This is a reflection on two weekends, two kids, and the importance of context. It is a reminder for me that being a patient learner is critical to success as a parent, teacher, and student. The Soccer Tournament and … Continue reading Patient Learners – A Tale of Two Kids
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Kids want to be treated like adults. I think this is a fact. We can all remember in our childhood wanting to be treated like adults. Whether it was more responsibility, dreaming about our future, being in charge on the … Continue reading Should we treat kids like adults?
Every day, in a 100 small ways, our children ask, ‘Do you hear me? Do you see me? Do I matter?’ Their behavior often reflects our response.” ~ L.R. Knost Do we really see or hear children? Do we help … Continue reading Seeing children as they are
(Yes the shoes above are signed, game-worn Ron Anderson Pony basketball shoes. Read more to find out why anyone would ever consider putting them in a blog post.) A long time ago, before Zappos and even Dick’s Sporting Goods, there … Continue reading The Shoe Game (a cheap dad’s perspective)
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I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel. – Maya Angelou (or possibly someone else) If there ever was a quote that represented teaching young … Continue reading The Art of Teaching
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So, for now, while shoes burn and talking heads discuss the economics of Nike’s ad, I’ll let my son watch these images as many times as he can, and I will believe in the potential power of those words. Continue reading Put the politics and burning shoes aside, an important message is getting lost
My mornings are pretty standard. 7:00 – 7:05: Arrive at school 7:05 – 7:15: Set up for early morning care. 7:15 – 7:30: Greet my early arrivers in the library 7:30 – 7:55: Dismiss groups to their designated spaces and … Continue reading A Small Powerful Moment
I know I’m not the first to say this, but something clicked for me tonight. I feel more disconnected than my parents ever were. I feel like I can’t go through a day anymore without hearing about how kids are disconnected from humanity because of their reliance on technology. Continue reading My Work-Life, Technology-Humanity (Im)balance
Fortunately, as a Quaker school, we spend time each week in meeting for worship – this is time spent in shared silence, often spent reflecting on attempting to understand our many experiences. In Quakerism, we also focus on the belief … Continue reading Teaching for Tomorrow (Literally, tomorrow)
We often hear teacher-led or student-led when describing classrooms, mistakes are an essential characteristic of learning. We don’t simply walk into learning. Even when someone guides us there, we typically have to make a mistake before it sinks in. As a teacher, I know that my students will make mistakes, and lots of them. Therefore, if I am not teaching them how to respond to a mistake, then I am not teaching. Continue reading 5 ways to design a Mistake-Driven classroom
