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…
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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…
The end of the school year is always a time for a deep sigh. Let’s be honest…more so this school year. But for the last few years, the end of school has been a time of reflection for me. I wrote about these reflections in the past, https://edtechease.com2020/06/12/reflections/ and https://edtechease.com2020/02/02/year-end-reflections/. The first was a reflection on my first year in a new school environment after…
That is the theme of our achievement testing week. And before I go any further… yes… my two current client schools are having the students do an achievement test. Both are private schools that have been in person all school year. Both have been able to have strict covid guidelines and maintain in person classes. So it was decided to have the achievement testing this…
Catching Up. That phrase has been on my mind. By the number of posts and articles, also on a lot of other people’s minds too. I am not going to try to hypothesize what that phrase means to others. Rather I am going to suggest that the phrase, Catching Up, is meaningless to supporting our students. Maybe that is a touch bold, or harsh or…
Last year, before Covid, I gave an in-person parent workshop on Social Media. I was happy to discuss the more popular social media sites and parental controls. The workshop was well-attended. I think it is important for parents to understand and have the resources to guide their children into making positive social media choices. I had a parent the next morning tell me that she…
So after a little hiatus from writing this blog, I am back. I had decided a while ago that if nothing was occupying my thoughts then I was not going to write just to write. But talking with teachers recently, I am reminded of the necessity of sending out more postive communications to parents. The Bank of Goodwill. No it is not an actual bank…
