Around the holidays, many visitors and holiday party-goers comment on how tired I look. I don’t think they mean this unkindly – it’s true, I do look exhausted this time of year (and many other times throughout the school year).
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Holiday Tears and Cheers with English Language Learners
There are many moments when I really wish my Spanish was better, and yesterday was one of those moments. It was the last day of the semester, and my introduction level English Language Development class (grade 7 and 8) was
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Lose Your Prep – Skip Some Steps
This past school year my good friend in southern Arizona at a high school I will not name was asked to help out his department. You see they couldn’t find a physics teacher anywhere, but when the new laws
Read MoreGive Yourself the Gift of Letting Go
As a teacher, I believe that I look forward to Winter Break more than my students. Yet, at the same time, I find myself shaking my head at the idea of two weeks of no instruction. This happens every year.
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Culturally Responsive Teaching: When It’s Silly and When It’s Not
Culturally Responsive Teaching leads to much serious discussion about how best to welcome and teach students who come to us from innumerable ethnic, racial, and cultural backgrounds. It also leads to much silliness. On the silly side, one can find this quote
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From Chanel to Shakespeare
Coco Chanel ruled my life for seven years. The bold French designer who revolutionized women’s fashion dictated nearly every decision I made after I graduated from NAU with a degree in merchandising. You are probably wondering, “What the heck does
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Compassion Fatigue: Positivity as a Solution
Do you ever care so much about your students that it hurts your heart or makes you feel tired? Last summer, I had coffee with a friend who is a counselor. She asked if teachers get training in compassion fatigue.
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From the Mouths of Babes
Pick a blog on this site and you’ll see just how important it is that we train and retain a new generation of quality educators; we simply don’t have enough on a national level – and low pay and per pupil
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Helping Students Leave a Legacy
When Kelsey was a high school sophomore, she was a leader. Some would call her bossy or pushy, but I knew the minute I met her she was special. She was in Student Council. She was my Civics Club president.
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A Different Kind of School Choice
I was having a discussion with a student of mine the other day when Milo, another student, needed my attention. I said to the first student, “Milo needs me. Let me just go see what she needs. I’ll be right
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