Physical safety is vital. As a teacher and school leader, safety was forefront on my mind. I believe it is our most important role, superseding assessment scores, academic standards, or extra-curricular opportunities. As a teacher, I ran after a young student to stop him before he bolted onto a busy street. As a site leader, […]
Distance learning is a reality that arose unexpectedly as a necessity for public health and safety. As such, students have experienced a shift in the way they receive educational opportunities. Educators across the globe have been scrambling to rework their entire mode of instruction, from a face to face model to one that often relies […]
A teacher approached me last week and asked, “Can you please show me how to use quizizz in my classroom?” I commended the teacher for her desire to implement a new technology tool for the benefit of her learners. The teacher laughed and said, “Oh, it’s not me! The kids keep asking for it!” The […]
In serving educators, I seek to validate them with professional autonomy while simultaneously encouraging them to implement new learning which may be out of their comfort zones. It is one thing to learn about a new technique or strategy at a professional learning session outside of the classroom, it is yet another to take the […]
I have found that the teacher’s lounge can be a great place for an instructional coach and/or leader to build relationships and support those they serve. More times than I can count, my presence in a teacher’s lounge during break, lunch, or after school has sparked organic conversations that positively impact students. I am not […]
It seems there are never enough hours in the day to support those we serve. Instructional coaches are stretched thin, oftentimes serving multiple teachers, sometimes across various school sites. I myself have this challenge. As I have continued to refine my practice as a coach to meet the needs of my learners, I have discovered […]
This week I had the opportunity to participate in an epic EdTech event, our county’s annual #TechRodeo. This is the 4th annual iteration of this one day conference for educators. My support staff and I felt prepared and relatively relaxed in the days leading up to the event, mentioning to each other, “It’s not our […]
As an educational coach and leader, I have learned the importance of asking questions as I speak with those I serve. I have ditched a “telling” philosophy, and even shy away from unsolicited “suggestions”. Lately, I discovered that this shift has positively affected my interactions with students as well as adult learners. Feedback that Unintentionally […]
A recent conversation regarding social emotional learning (SEL) caused me to rethink my focus as an educational leader. I have been working in a couple of schools with high populations of students who have faced trauma and/or have been diagnosed with mental illnesses. As such, I have been doing a great deal of exploration on […]
I was in a classroom this week during a teacher’s prep period. The educator was eager to show me the strategies she was implementing from recent professional learning, and shared student work that revealed learner improvement. I was impressed by the teacher’s willingness to apply her learning so quickly, as well as her desire to […]
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