The Blog

As we return to school after the hustle and bustle of the holiday season, we soon realize that there is a long stretch of cold and dark days ahead of us. Our dreams of a white Christmas are on hold until next December and the dirty slushy roads feel more dreary than magical. In anticipation of what might be referred to as the winter blues, we can create a plan to build fun, connection, and play into our days! What are the Winter Blues? Less sunshine, colder temperatures, and

Check out my free one hour session to gain a better understanding of the importance of a solid MTSS foundation and leave with a plethora of resources to support your efforts no matter where you are in building your school’s or district’s system! All of the resources mentioned in the video are linked below.  Click here or on the image below to access the video!

Whether you are a Curriculum Director by title or by assignment, an aspiring CD, or someone who just loves learning about curriculum design and development this booklist is for you. Every title on the  top 5 books for curriculum directors in 2023 should be on your bookshelf this year.

What if someone offered you a FREE 5 minute per day strategy that boasted the following benefits for you AND your students? Would you take it? Read on to learn 7 simple ways to practice gratitude in the classroom.

Employability skills are a set of skills outside of technical or academic competencies that are considered imperative to being a successful employee and team member. In an effort to ensure these skills are integrated into academic settings, the Indiana Department of Education (IDOE) has arranged these competencies into four categories: mindsets, work ethic, learning strategies, and social emotional learning.

As leaders during these difficult times, it can be hard to attract, hire, and retain great teachers. One way to do this is by creating a strong mentoring program at your school.  Teachers want to feel valued, connected, and supported with the difficult work they do every day. Teachers who are new to your school, both new educators and veterans alike, need a high level of support. Providing the right support can ensure that they are successful and remain valuable members

Employability skills are a set of skills outside of technical or academic competencies that are desired by potential employers and considered imperative to being a successful employee and team member. This set of skills might include things like: communication, teamwork, initiative, problem solving, planning and organizing, self-management, and more. You may have heard them referred to as “soft-skills.”

I was reminded that I am a S.T.E.M. person. Yes, I focus on the M. <Best> part of S.T.E.M., which we all know is Mathematics. Yet, Science, Technology, and Engineering need to get some press too. So, let’s talk about Science.   I started thinking about what I love about Science. So many things came to mind. Science is amazing! It causes curiosity, amazement, and explains so many things we see around us and events that happen daily.   

Many students experience test anxiety at varying levels. When kids are anxious, they aren’t always able to think as clearly as they might when calm. It may be difficult to sustain attention for long periods of time when anxious thoughts consume the mind. Students may also sweat more, have increased heart rate, become emotionally upset, begin to doubt themselves or become agitated. This is even more prevalent for students who have struggled in a school setting in one way or an

As you begin your career, mentors are invaluable. They help you stumble through all that you do not know when you start. They are there to listen to your ideas, without judgement. They share thoughts and ideas that help you figure out exactly what you need to be doing. They support you by sharing their materials, ideas, errors they have made in the past, suggestions, and what has worked well for them over the years.

As the world around us gets busier and busier, there is an increased need for understanding how to manage our time and tasks. Below we will discuss why it is important, give some quick tips, learn how to prepare the mind and environment, and discuss how to make the lessons stick! 

As I observe math classes, I see processes and procedures being taught! This worries me more and more! Please do not get me wrong, processes and procedures are important. However, if the processes and procedures we are teaching are not attached to any structure or context, it is just memorization! I do not know about you, but my memorization skills have their limitations.

August means only one thing, back to school. Teachers gear up by organizing, decorating, and creating a physical space that supports learning. This is the time when teachers decide which materials to pull out and what to have at the ready for instruction. If you are a new teacher or new to the primary grades you might be asking, what should I make sure I have.  

Many teachers are finding it hard to get excited about teaching these days. There are many reasons for this, but you can bring that excitement back for you and your students! 

Picture books aren’t just for preschoolers and younger children, readers of all ages enjoy and learn from picture books. I LOVE picture books! They are full of rich language, beautiful illustrations and photographs, and bonus, you can typically read them in one sitting.   

By William Reed Right now, teaching, and basically any job in education, can seem overwhelming. There are so many things we could be doing. It is very easy to lose sight of the big picture and not see the forest for the trees. One of the best ways to keep everything in perspective is to self-evaluate and set goals.    You need to write some Professional Goals and some Personal Goals . Yes, it is important to have both professional and personal goals. Professional goals impro

As one school year comes to an end, another is soon to begin! First things first, filling vacancies with the hope that the upcoming school year will begin with a full staff. In an effort to create as smooth a transition as possible for students and staff, it is imperative that a plan is in place to support all of the newcomers whether they are fresh out of college or simply transitioning from another district.

As a school leader, there are many loose ends that you will want to tie up at the end of the school year. This is a great time to pause and reflect on the past year. You will want to review the data you’ve collected on the programs, interventions, and initiatives you’ve implemented. This is a great time to write your strategic plan for next school year complete with your end-of-year data, key milestones, SMART goals, and monthly metrics. Below you will find an easy-to-follow

An invaluable lesson that helps students perform their best is teaching students appropriate self-advocacy.  Students who have 504 plans and I.E.P.s need to learn how to appropriately advocate for the accommodation(s) afforded to them in their plan. Regular education students also need to be taught and shown how to appropriately ask for help and assistance as needed. When students learn how to appropriately ask for assistance, they are not only set up for success in the class

The routines and rituals that put books in our hands are important. They aren’t just crucial for personal growth, they are critical lessons that we need to teach students of all ages. Students need us to be transparent about when, why, and how we keep reading a priority.   Leading a reading life means purposefully thinking about reading and how to fit it into our daily comings and goings. Our lives are busy and there is a lot of competition for each moment. Readers navigate