Full disclosure: Today I am writing from a position of arguably limited authority. I have been a classroom teacher (23 years) and an instructional coach (7 years) and have held varied leadership positions in the past. I am talking to and about school district leadership, though I have never held one of the positions that … [Read more…]
It is Sunday, which often equals panic day for me. The panic comes from the load of tasks that I build for myself on Sundays: 1) my self-imposed 1:00 p.m. blog deadline, 2) the stack of house chores that are always-waiting, and 3) the anxiety that comes with looking at the week ahead. Each Sunday, … [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…]
When it comes to planning, there are times when I am a master and times when I am a novice. As it relates to planning for this blog, I am more of a novice than I’d like to admit. I have a goal of posting each week by Sunday at 1:00 p.m. I have a … [Read more…]
There’s nothing worse than leaving a meeting with a yucky feeling in your gut. It’s happened to me more times than I can count, most recently just a few days ago. As I worked with a teacher team on intentional planning (a “new” approach to our instructional coaching work in FMCSD), I found myself bombarding … [Read more…]
On Saturday, I was on a mission. I was bound and determined to trim the shrubs that adorn the front of our house. This is an annual task, one that was skipped last year, and I was committed to making sure that didn’t happen again. I approached the job with little to no plan. I … [Read more…]
The African proverb, “It takes a village to raise a child,” rings true each and every day. In fact, I would add, it takes a village to accomplish many, many tasks of worth. There are times when a crazy thought crosses my mind: “Maybe I should teach preschool, kindergarten or first grade.” This is a … [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…]