Snakes on a plane? No way! Snakes in a classroom? YES!! I have a snake in my 7th grade science classroom. His name is Sssteve and he is a ball python. The kids LOVE him! I was able
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Covid Kids: Learning Loss or Immeasurable Gains?
I recently read an online post in which someone described their frustrating year, teaching from behind a screen. They shared that this was a “lost” year for student learning. Yet, I wonder if that’s true. Did our students truly slide
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Supporting First Year Teachers
Next month, thousands of college students across Arizona and the country will proudly move their graduation tassels from right to left, signifying the completion of their degree. This momentous occasion symbolizes their hard work and dedication as they worked toward
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Can We Reimagine Our Profession? I Believe the Answer is Yes!
Little grey boxes with students’ names fill my screen four and a half hours a day. Maybe a few brave souls flip on their cameras for four and a half seconds a day if I am lucky. These little grey
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The Camera Conundrum: On or Off?
“Mrs. Clark! Mrs. Clark!” shouted a student from across the Target parking lot a few weeks ago. I quickly turned around searching for the owner’s voice through a sea of cars and SUVs. A masked girl wearing a sweater, jeans,
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Snapshot of a Silent Classroom
For the first time ever in my career, you can walk into my classroom almost any time these days and it is silent, students sitting facing forward in their desks. District policy dictates that the desks face the front of the
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Rise and Grind? I Think Not…Anymore
Rise and grind. Three little words that have summed my entire life, and I would guess many others as well. As a kid, my parents instilled the idea that we achieved when we worked hard day after day without fail.
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To Infinity and Beyond: The Power of Professional Learning Communities
My son, Brooks, discovered Buzz and Woody during the quarantine. I introduced him to the dynamic duo from the Toy Story movies. Since he found these two former enemies and now best friends, we have watched the movies on a
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Lessons from the Lonely Garden
When I learned we were assigned to work from home in March, my anxiety about the safety of my family lessened, and was immediately replaced with mild panic over whether our school garden* would be left to die. At first
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Virtual Classroom Community. Can It Be Done?
You know the feeling. The one when you walk into a classroom where the students and teachers are working together towards a common goal. The room feels warm and inviting. The kids are participating because they trust their teacher and
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