership with the Lee County Economic Development Group, our district administration sent our entire district staff, teachers and paraeducators, to Mark C. Perna‘s Education with Purpose & Employment with Passion presentation last Friday. The effort to bring all Lee County educators and many Lee County business owners … [Read more…]