This time last year I wrote a blog post entitled Reflection. Sound familiar? Yes, I chose to use the same title but added an “s.” Why? Because for most weeks of the last few months I have written social media posts and even a blog post about what I have learned during quarantine, distance learning teaching. This morning I woke up and needed some closure…
A decision by the state governments put administrations of almost every school in the U.S.A. into action. Actually all over the world. School was going virtual. Plans were created and preparations began in earnest. Teachers arrived to their classrooms with set time periods to gather materials. Decisions were made abut asynchornous and synchronous teaching. Which video conferencing system to use. Tutorials were done on how…
I have always tried to find the silver lining in any situation. But this social distancing due to Covid-19 has been a tough one for me. Sleeping in a bit each day that is a good thing. Having two of my sons at home (one from college, one opted to remote work with us) another good thing. One son in NYC with his girlfriend is…
Just finished my third week of distance learning. Here are some Instagram posts I’ve written about what I have learned on this journey. Some responses to these posts: I am starting a break as the school I am consulting with (and teaching Kindergarten remotely for) is having their Spring Break. I will take some time to do my needlepoint, sit outside and go walking, read…
Been staring at this screen for 10 minutes. What to say, do I have anything to say? Is what I say important to read at this time? Well maybe the point is just to make a connection as we all experience social distancing. So here goes my thoughts: Connections are more important than ever! Reach out to someone who is living alone. Reach out to…
The likelihood is you either just had or will be having parent conferences at your school. For me, parent conferences have always been a time of anticipation mixed with anxiousness. When I say that I refer to my conferences as both a parent and as an educator. During this school year, I have spoken to both parents and teachers as well as seen the social…
I just have to say it…I am obsessed with kids literature, but Read Alouds are my focus right now. Truthfully, I am always infatuated with the benefits of Read Alouds and always looking for new ones! Last week, I organized a read aloud with a client school as part of World Read Aloud Day 2020 (https://www.litworld.org and Scholastic). This is the first time I actively…
I recently got the oil changed on my car. I did this because a reminder popped up on my dashboard. So consider this your pop up reminder to do a digital check-up! Do you get those emails or letters saying that privacy changes have occurred for an account/subscription you have? Do you ignore them? Truthfully I often do. But when it comes to our digital…
A few weeks ago, after moving my youngest son to his room at college, I was driving to visit my oldest son. With some quiet time in the car I started reflecting on how the school year has started at my client schools. This led me to the whole idea of smooth starts to school. What does that mean, to have a smooth start? Does…
“So, how do you know that a child is learning?” This was recently asked of me at a parent coffee I held. This question emerged as I was discussing the progress monitoring that this school had instituted in their reading program. I was explaining as to how I view the yearly achievement testing as one piece in a student’s educational portfolio. A way to monitor…
