Failure in the Kitchen and in the Classroom

Anyone who has ever attempted to cook has burned something. It happens. And when it does happen, it is very tangible. You can see the burn, taste the burn, smell the burn. It’s immediate and signals us to make changes. Do we throw it out? Do we fix it? Can we make an adjustment and…

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The Teacher is the Heart

There is a guy from North Carolina who once said, “You must expect great things of yourself before you can do them.” Besides playing basketball, creating iconic shoes, and being in the movie Space Jam, he basically exemplifies the growth mindset that we want to establish in our classrooms and our schools. Let’s take this quote…

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Curious Like George

    When you were a kid, did you read the stories of Curious George?  This timeless little monkey embodies the curiosity children possess.  You probably know George, but do you know the story of his creators – H.A. and Margaret Rey?   Hans Agusto Rey and Margaret Waldstein worked together on a variety of…

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2 Tips For Creating Compassionate Students

From the desk of Alice… One of my favorite times of the day is my morning commute.  Because I often work on different projects in different locations, it is not uncommon for me to have a commute that is an hour or more.   During this time I get to sip my coffee, enjoy some…

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Passion for Perseverance

  “If you can’t fly, then run.  If you can’t run, then walk.  If you can’t walk, then crawl, but whatever you do, you have to keep moving forward.”  – Dr. Martin Luther King I am a big ACC basketball fan and my all time favorite player is Michael Jordan.  That man had a vertical…

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The Friz Doesn't "Play School"

  “Take chances, make mistakes, get messy!” The immortal words of one of my favorite teachers, Ms. Frizzle.  Every time I pick up a Magic School Bus book I secretly wish I could be like the Friz.  I love her passion!  As you probably know, Valerie Frizzle is the creation of author (and former teacher)…

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Why Broken Hearts Aren't A Bad Thing

From the desk of Alice… We have decided to take a cue from Brené Brown at ERG and spend a year daring greatly.  As part of our year, our theme for January is PASSION.  This is one of those things that draws educators right into the idea of teaching.  We have a passion of some…

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Honing the Habit

  Happy 2017!  Happy New Year!  Happy 2017!  Happy New Year!  Happy 2017!  Happy New Year! I am psyched and ready for a wonderful year!  It’s time to embrace my great aspirations and resolve to do it all a little better.  You know – clean up my act.  I am saying this because the holidays…

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Asking For Help

“I’m never afraid to ask questions.  I figure if I have a question lots of other people have the same one.  I just have the courage to ask it.”-Robin Gallagher, middle school teacher Have you ever been sitting in a workshop where the presenter is talking about something of interest to you, and you suddenly…

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Bagging It

“Into the brown paper bag of my heart, he slipped a smile.”  – David James Duncan Ready to slip a smile on the faces of your students during these last few days of school?  Try constructing paper bag challenges.  Exciting engineering projects can be created with simple materials like tape, paper, and string placed inside…

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