Posts Tagged ‘education’
Difference Makers
From the desk of Leigh Ann . . . “In a gentle way, you can shake the world.” – Mahatma Gandhi I had dinner with four amazing women last evening, and as you can probably guess, the conversation revolved around teaching. We were dissecting the characteristics exemplary educators possess. What is it that gives them…
Read MoreHour of Code
From the desk of Leigh Ann . . . “An understanding of computer science is becoming increasingly essential in today’s world. Our national competitiveness depends upon our ability to educate our children – and that includes our girls – in this critical field” – Sheryl Sandberg, Chief Operating Officer, Facebook To develop globally competitive students…
Read MoreStart a Reading Movement
From the desk of Alice… I recently went to my child’s bookfair and came across the book Igniting a Passion for Reading by Steven Layne. I read this book several years ago and loved it so I picked it up for one of my ERG principals because I thought she would really appreciate it. We recently…
Read MoreTouching the Soul of a Child
From the desk of Carol C. . . My friend is a voracious reader. She reads, remembers, and seems to understand everything in print she comes across. Her vocabulary is amazing. Reading is her passion. Now go back 30 years and look at my friend. She would have been in first grade. It would be…
Read MoreQuality – Not Quantity
From the desk of Leigh Ann . . . The word homework makes me cringe. I think back to the countless hours my now grown daughter and I spent at the kitchen table – more concerned about completing the seemingly endless assignments than actually learning from them. She survived, but my heart breaks as I…
Read MoreChanging My Mindset
From the desk of Carol C . . . A few weeks ago I had a conversation with a colleague, Katy, about what she did to make math so interesting for her students. “Oh, I just let them play games,” she replied tongue in cheek. Well, I knew better than that. Katy is an excellent math teacher…
Read MorePrincipal's Hot Picks
From the desk of Alice…. In every school I have ever gone in, there are students who can read but choose not to. These students know how to call words, they understand what they read and they even think critically–when they decide they want to. They can be a challenge because the barrier to reading…
Read MoreModeling the Sounds of Learning
From the desk of Leigh Ann . . . One of my favorite classroom signs reads, “Pardon our noise. It’s the sound of learning.” A class of enthusiastic learners is not silent, but filled with meaningful conversations about all aspects of the curriculum. Classroom talk is a powerful tool and is critical to teaching and…
Read MoreTech Talk
From the desk of Leigh Ann . . . Are you looking for quality tech tools to help guide teaching and learning in your classroom? Here a few picks that might interest you: http://thinkfinity.org/ – Thinkfinity is a free online professional learning community that provides access to curriculum resources and enhancements for K-12 teachers. https://www.remind.com/ –…
Read MoreA Pain in the Assessment
From the desk of Leigh Ann . . . For as long as I can remember I wanted to teach. As a little girl, I would strategically place my stuffed animals around the small chalk board in my room and deliver inspiring lessons that prepared them for life. Not once do I ever remember having…
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