A few weeks ago, Grace came to me worried about how tests were making her anxious. She was doing all right on tests at the start of the year, but then she had a bad one, and then at the next one she got really anxious before the test started and while it was happening, […]
Inner Work
Students of Our Students’ Hearts
The key to life change is not the acts of the will but the loves of the heart. St. Augustine Teaching toward the long-term flourishing of our students means that, in many cases, we desire that the lives of our students will change. We hold both a high view of the impact we can have […]
How to Improve School Cultures, Part 6: Think Like a Gardener, Work Like a Carpenter
Culture transcends strategy. –Ryan Holiday, Conspiracy: Peter Thiel, Hulk Hogan, Gawker, and the Anatomy of Intrigue There are no quick fixes for better school cultures. You don’t bring in a consultant or a training program and then there we go, all better. School cultures emerge constantly from the complex interplay of skills, leadership, meetings, arguments, and PD. We […]
Neomania is Making Us Crazier (and Less Effective) Teachers
I’m sorry to be all alarmist with the title here, but seriously: neomania is a problem, and if you’re alive with access to the Internet, you might have it. Let me back up: neomania — an obsession with what’s new — wasn’t in my vocabulary until I recently heard Mike Schmoker riff on it during a recent […]
Encouraged, Equipped, and Understood
At one of the desks where I write for this blog, I’ve got three index cards taped to the wall. Each card has a single word on it, all caps: ENCOURAGED. EQUIPPED. UNDERSTOOD. These are how I want colleagues like you to experience the work I put into the world, whether it’s a blog post […]