Recently my thoughts have turned again to tenacity. Tenacity can be defined in one of three ways: Each of these definitions really come down to one thing, not giving up. Not letting one thing, one conversation, one event stop one’s forward progress. Why have I been thinking about this? Mostly from some student observations and conversations I have had with parents and colleagues. A while…
The Nantucket Sea Monster by Darcy Pattison A Fake News Story Nerdy Bird Tweets by Aaron Reynolds Social Media Two Truths and a Tall Tale by Sandy Silverthorne Fake News Once Upon a Time Online by David Bedford Digital Commerce Online Safety #Goldilocks: A Hashtag Cautionary Tale by Jeanne Willis & Tony Ross Social Media Digital Tattoo For the full ever expanding list: bit.ly/etedigcitbooks Or…
As we start this school year, what are you planning to explicitly teach your students for a successful year of growth? How to line up for recess? Where to find materials in the classroom? How to move from their seats to the community area? I am guessing these and many more. When coaching teachers about the start of the school year, I encourage them to…
At this time of the summer, social media, blogs, bookstore and library displays are filled with back to school literature ideas. I love looking at the ideas to see what Literature Lassos (books) I should add to my office library. I took a look at the books I wanted to showcase for the faculty at the start of a school and found a set of…
An End of Year Reflection This year for my annual school end reflection, I have decided to write myself a letter. In fact I am having my whole faculty writing themselves a letter. So let’s start. Dear Me, I found this year harder than last school year. Last year, was tough with plastic shields, masks, no sharing, lots of Clorox wipes. But everyone was mostly…
Want to get better at something? Then practice it! Been feeling a bit frustrated that some educators and parents seem to think that students will improve in reading just because we are assessing their reading skills. No. Some think that students will improve their individual reading skills because they are reading short passages in an anthology once or twice a week. No. Just like all…
This reminder popped up on my daily desk calendar earlier this week. It made me stop and think. I often find myself feeling busy but am I being productive? I have a terrible habit of “doing” multiple things at once. But am I really doing multiple things at once? This article in Forbes magazine from January 2020 (https://bit.ly/multitaskingSW), cites studies and authors that declare that…
Creating a culture of literacy. How does one do this? Maybe the better question to ask is, Why create a culture of literacy? Read & Succeed is a phrase my husband and I say frequently. There are a lot of things to be learned in school, but the bottom line is that when one can read the world opens. So if you can create a…
Another school year has started. Whether your school is masking (or not), in person (or not), or delayed for weather (or not), you are planning lessons. My hope is you are also planning your Read Alouds. The quote above is but one good reason to Read Aloud to your students. Others include: Students can get a “taste” of a genre. After Reading Aloud a story,…
A few weeks ago on the first day of vacation and what was I doing? Writing a blog piece. I have said, when asked, why I don’t write a weekly blog (or even monthly sometimes)…I won’t write just to write or just to have something to post. But as I found myself relaxing, not checking emails and texts at a frantic pace, thoughts come to…
