Posts Tagged ‘reflective practice’
Instruction Should Be Everyone’s Thing
From the Couch of Monica… Sometimes in education, in the day-to-day grind, we forget that reflection is a powerful starting point and an invaluable tool when we think about what kids need from us in the classroom. It is an easy thing to do these days, when there are many responsibilities and tasks imposed on…
Read MoreFinding Fulfillment Again
From the desk of Carol C… Where will you keep your focus this year? Most of us went into teaching to make a difference in the lives of children and therefore, a difference in our world. Remember the excitement (and fear) we felt at the beginning of each school year our first years in the…
Read MoreWhy We Need More Coffee Shops and Less Teacher Lounges
From the desk of Alice… Every now and then I like to splurge for a latte at a locally owned coffee shop instead of heading straight to my office. While sipping on my favorite latte, I like to read and write and people watch. I have found that the change of scenery is perfect to…
Read MoreReflect and Revitalize
From the desk of Leigh Ann . . . Teaching can be an incredibly fulfilling and exhilarating experience, but it can also be one that leaves you feeling defeated and exhausted. When you unwind and finally have time to reflect on your teaching day, where do your thoughts go? Do…
Read MoreExpected Versus Unexpected
From the desk of Carol C… How do you spend your day? Are you rushing from activity to activity? Most of us are so busy hurrying from one thing to the next we don’t seem to have enough time to do anything other than move at dangerous speeds. Now it would serve to reason in…
Read MoreThe Highlight Reel
From the desk of Leigh Ann . . . I spotted a refrigerator magnet that said, “The reason we struggle with insecurity is because we compare our behind-the-scenes with everyone else’s highlight reel.” These words caused a brief moment of introspection – and as all teachers do – I related it to education. I was…
Read MorePigeonholing Children
From the desk of Carol… I’m a reader all the time and a mathematician when necessitated. So it was clear to me when my great-niece, Madyson, reached the toddler stage she was going to be a reader. After all, she loved to look at and listen to books. She couldn’t seem to get enough of…
Read MoreBest Laid Plans
From the desk of Leigh Ann . . . One thing we as teachers need is the confidence to be flexible so we can deal with the unexpected things that inevitably take place during the learning day. We busily plan for the needs of our students and map out long range goals for a wonderfully…
Read MoreTeaching There
From the desk of Alice… After writing about the way my own children have fallen in love with learning, I started wondering about the teachers who are nurturing this along. Given all the demands of the current classroom, how are they sorting through the ideas and requirements to keep the student in mind? …
Read MoreWhat's it Like to Learn There?
From the desk of Alice… My twins are wrapping up their kindergarten year at a public magnet school in downtown Winston-Salem, North Carolina. They are in different classrooms (by my choice) and this has afforded me the opportunity to see things from multiple perspectives despite a similar context. When I have talked to them…
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