For the past several months I have been training for a half marathon. Myself and several other colleagues each had a different, unique training regiment leading up to the race. I needed to begin early and gradually increase the distance
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Why Did I Have to Look at Those Test Scores?
I’m facing a conundrum. This summer I read Mathematical Mindsets: Unleashing Students’ Potential Through Creative Math, Inspiring Messages and Innovative Teaching by Jo Boaler (with a foreword by Carol Dweck of Mindset fame). I was completely fired up by Boaler’s
Read MoreBack to la Escuela #3: Spanish for English?
In my previous two “back to schools” blogs, I focused on bringing back librarians and basic supplies such as tissue. I struggled more for the third topic, because the obvious choice seemed to be to bring back teachers! Recently the
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From Meow to Roar: A Journey in Advocacy
Last week, I had the opportunity to attend a public hearing for feedback on the 2016 draft mathematics & ELA standards in my community. The meeting was held in the cafeteria of what once was a middle school, that was
Read MoreGetting Realistic About the Number of Decisions We Make
Me: Hey Son, what do you think about the claim that teachers make 3000 non-trivial decisions a day? Son: Well, they make a lot, maybe 100, but you’ve got to be realistic. And realistic is exactly what everyone (and it
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I’m Listening
Every summer I set my intentions for the next school year. These “New Year Resolutions” help me improve and refine my practice and keeps my teaching fresh. Often times they are built based on my learning experiences, reflections, and readings
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The Promise of a New Year
Recently, I listened to one of my favorite educational podcasts, Kids Deserve It! I love these podcasts because they speak to the positivity, innovation, and solutions for the work that is done by educators, from the building administration to the
Read MoreWhy Differentiate in Class if We Don’t Differentiate in the Real World?
At an event the other day with a group of teachers I had just met, one made the offhand comment that the real world doesn’t differentiate. Her opinion was met with general agreement by the other teachers. The undertone of
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Back to Schools
The #NowItStarts hashtag in May was intended to be a reminder to all stakeholders in Arizona that Prop 123 was only a beginning to the process of properly funding Arizona schools. Part of the consensus on Proposition 123, with the
Read MoreLearning to Help Students With Mental Health Disorders
Narcissistic, sociopathic, obsessive compulsive, oppositional defiant, bipolar, passive aggressive, depression, and anxiety. That could be my characterization of this year’s presidential candidates and my state of mind when I think about it. But not quite. Rather, I’m referring to mental health conditions from which
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