What’s the Hurry? Checking your discipline speedometer
Schools are a busy place and when emotions heighten, we tend to push past the mental speed limit. Instead of hearing sirens and getting pulled over for going too fast,
Preventative Management and Discipline, with Dr. John Gratto
Great leadership must start with effective management, which can lead into preventative discipline, ultimately being more present to deal with issues before they become massive problems. In this blog post
Constructive over Critical: Informal Observations & Teacher Feedback – with Jessica Cabeen
In this episode, I’m bringing in my friend – author, speaker, middle school award winning principal Jessica Cabeen. We’re talking the ins and outs of classroom informal observations. What works,
Skills for Life, Not Just School: ADHD Deep Dive with Elisha Bauss
In this episode, I bring in my good friend Elisha Bauss, to discuss her insight into ADHD as an educator, school leader, and parent. What does ADHD really mean for
Fighting Information & Task Overload
A year from now, would you have wished that you started today? Maybe you are worried about starting, because you feel like you should have been doing it already –
Learning from Real Experiences
A tweet is just a thought, not a manifesto. But tweets can make you think. This week, I had a special opportunity to substitute in a classroom and experience teaching
Panicked or Prepared?
Every so often, we are faced with a difficult and sometimes scary situation. Each new problem feels like one that will never be resolved and there are no solutions in
Tough Choices
Life is full of tough choices that tug at our time. How do you decide what is important and then schedule your day accordingly? I discussed this very thing with
Who’s In Charge of Your Day?
Are you running your day or is your day running you? How do some people seem to get things done and look like that are in full control, even now
A Detour Doesn’t Mean You’re Lost
Just because you take a detour doesn’t mean you’re lost. Some journeys take longer and are more challenging. But we can make it. In life and in the classroom, our perception of
The Problem with “Perfection”
The Problem with “Perfection” – A reflection on perfectionism by a perfectionist. Something I’ve known for a very long time is that I’m a bit of a perfectionist. Not a big
Engage Your Community with Staff Introduction Videos
Maya Angelou stated, “People forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people never forget how you made them feel.” Remember this great advice when introducing yourself
See Students as Solutions Instead of Problems
Every child has gifts and values. Some of those gifts take longer to figure out than others. Great teachers make enormous efforts to connect with every child and look at
Breathing Strategies to Relax Students
Students are stressed. Teachers are stressed. And it’s understandable and should be expected. If you do this job right, it takes a lot out of you and drains you emotionally
Sensory Toys, Tools, Tips, & Kits
Many of our students have sensory issues and we need to provide them with extra tools to address these needs throughout the day. This post and video helps explain some
Sensory-friendly supports and alternatives for intense lessons
There are times where some of our most interesting and engaging lessons are just too much for some of our students. The lights, sounds, and excitement can cause a lot
Slow down & give leadertunities to others
A little moment today with my son helped me rethink our work with teachers and students. Random Saturday morning. I really should be thinking about anything else after a long
The Call to Reduce the Use of Email
The first email was sent on a local network in Cambridge, Massachusetts in 1971 by Ray Tomlinson. He sent this to a computer sitting right next to his computer and
Sensory Friendly Haircuts
For many families like mine, even simple things can be very stressful. When our son was little, the barber shop and a tight haircut, one of my favorite things, was
Enhance Mail Communication through Augmented Reality
Our annual tradition of mailing postcards home for information and to notify parents of students’ teachers saw an innovative twist the last couple of years by adding augmented reality.
Using the Technology SAMR Model to Rethink Educational Leadership
In the instructional technology circles, the SAMR model (Substitution, Augmentation, Modification, Redefinition) has provided a way to rethink how technology is not only used, but how it can enhance instruction
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