In an effort to blog more often, I am hoping to write a short review of each book I read this year. I was lucky to start 2021 with Elatsoe by Darcie Little Badger. It takes place in what is essentially a parallel present, but there's magic. The main character - Ellie - can raise … Continue reading Elatsoe by Darcie Little Badger
When there are no answers…
I've been milling this post over in my head for the last month or so. Trying to think about how to condense everything I've been thinking and feeling into a coherent message. But I don't have one. These are complex times with complex situations that call for....you guessed it, complex answers. It's not really something … Continue reading When there are no answers…
Teaching Strategies Not Texts – The Outsiders
To try to bring back a regular blogging habit in 2020, I'm going to be sharing some of my favorite lessons/units/ideas/learnings from 2019. I'm starting with the one that has the biggest impact on my teaching - Teaching Strategies, Not Texts. This is not a new concept, by any stretch of the imagination. I knew … Continue reading Teaching Strategies Not Texts – The Outsiders
Long Time No Blog
Last year at this time, I set an ambitious goal to write one blog post per week. My goal was to be reflective on my practices, thinking about both celebrations and challenges. However, life happens - and I only blogged once. The entire year. Oops. Since setting a weekly blog goal for myself didn't seem … Continue reading Long Time No Blog
Getting it Together: Celebrations, Challenges, and Changes
In August, I set the goal for myself of one reflective blog each week. I thought that I would be able to maintain that during the year. I had achievable goals of celebrations, challenges, and changes. My initial goal was 5 celebrations, 3 challenges, and 2 changes each week. It's December (2 weeks before break), … Continue reading Getting it Together: Celebrations, Challenges, and Changes
Some Thoughts On Self Care
The importance of self-care for teachers is growing. It's come up at several workshops I've attended recently, where I feel like for the first decade of my career - we didn't hear about it at all. I thought of myself as someone who "did self-care". I do yoga every morning because it creates a noticeable … Continue reading Some Thoughts On Self Care
Nothing Prepares You
A student at my school died this week. Because of the timing of the universe and how news travels these days, we had to tell them all their classmate had passed. I had to look out at a room of 30 middle schoolers and tell them that a child that was in school yesterday would … Continue reading Nothing Prepares You
When Do We Give Up?
How long should you try something before it's enough? Before you can say "Well, I gave this my best go, and it's not going to work out?" I've been thinking about this a lot lately. As I've written about before, I take aerial arts classes. I am not very good at it. I've been at … Continue reading When Do We Give Up?
Should You Blog?
I've kept a blog on and off for about 10 years now. I've had this blog for about half of that time, though I'm hit and miss on keeping up with posts. I love to talk to people about starting a blog, and I often hear questions like What if no one reads it? What … Continue reading Should You Blog?
Let’s Make Time for #ReflectionEDU
Summer is a great time for educators to take a step back from their processes and think about what's working and what isn't. For me, I usually set lofty goals about what I'll accomplish over the summer. This year it was to read all of the books currently on my desk. I just counted - … Continue reading Let’s Make Time for #ReflectionEDU
