In my role as a literacy instructional coach, I am fortunate to have access to more professional development than I did when I was teaching in the classroom. Some of that access is available during the school day; much is available outside the school day. When I was in the classroom, I rarely took advantage … [Read more…]
In February, I wrote about beginning with the end in mind in relation to lesson planning and curriculum design. Today’s post will take a different spin on the same concept. I’ve just spent five days in Billings, Montana, celebrating the life of my aunt, Sister Kathleen Hanley. Funerals and Celebrations of Life afford us the … [Read more…]
Seeking Transparency and Clarity Around Learning Using learning targets in classrooms is not a new concept. Teachers have been doing some form of this for years. When I reflect on my own use of learning targets, it has evolved from: not using (or identifying) learning targets at all, to posting a page number or topic … [Read more…]
Adopting the Mindset Gratitude is something I exercise daily, in a variety of ways. I wish I had arrived at a “gratitude mindset” on my own, but I did not. My first step into adopting the mindset came with a professional development session provided by our school district nearly 15 years ago. At that session, … [Read more…]
The Science of Reading The Science of Reading is gaining momentum, thanks in large part to folks like APM journalist Emily Hanford. The funny thing is, it’s not a new concept; knowledge about the Science of Reading has been around for upwards of five decades. According to The Science of Reading, A Defining Movement, “The … [Read more…]
Rarely a week goes by when questions aren’t raised about the structure of the EL Education curriculum, which the Fort Madison Community School District adopted in the fall of 2019 for grades K – 5, and the fall of 2020 for grades 6 – 8. The questions go something like this: “Why do we have … [Read more…]
I have recognized a negative trend developing in myself in the past few weeks. My thoughts are being poisoned by events around me – nothing earth-shattering, just the normal stuff that is part of day to day life. Yet these events have hurt and impacted those I care deeply about. When I allow poison to … [Read more…]
Change Change is hard. Change is (often, but not always), necessary. Change is uncomfortable. Change is inevitable. In the words of Jack Canfield, “Change is inevitable in life. You can either resist it and potentially get run over by it, or you can choose to cooperate with it, adapt to it and learn how to … [Read more…]
It’s been a week. My emotions have been all over the place, as we celebrated Owen’s trip to the IHSAA Wrestling Tournament, where he earned a place on the podium. His 8th place finish was not where he wanted to land, but we couldn’t be more proud! The weekend was filled with celebrations and frustrations, … [Read more…]