As the Thanksgiving holiday closes and the Christmas holiday season is underway, it is increasingly easy to feel heaps of gratitude. That gratitude comes from many places, including time spent with family and friends, amazing meals, and a warm house that provides shelter from the snow that found its way to the Midwest. Among all … [Read more…]
I’ve discovered another Trifecta. I hold a great deal of admiration for Stacy Hurst, Lindsay Kemeny, and Donell Pons, hosts of Reading Horizons Literacy Talks podcast. That admiration led me to title them, “The Trifecta.” As I continue to learn about the science of learning, I’m recognizing another Trifecta: the science of reading, the science … [Read more…]
The phrase, “It’s a marathon, not a sprint” has meaning in many different contexts. When it comes to instructional coaching, this phrase holds great meaning. In the systems coaching model that our district currently employs, we are assigned to teacher teams based on student data. A level of proficiency has been defined that deems instructional … [Read more…]
It has been three weeks since Mom passed away. It has been three weeks of trying to find my footing, with a lot of slippery slopes making it tricky to find that footing. As Mom’s illness took such a sudden turn the second week of January, my siblings and I were able to be at … [Read more…]
In my work as an instructional coach, I have the great fortune of working with many teacher teams across many grade levels. This allows for a birds-eye view of our district happenings, where I tend to train my eyes on literacy instruction. A common theme among teacher teams, related to literacy or any other content … [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…]
There are so many times in education when we seek the “one thing” that will ensure all of our students can read/can learn at high levels. I reflected on this notion in a recent blogpost titled The Mythical Silver Bullet, at the end of which I concluded, “…which is all to say that the business … [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…]
Our Work with Kim Cano In our school district’s effort to achieve high levels of learning for all students, we have hired Solution Tree associate, Kim Cano, to steer us in the right direction. The plan is to have Kim work with us for three years, at the end of which will result in a … [Read more…]
At the beginning of my Thursday morning run, I was greeted by a fellow early-bird-exerciser. Jackie paused her walk briefly to say, “Hey, I read that article in the paper about you being the ‘Reading Queen.’ What a great article. You know, when I was in 3rd grade, I remember very distinctly a nun, Sister … [Read more…]