For those that don’t know, The $64,000 Question was a popular TV game show back in the 1950s. It was broadcast between 1955 and 1958. It is spring, and anyone in education knows that it is the season for hiring.…
Author: Tom Martellone
The end of the school year is an extremely busy time of the year for principals and educators alike. Not that there isn’t a busy time at any point during the year, but in my opinion, the end of the…
Read More Principals: Are you looking ahead, in the rearview mirror, or both?
The end of the school year is an extremely busy time of the year for principals and educators alike. Not that there isn’t a busy time at any point during…
Read More Principals: Are you looking ahead, in the rearview mirror, or both?
Co-authored by Robert Harris and Thomas Martellone While the following blog entry is not an endorsement of Starbucks over any of its competitors, or is it a criticism of the current state of educational practice, Starbuck’s business model contains some…
by Robert Harris and Thomas Martellone While the following blog entry is not an endorsement of Starbucks over any of its competitors, nor is it a criticism of the current…
I remember my first foray into social media as a young adult. I think it was AOL, which would be a fairly primitive social media in this day and age. It’s amazing to think of how much social media has…
Read More Student Voice, Social Media & Modeling: How My School is Making it Happen For Kids!
My school counselor asked me in the late spring if she could work with our school staff and present at some staff meetings on mindfulness. I was happy to oblige and provide some small windows of time for her to…
This summer I was fortunate to be selected as a presenter at NAESP 2016 in National Harbor, Maryland on student engagement as a means to increase student learning. Having been in education now for 23 years, and having seen numerous…
This past week, I was very busy working across many projects to get our school ready for opening day on August 30th. It wasn’t unlike any other week I have had prior to a school opening. Hallways had multiple pieces…
Quite a few years ago, my aunt once told me, “Tommy, everyone has free agency.” Basically, that means that everyone has the ability to make decisions for themselves, which may or may not best meet their needs, however, they ultimately…
Peggy Marston: Veteran teacher, special educator, long time district employee, friend, and free spirit. Marie Twitchell: Veteran teacher, mother, special educator, supporter, friend, and believer. Gail St. Germain: Office aid, mother, grandmother, multi-tasker, caregiver, friend. This week, I learned…
Peggy Marston: Veteran teacher, special educator, long time district employee, friend, and free spirit. Marie Twitchell: Veteran teacher, mother, special educator, supporter, friend, and believer. Gail St. Germain: Office…
Read More Love and Loss in an Elementary School – Why Relationships Matter.
It’s that time of year again when I am thinking about school a lot. Not that I don’t reflect on my work and the work of my school each day throughout the year, but particularly, at this time of the…
Read More What Stories Will You Make Possible This School Year?
It’s that time of year again when I am thinking about school a lot. Not that I don’t reflect on my work and the work of my school each day…
Read More What Stories Will You Make Possible This School Year?
My professional career for the past 23 years has been as an educator. I was an elementary school teacher and for the past 18 years, I’ve been a principal. For all intents and purposes, I generally tell people I am…
Read More Why I Create…The Principal as Educational “Artist”
I had a interesting epiphany yesterday while home on vacation, which really reinforced for me the importance of PLNs (Professional Learning Networks) and why they are so valuable. Indulge me…
I had a interesting epiphany yesterday while home on vacation, which really reinforced for me the importance of PLNs (Professional Learning Networks) and why they are so valuable. Indulge me for just a moment as I build some context about…
For the past week and a half, I’ve thought a lot about my last school year. It seems odd that students have been finished for about a week and a…
For the past week and a half, I’ve thought a lot about my last school year. It seems odd that students have been finished for about a week and a half, yet, I almost feel as though we just started…. Read More ›