Reflection is likely the number one tool on the road to improvement. Whether one is wanting to improve their wrestling stance, their pitching performance, their teaching practice, or their instructional coaching practice 😉 the ability to honestly reflect on their current state positions one to improve. This point was driven home in a recent Maxwell … [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…]
My reason for today’s post about self-reflection? The opening of Jon Gordon’s 3-25-24 newsletter: “Wherever I go and whatever I do I want to add value. I want to leave people, conversations and places better because I was there.” This quote and recent interactions have also reminded me of a book that had tremendous impact … [Read more…]
After a week of tough meetings, I’m recognizing a common theme in the mindsets of educators: we want a quick fix. As the last third of the school year is well underway, we are operating in and out of “I can’t wait for this school year to be over,” and “There is so much left … [Read more…]
Spring break is right around the corner for Fort Madison Community School District. We have one week until we get that much-needed week away from school. This is the time of year when our “windows of tolerance” can be nearly closed. We are frustrated with escalating student behaviors, data that is not moving in the … [Read more…]
As I listened (two or three times!) to Amplify’s Science of Reading the Podcast, Season 5, Episode 5, I was reminded, yet again, of the importance of educators focusing on universal instruction first. For those outside of the education world, this may seem a bit strange. An outsider may think, “Of course teachers would focus … [Read more…]
Fort Madison Community School District is incredibly fortunate to have partnered with Four Oaks, an Iowa organization “…committed to helping children and families through their struggles…” The support that we receive from Four Oaks includes receiving professional development around trauma-informed care. We have a group of “trauma champions” that receive more intensive training, sharing our … [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…]