Over an education career that has spanned twenty years, I have had the good fortune to work, and learn, from many exceptional educators. Currently, I am blessed to be the principal at a school with amazing and dedicated teachers -- people who really care about our kids. There is no shortage of advice about skills … Continue reading 10 Things Great Teachers Do
Coming to school each day can become a hopeless task for some children unless they succeed at what they do. We teachers are the sentries against that hopelessness. — Robert DeBruyn As educators, we all bring our own memories and school experiences to our work and into our classrooms. Undoubtedly, those experiences are a wide variation of … Continue reading Sentries Against Hopelessness
One of the great things about working at a junior high school is that kids are generally pretty happy people -- and happiness is contagious. I find that when I am feeling stressed, or overwhelmed, a short walk across campus is often the cure. On these walks, I am typically greeted with a chorus of … Continue reading Kindness: We Can Do Better
Over the past four weeks, I have had the opportunity to be back in the classroom -- as a teacher. We are currently short-staffed, so I have been teaching a class called Academic Perseverance. The class focuses on social-emotional learning and executive functions, but there is significant latitude for creativity and pursuit of topics the … Continue reading What I’ve Learned From a Return to the Classroom
There are kids who challenge us. Kids who are confused. There are kids who are dealing with more than a kid should be dealing with. There are kids who are angry. Kids who seek attention in a wide variety of inappropriate ways. There are kids who bully and are mean to others. There … Continue reading There are No “Bad” Kids
