These are not rhetorical questions, but questions to look each other in the eye and ask. And answer. And awkwardly stare and wait in silence as long as it takes for a response.
Category: Action
This past school year I accepted the #500c challenge (thank you @eduleadership!): visit 500 classrooms over the course of the school year. In making visits part of my daily routine,…
Times are different now. Devices are prevalent among our kids. They transcend cultural, socio-economic, and grade level boundaries. Despite how traditional or conservative homes may be, devices are abound and our kids are…
It’s cliche, but so true. Little things mean a lot, in daily life and in our profession of education. Sometimes we have to set aside time to reflect on the…
I shared these paragraphs with my staff in their weekly “Get Whitt it!” today…(See my other weeks here.) A blank calendar. A fresh start. It’s the perfect time to evaluate where…
The world today is changing at a fast pace. We are seeing advances in technology at a frenetic rate, which is having a powerful impact on our learners. It is…
The Good News This summer I spent a lot of time with my cousin who wrote a six-part blog series about collective impact that I followed in August. It got…
Read More How Can We Support Mental Health and Well-Being in Schools?
“Be yourself” is a phrase commonly said to help us be comfortable. As we reflect on our contributions to kids and our service to our communities, I wonder if we should not…
February. Making the turn into Assessment Alley. Revised schedules. Computer labs are reserved. MacBook carts are off limits. Time is tight to wrap up grades for the quarter. Space and resources…
Running seems to give me inspiration, clear my mind, and inspire new ideas. Knowing that Twitter has recently created an option to share videos up to 30 seconds, I thought…
As conference time is upon us, I am reminded of one of my major career “catapult” moments: initiating student led conferences. As I began to leverage the enthusiasm, ambition, and…
If we had to host our own detentions… how many would we write? how would we want student behavior impacted as a result? how would we work toward achieving that…
The best teachers have great relationships with students. Part of this can be attributed to who they are at heart, but part is also intentionally focused energy and effort. 6…
Are your meetings effective? Here are 6 types of meetings…
A few years ago, I was astonished to see that Sweden turned over their country Twitter account to a different person that lived in the country for a week. Even…
Kids? Politics? Both? The best part about our profession of education is…kids! Most–if not all–of us teach on the most dedicated staff, with the greatest kids, affectionately supported by a…
What is the purpose of K-12 schooling? Think for a moment before coming up with an answer. Consider what you believe truly matters. Is it preparation for college? Preparation for…
Many have leadership titles, but our true leaders exhibit leadership behaviors. Some are listed here. Certainly not an exhaustive list, nor set in stone; but led to some great candid discussion and…
This reflection is inspired by a culmination of things, but most recently a conversation with an aspiring teacher, and this recent post by @TonySinanis. The aspiring teacher approached me for some insight…
Read More “What the He**’s Going On Out Here?!?” ~Vince Lombardi