“We have a problem…” Morgan began, opening her hand to show me three flair pens, which were missing caps. Problem five of five hundred yet to come, I geared up for resolution autopilot, What can you do to fix that … Continue reading De-centering Our Power in Classrooms and Beyond
But First, a Trip Through Years Past. A leveled library, organized from A-K. Letters written on bright stickers — front cover. “Moving on up!” notes for kids to bring home after each independent running record. Or worse, no notes to … Continue reading No Kids Talked About Reading Levels Last Year…Here’s Why
Our move from a small town in WI to Brooklyn was a whirlwind. From the time I accepted a teaching position, we had two months to sell our house, find a place to live, and figure out 1,000 other little … Continue reading The Blank Canvas Classroom
Take a look at the posts I’ve published with Two Writing Teachers in the spring, covering the topics of: Flexible Seating, Poetry, Independent Writing Projects, Translanguaging, Writing at Home, and Fantasy Writing. Continue reading ICYMI: Posts for Two Writing Teachers
Any day brings possibilities for new habits, to begin working toward a goal. But when we keep putting things off until the next day, days can quickly turn to weeks, months, or longer. Continue reading #SOL18 New Year, New Writing Routines
It seems silly that the belief, children are capable is new to me this year. I’m sure I’ve always felt this way, but it became a true part of my philosophy when there was a shift from my role as the sole … Continue reading Children Are Capable, But We Must Let Them Be (Part 2)
As I watch the group of survivors from Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School spark a movement across the nation, one that has been unsuccessfully attempted by adults, something inside me rejoices: CHILDREN ARE CAPABLE. I think about the much smaller … Continue reading Children Are Capable, But We Must Let Them Be (Part 1)
A lot’s been brewing over the last couple of quiet months. With the demands of winter — assessments, benchmarks, report cards, observations, interventions — came stress and distraction from the teaching joys I felt in fall. With these demands also … Continue reading Why We’re Not Celebrating the 100th Day of School…or Following Other Pre-deterimined Plans
Writing workshop used to be a “no talking” time in my classroom. As soon as the classical music started, so did my reminders of “silent work.” Conferences and small groups were interrupted by my need to shhhhh. As voices spread across … Continue reading Before You Silence, Listen
Here’s an experiment for you, as a parent or teacher: Put 4 pieces of masking tape on your arms. Spend an entire day with a pen in your hand and make a tally mark for every type of sentence you … Continue reading The Language of Command
small steps 