A Fight For Our Below Level Readers —

You decide. —

An Open Heart — Back to the untethered soul. This is your life — reclaim it. You stay open by never closing. It’s really that simple. You can learn to stay open no matter what happens in the world. Closing your heart does not really protect you from anything. On Sunday, May 22, I sent an email to my team. No more lack of empowerment As you know, we are having a substitute shortage and I will need to be available over the next three weeks. There is a chance that I don’t get pulled but I won’t know…

dear school system, dear school system. —

than just a picture book. — I don’t remember how I first discovered BECAUSE, but once I did, I had to have it. This past Tuesday, instead of leveled readers, BECAUSE sat alone on the Guided Reading table. Waiting. So much to talk about. A score is the music written by a composer. Mo Willems wrote the words for this book…

They matter a lot. — One of my most important responsibilities. “….that students will see meaning, relevancy, or emotional connections to their own lives,” and that I “actively work at helping students make these connections.” (Whitman & Kelleher, p. 89) Neuro Teach: Brain Science and the Future of Education The Color Monster My students and I needed a…

Making Math Authentic and Meaningful in the Primary Grades — “One thing we know from psychology about the learning process is that the act of reaching into your brain, grabbing some knowledge, pulling it out, chewing on it, talking about it, and putting it back helps you learn. Psychologists call this elaborative encoding…. We’re trying to get math teachers to help students engage in that process of elaborative encoding.”

PLCs, Protocols, and Homogeneous Grouping — Once a month, teachers at my school attend professional learning communities, otherwise known as PLCs. “A PLC is a team of educators who share ideas to enhance their teaching practice and create a learning environment where all students can reach their fullest potential.” Last week, administration asked for suggestions for…

a journey towards peace, happiness, and letting go — When I finished reading this book I understood that the pain I felt in my chest every day before I left for work was fear. I was grateful to finally understand. I now know how to set myself free. “You will realize that you not only have the ability to find yourself, you have the ability to free yourself.” Right here. Right now. I really cannot explain why those are…