Posts are written to provide insight from the classroom and the principal’s office. Some lessons learned through success, but some are only understood through the struggle. The struggle helps us learn. The success helps us keep moving forward.
Inspiring and improving excellent student behavior is at the heart of a successful school. The posts below reflect on strategies that have worked and reflections on the importance of reaching and teaching every single student.
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 of anxiety that ruins the amazing experience and all the
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 way too much and very overwhelming for him. I had
As principal, I have the honor of observing classroom lessons to learn about instruction and student motivation. This week I was able to directly see the positive impact that specific and direct modeling had on student performance in a 4th
Every day presents itself with new opportunities to reflect on leadership opportunities. The more we look inwards to what we can do better, the more we will be able to inspire others to do their best.
A football game is broken into 4 quarters and the final quarter is the last chance to bring everything you have before the game is over. Players and coaches on the sidelines and the field routinely hold up 4 fingers
What an opportunity I had today! As a father and as an educator, I was so inspired today by my new hero Conner Cummings! If you don’t know Conner, you soon will. Conner is an up-and-coming 23 year old young man who
I was mentioned in this post, but this is an amazing leader who inspires me all the time! Great points made.
I really don’t know why principals have reserved spots. I tend to be at school really early and leave really late, so it’s not like I can’t ever find a parking spot. I’ve always felt weird about it. When I
With Valentine’s Day approaching, the love that is in our classrooms has been amazing. But let’s not forget the power and importance of loving our students as we move past this holiday into the rest of the year!
This guest post is written by Justin Holbrook @JustinHolbrook I am one of those soccer fanatics who wakes up early on Saturday and Sunday mornings to watch the matches from “across the pond”. As the rest of my apartment complex
Whoa! What a day! I love my job, especially on days like this when I get to be with kids the whole day! I had somewhat of a plan, but I definitely woke up knowing that I was going to bring it today
Why the pressure to have our students coding all of a sudden? It’s not like everything that they do uses computers, right…right? Wrong. Basically every recreation and professional occupation now uses computer programming in some way. The old emphasis on teaching
This guest post is written by Lauren DeIntinis @laurendeintinis, a 2nd Grade Teacher in Manassas, Virginia. Check out more of her information at the end of the post. My name is Lauren DeIntinis and I am a 2nd grade teacher at the FABULOUS Ashland Elementary
Are you listening to your students when they have ideas for improvements or helping others? Do you turn these into opportunities for developing their leadership skills? What has really caught my attention over time is seeing individual students that have
This guest post is written by Justin Holbrook @JustinHolbrook, a 4th Grade Teacher in Baltimore, Maryland. Check out more of his information at the end of the post. I fondly remember the games I used to play with my family
I played this music video as I started writing and my kids swarmed me, halfway sitting on me, arms around my head! They were totally drawn to the sounds of Elmo, Abby, and Grover celebrating Autism!
This guest post is written by Justin Holbrook @JustinHolbrook, a 4th Grade Teacher in Baltimore, Maryland. Check out more of his information at the end of the post. When thinking about designing a dream instructional block, questions start whipping through
My #OneWord for 2016 is believe. Although I am cheating a little bit, since believe is a word that we have been discussing as a school team all year! I’m definitely still focused on it for 2016! Believe in Yourself: If you want
I’ve almost been trying NOT to use the term ‘grit’ because of how trendy it has become, but I’ve found it may be one of the best character traits we could possibly teach our students! Grit is courage and resolve; strength of character.
“No! Try not! Do. Or do not. There is no try.” Yes, I’m excited! Can’t wait to see the next Star Wars movie soon, so I’m catching up with the original series with my oldest daughter and then bam! A lesson by
This week is Inclusive Schools Week and we celebrate what it means to be inclusive through activities, readings, and discussions with our students. But why do we only talk about inclusive practices during this week? Inclusive Schools Week should be EVERY
WE LOVE KIDS. We love making a positive difference in the future of students. We love feeling like our job matters and that the work is worth it in the long run. We radiate absolute joy when our students show growth and success. WE FEEL
Why spend a Saturday or Sunday morning to literally walk or run around in circles? When I was younger, before kids, before other life experiences, I really struggled to understand what the purpose was for walks and runs for the many
Value each and every child in your classroom and school. Really. All of them. Not just the cute ones… Not just the funny ones… Not just the well-behaved ones… Not just the ones with supportive parents… All of them.
Even though there are so many reasons why a team may win or lose, the Steelers made an epic leadership mistake that cost them the game this week. They gave up on one of their players during the game.
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