Have you ever received really bad advice, but took it anyway? When I was an undergrad, I had a particularly demanding professor for my junior year practicum block. I could tell you all kinds of requirements she had for us (like girls having to wear dresses or skirts to teach!). Though I didn’t always agree
I’m supposed to be increasing the salt in my diet (I know…weird), so on a recent flight, I requested tomato juice over the typical water knowing the sodium would be good for me. The young man sitting next to me (and suddenly I sound very middle-aged) ordered the same thing. I kind of joked about
What sets your soul on fire? What are you so passionate about that people can tell by the look on your face and the sound of your voice when you are talking about it? Professionally, my short answer is education. Of course, there are many layers within that topic, and areas that excite me more
I collaborate virtually on something with someone every single day. Some recent examples include: sharing a grocery list with my husband through Google Keep planning an anniversary party for our parents with my siblings via group text messages Scheduling school visits with teachers and administrators through a shared Google Sheet Working on a writing project
I walked into a teacher’s classroom today that I’m coaching in Texas. This is her fifteenth year as a high school physics teacher, but her first in this district. It was easy to see that she was feeling a bit overwhelmed, a fact she confirmed a moment later. She is frustrated by the lack of
Growth mindset. Future ready. 21st century learning. Changemaker. These are all buzzwords in and around education. I use them a lot myself, having the majority of my work centered around innovative instruction using technology as a resource for authentic learning. But in early August, I had the opportunity to go old school – back to
As an educator, I have always been in the customer-service industry. As a classroom teacher, my “customers” were my students. My job each day was to put my students’ needs first. To make sure I was creating relevant and engaging learning experiences that helped each of them grow every day. If they were bored, unhappy,
If you have read any of my previous posts you know I often find professional/personal development nuggets in my everyday life. The same thing happened as I was watching my nine-year-old son play in his first game of the baseball tournament Monday night. Last year, in the younger league, his team won the tourney and were
My daughter is thirteen. She’s is tall, blonde, and beautiful. More importantly, she is very intelligent, hilarious, kind, thoughtful, and so much fun to be around. She has made the transition to teenager pretty smoothly. She struggles, however, as most of us do with self-confidence. Yesterday at church, an older lady told me how gorgeous
I am not an introvert. I don’t just go up to random strangers and start conversations, but I am definitely no introvert. I love hanging out with my family and friends, but I’m mostly energized by spending time with other educators who “get it”. I love meeting someone new who is excited about where education
