Recently I came across A.J. Juliani's new podcast, Scratch Your Itch. Just to be clear, I am not a podcast girl. I have always liked the idea of them, maximizing my time and learning in places that I wouldn't normally be learning (in the car, waiting at the doctor's office, etc.), but it just never actually turned into something I followed through with....
The first day of school is an exciting day for most. It represents a new year, a fresh start, and not to mention my favorite part, brand new school supplies! Most importantly though, it is the first day with students; the students who will be your tribe for the entire year. It is also your very first opportunity to create the culture of...
Everything we hear in education now is 'innovation'; it has become a buzz word that is tagged onto everything sometimes just for the sake of sounding relevant. Now, not to say there isn't true innovation going on in the education world, because there absolutely is. However, my point is that just like a song that we hear one too many times on the...
Empathy is the ability to compassionately understand what someone else is going through and be able to recognize how we would feel under those same circumstances. Ken Robinson, in his book Creative Schools (which I recommend if you havn't read) points out that many of the problems that young people face are rooted in lack of compassion. Bullying, violence, emotional abuse, social exclusion and prejudices...
I have been doing Genius Hour for about 3 years or so now and truly believe in the power of giving students complete control in what and how they learn. Genius Hour is all about students developing a driving question based on their passions and interests and then designing a project around it, self-directing their own learning to meet their goals. While this...
The other day I came across this quote by basketball player Steph Curry, “You can expect me to keep getting better.” I was drawn to it immediately and began to think of the drive and mindset that he has that continues to push and motivate him to do better. After all, isn’t that what we want for all of our students; to cultivate...
The word YET. A three letter word that could arguably be one of the most powerful word for every student to meet his or her potential as a learner and as a person. It represents a type of mindset where failures are just a part of the learning process. A type of mindset where the process is valued just as much as the...
