“If we want to understand better the complex world of the classroom, and if we want our scholarship to have an impact on the work of teachers, it’s important we find a more central place for story.” Steve Shann I’ve been moved by Steve Shann’s work for quite some time, as an educator, a writer, and a story lover. Steve knows the importance of this form. He understands its ability to change minds and lives. And…
My daughter Laura skipped four days of school this week. So did Noah. They were accompanied by dozens of other kids from all over the globe who met in Boise, Idaho to participate in the Special Olympics World Games Global Youth Summit. I know that Laura and Noah are grateful to their teachers for supporting them on this one. Laura did her homework on the plane, and Noah shared his accomplishments with his classmates upon…
Several weeks ago, I was chatting with an acquaintance about school. Our school. The one our children attend classes in each day. Our district, like all others, has a plan for the future, and everyone is adjusting to change. Sometimes, it’s hard to know how to help. It’s hard to know how to ask difficult questions, and it’s hard to know how to get good answers. There isn’t enough time and there isn’t enough space,…
Last night, we shared a dinner table with a diverse group of incredibly nice folks. Compass House, our local Safe Place, was hosting their annual dinner and my family had a wonderful time hanging out with some of the incredible people behind this organization. We’ve made a few friends there this year, and last night, we became acquainted with some of their friends. Anyway. One of the gentlemen at our table struck up a conversation…
Happy Summer! As this is my first one at home in handful of years, I spent the beginning of it on something of a self-imposed hiatus, reading and writing and hanging out with my girls. I’ve also spent some time thinking more about this space and what I would like to do with it for the next few months. Summertime has always meant more time for the things that I love most, including writing. This summer, I…
Matt Meader has been a fellow of our regional Deep Curriculum Alignment project for some time now, and my first acquaintance with him was through this initiative. Today, I had the opportunity to hang out with him in-district, where I was asked to meet with his high school ELA department to discuss differentiated instruction. Naturally, this led to a conversation about web 2.0 tools, student engagement, and defining authentic purposes for our kids….and ourselves. Take…
Last night, we hosted a long-overdue barbeque, and when my friend Monika called to ask if she could bring a guest along, of course I said she was more than welcome to. I’m so glad that I did! While the girls played basketball and my husband played chef, I got to hang out with this woman, who just happens to be a coordinator of the National Writing Project. Most recently, she helped to plan and organize their…
I spent today exploring the practice of literature circles with a group of English Language Arts teachers from across our region. It’s always interesting when public and nonpublic school teachers come together to collaborate around any one best practice, but the disparity between these two factions of our education system with regard to resources is fairly outrageous. A good amount of time was spent discussing the beauty of the classroom library and the grief that some teachers feel…
I remember my early assumptions about differentiated instruction. I remember thinking, like many do, that differentiation would require the careful design of three separate approaches for each day’s learning. I remember worrying about how I would ever accomplish such a thing. I worried that my kids would fall through the cracks. I remember not wanting to try. I’m sure my former building principal remembers this well, too. One of the greatest discoveries that I made…
Then Jesus took his disciples up the mountain, and gathering them about him, he taught them, saying: “Blessed are the poor. “Blessed are the hungry. “Blessed are those who mourn. “Blessed are the oppressed. . . ” Then Simon Peter said, “Do we have to write this down?” And Andrew said, “Are we supposed to know this?” And James said, “I don’t have papyrus with me.” And Philip said, “Will we have a test…