Name It to Tame It is one of my favorite strategies and recently, I have found myself naming and attempting to tame endlessly with little relief. I’m grateful, scared, angry, sad, hopeful, lonely, joyful and so on and so forth. Despite my greatest efforts, I am more dysregulated than usual and I am exhausted. As I head into my 5th week of a stay at home order, I have done quite a bit of research in an attempt to give language to the rollercoaster of emotions I have witnessed in others and have experienced firsthand. It was when I was listening to a podcast with Dr. Brene Brown and David Kessler that I had several AHA! moments. This is grief. It is not just personal grief or secondary grief but collective grief. We are grieving, we are comparing suffering and at times we are judging one another’s grief. Oof! That’s a lot. But as I dug into those ideas, I felt healing.
July 13, 2020
If you are an educator, then you will want to add these 5 brainy SEL books to your school’s book club list pronto! Read on to find out how these books on social-emotional learning can help you as an educator.
July 13, 2020
As I’ve pondered these points and worked with others creating plans for their schools, I have seen a lot of resources focused on trying to get back on track. Then today, I watched Becoming on Netflix and heard Michelle Obama speak about her transition to the White House. She was asked how she got her life back on track during or after the transition and she replied, “It’s not getting back on track, but it’s creating my next track.” Of course! For years, we have been talking about the paradigm shift from traditional to trauma informed or healing centered engagement. We have been training for this and studying it and it is time to go full force in creating that track. But, how? Here are 6 tips for a healing re-entry plan for schools.
July 8, 2020
Even if you are an educator yourself, choosing the perfect gift for your child’s teacher can be HARD! You want the gift to show your appreciation for all of his/her hard work. Adding a personal twist makes it even better. Finding something that they don’t already have and finding a gift that teachers actually want is the icing on the cake. But, how do you do that? Let’s face it, choosing the perfect teacher gift can be HARD and often ends up with teachers getting yet another coffee mug! Check out this guide to make your teacher gift giving easier and find gifts that teachers actually want.
July 8, 2020
Teaching is not easy. You need a lot of know-how, dedication, and patience to get the results that you want. Sometimes, you may feel that what you have learned in college isn’t enough to bring out the best in your students. Thankfully, there are resources that can help you increase student engagement, reduce negative behaviors, and improve student outcomes. Introducing our list of the 10 best books for teachers 2020.
July 13, 2020
The school year is up and running, and you’re probably preparing for the first set of assessments for your class. By now, you’ve likely determined which students need extra…extra help on assignments, extra attention from you, extra activities to keep them challenged and, of course, EXTRA help with behavioral issues! And, then there’s the elusive kid who needs EXTRA of all of the above! So the question is, are you proactive or reactive with your classroom management?
July 13, 2020
Not everyone can be an excellent educator. It takes a special kind of person to genuinely love a child like they are your own, because that is truly what it takes.
July 13, 2020
As the new school year kicks off, students arrive to newly decorated classrooms and (mostly) refreshed and reenergized educators approaching yet another new year armed with new ideas and the optimism only a new school year can bring! “It’s going to be a great year, our best year yet!” we all whisper to ourselves believing that the lessons learned from past classes paired with the information we gained from books and seminars over the summer will be the true difference makers we hope they’ll be! And we’re right on many levels. Things will be different, better, and more student-focused. However, each year, like a mother forgets the pain of childbirth, we, teachers and school staff, forget the physical and mental fatigue that inevitably comes with doing this job well. Alas, it is my suggestion that part of our strategic plan this year from school boards and superintendents to building administrators, teachers, and paraprofessionals includes a preventative plan to ensure we care for ourselves, for one another, and strive to protect school staff’s mental health and prevent burnout. In this post, we will walk through how education has changed, why support is needed, and how both administrators and educators can help.
July 8, 2020
Whether you are a brand new teacher starting out or a seasoned professional, you always need new items for your classroom each year. You might be replacing worn out or missing items or adding some extra items to your home away from home. Below are the top 15 items on Amazon for less than $15 that you can use to freshen up your classroom this school year!
July 13, 2020
When it comes to being a school leader, there are many issues that need to be addressed. Strategic planning as a school leader does not just consider studies and preparing children for possible futures, but also working to develop pathways to reach an envisioned future. This means challenging students to think for themselves as well as developing core values and beliefs.
