Blog
Communicating with Families: Planning for Meaningful Partnerships
Now that the school year has commenced, you may be thinking of ways to improve communication with families in an efficient and proactive way! When and How? Knowing when to communicate with families is key to a strong home/school partnership. In general, it is important to start the school year or semester off with strong…
Read More
Care Before Curriculum: Advice from Xavier Adams, 2022 North Carolina Beginning Teacher of the Year
Photo: Terri Clark Photography As an instructional coach, I have never worked with someone that has a harder time accepting a compliment than Xavier Adams. From my first visit to his class (via zoom during August 2020), he pushed me to give him more constructive feedback – it was clear he did not want to…
Read More
May Spotlight: Recipe for Reflection
2 parts teaching 3 parts layers of support 1 part students 1 part instruction 1 part data A dash of creativity, hard work, and determination Blend together. Marinate for 180 days. Enjoy! Like a recipe, school years can be complicated, challenging, and a little different each time you put the ingredients together. At Zeb-Vance Elementary…
Read More
An Off-ramp to the End of the Year: Support for Before, During and After Testing
The final weeks of school are upon us. You will be waving goodbye to your students for the final time this school year before you know it. As you exit into summer, keep in mind all the ways that you can ensure high engagement for the final weeks of instruction. Preparing for final exams, tests…
Read More
Mind Over Matter: Modeling and Managing a Growth Mindset for Success
Do you find yourself looking for ways to keep your head above water? Are you striving to maintain a positive attitude as you work to end the school year on a high note? As you navigate these challenging times, a growth mindset vs. a fixed mindset may be just what you need. A growth mindset…
Read More
What’s In Your Control?
Bestselling author Stephen Covey (1989) wrote, “Proactive people focus their efforts in the Circle of Influence. They work on the things they can do something about…Reactive people, on the other hand, focus their efforts in the Circle of Concern. They focus on the weakness of other people, the problems in the environment, and circumstances over…
Read More
Shaking Things Up to Increase Engagement
“For many students, school is an obligation, not a joy and a privilege. This means you need to ‘sell’ the learning to them.” – Eric Jensen You do not have to be in education long to know that the weeks between New Years Day and the first day of spring seem to go on forever…
Read More
Sustaining Student Engagement in Winter
How has the pandemic affected your students? What topics are your students interested in learning about? What activities do your students enjoy? How can teachers increase student engagement in lessons? These are all questions to consider when trying to keep students engaged in your lessons this winter. Winter creates an opportunity to reassess student interest…
Read More
Getting Started with Culturally Responsive Teaching
How do your students see themselves as learners in your classroom? In what ways are they able to connect their knowledge and background experiences to what they are learning? How are their ways of knowing and learning honored in their learning spaces? These questions are important in a classroom that embraces culturally relevant, or culturally…
Read More
Parent-Teacher Conferences are quickly approaching, and it’s time to prepare for these meaningful opportunities to connect with your students’ families.
To be a successful teacher, it is important to engage and build trust with your students and their families. Did you know that research shows that strong family involvement increases student achievement? By having more contact with families, teachers can learn more about students’ needs and home environments. Having this information enhances the ability to…
Read More- « Previous
- 1
- 2
- 3
- Next »