Dear Empowered Teacher

Dear Empowered Teacher,   We see you.   You are quietly working away. You seek new information. You see obstacles as opportunities. You find joy in your work. You willingly seek collaborators. You are focused on the right things. You recognize the good in both students and colleagues. You know how to sway without breaking.…

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How to Deal With Bucket Dipping

What is bucket filling? “It is helpful to think of every person as being born with an invisible bucket. The bucket represents a person’s mental and emotional health. You can’t see the bucket, but it’s there. She said that it is primarily the responsibility of parents and other caregivers to fill a child’s bucket. When…

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The Resilience of Heroes

“Every champion was once a contender who refused to give up.”  – Rocky Balboa  I love the old Rocky movies!  I know I am showing my age, but my heart still soars when I hear the theme music and see Rocky Balboa charging up the 72 stone steps leading to the Philadelphia Museum of Art.  Rocky…

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Bend, Baby, Bend

  I have a great love for children’s stories!  They are incredible teaching tools and always speak to my heart.  Since this month’s theme at ERG is resilience, one of Aesop’s fables came to mind: Once upon a time there was a huge oak tree that lived on a river bank.  It was very tall and…

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Bounce Back

  “Blessed are the hearts that can bend, for they can never be broken.”  – Albert Camus Have you ever heard the story about the old donkey and the well? Once an old donkey fell into a well.  He cried and cried until the farmer heard him and came running.  The farmer couldn’t figure out…

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What Does Compassion Sound Like?

From the desk of Alice… I went into the media center in search of an outlet to charge computer. I thought I hit the jackpot when I found a tiny outlet beside a small round table in the media center. I plugged in and was able to work while my computer recharged. I considered this…

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When Passion is the Problem

From the desk of Alice… I recently had a conversation with a teacher who is in her 6th year of teaching.  She is dedicated, professional, has non-instructional duties under control, has a growth mindset and is fully focused on best practices with teaching and learning.  This particular teacher taught several years ago and is back…

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In the Woods

From the desk of Alice… When I was a child, I played outside any chance I could.  These were the days before home computers and 500 TV channels, so playing outside was actually more fun than being inside on most days.  There were some woods behind our house that my sister and friends and I…

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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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No Quick Fixes

“Every spring, education-related newspaper and magazine stories raise the alarm that schools are teaching to the test. Scores of articles and editorials paint a disheartening picture of frustrated teachers forced to abandon good instructional practices for a relentless stream of worksheets based on boring, repetitive test-preparation materials.”  Craig Jerald It’s hard for teachers to stay…

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