Free tech tools to try at back-to-school night

Think back on your past few back-to-school nights. Did you use Power Point? Be honest. How many years in a row have you used it? Just like our students, adults like to learn information in interesting and creative ways. So rather than use your same old slide show, why not try kicking it up a notch? Here…

{Classroom Environments} Reflecting your Community of Learners

These days equity, diversity and identity are part of the national conversation, and our students come to school with complex ideas, experiences, and assumptions about themselves and others. My first co-teacher was super passionate about social justice, and she helped me mold my beliefs about what matters when fostering student identity at school. One of the most important ideas she…

{Classroom Environment} Series

September is almost here, and that means it’s time to start thinking about how we’ll set up our classrooms. Even if you’ve been in the same classroom for years, it can be tough to figure out where to begin. When this happens to me, I find it helpful to use my five senses. I stand in the middle of my classroom…

Ready, Set, Goals…

Goals seem so simple and linear. Set a goal. Work toward the goal. Achieve the goal. But goals are really more like riding a wave. You have to keep readjusting to what the wave is doing to stay on top of it! Since it’s almost the start of the school year, I thought I’d share…

What I’m Reading…

It’s summer. And I have time to read…for me. Not like previewing novels for read alouds or for reluctant readers, not for professional development, and definitely not because I feel like I’m supposed to have read Anna Karenina before I die. It’s summer, and I’m reading for me. Having a gorgeous stack of books that I will…