Recently, I shared the Everest statement of our social studies team. I’m not the leader of the team, but boy, am I privileged to be a part of it. This time, I’d like to share how our ninth grade transition team focuses its work. Why Ninth Grade? Every year of a child’s education is important, […]
Search Results for: moments of genuine connection
The First Key to Connecting Well with All Students is to Like Them; This Often Takes Work
Please note: Names and details in my articles are changed for the sake of protecting students’ privacy. Here’s a moment of genuine connection that stood out to me today while teaching my four classes of 120 students total. While students were doing an independent practice portion of my lesson, I pulled Kandyce into the hallway. […]
On the Labeling of Students
Last week, I tweeted an invitation to a free evening PD on student motivation. The title was based on dozens of questions I’ve received from earnest teachers around the planet. Here’s the placard: Within a few moments, an ELA coordinator from the American Northeast tweeted this take: “Um, let’s change the title of this. What […]
Are Our Schools Humane?
There’s a question that’s been nagging at me for months and months, starting at the end of last school year, persisting at times through the summer, and now louder and clearer with a new school year under way. It’s been a hard one for me to voice because I’m keen on focusing on what I […]
The Effort Belief in Action: Read Naturally as a Case Study
Nic was convinced that no matter how hard he tried, he would never do better in school. Unsurprisingly, this meant that Nic did not want to try at all. His conviction wasn’t built on laziness or bad intentions. Nic, like all of the students I’ve ever taught, didn’t want to be unsuccessful, and in other […]