There are things I'm afraid to write about. I'm afraid to write about my anxiety. About how it can sometimes debilitate me emotionally, socially, and physically. About how responsible I feel for passing my anxiety on to my children, particularly my youngest daughter. About how it prevents me from being my best self--as a friend, a… Continue reading On Being Afraid to Write
Category: Education
Join Me at #UNHLit16 This Summer!
Hello everyone! I'm writing this brief post to let you know that I will be teaching a week-long class (July 18-22) this summer at the NH Literacy Institutes on the UNH campus in Durham, NH. For those of you who haven't yet had the amazing experience of participating in this summer institute, it is a fantastic way… Continue reading Join Me at #UNHLit16 This Summer!
10 Q&As About Opting Out
When talking to folks about my family's decision to opt our children out of standardized testing (UPDATE #1: we must now "refuse" testing, as there is no "opt out" option in the state of NH) I find myself answering the same ten questions about the tests, my parenting philosophy, the Common Core State Standards, and the entire… Continue reading 10 Q&As About Opting Out
Hey Teach #3 (Comic)
Hello educator friends, Over the past several years--hell, for almost two decades now--I've been thinking a lot about how to express my discomfort with the dichotomous nature of a lot that we see, hear, and talk about in education. For example, I've written about growth mindset before here, and about the messages about learning we… Continue reading Hey Teach #3 (Comic)
A Call to Educational Filmmakers
Several weeks ago, I had the opportunity to screen one of a number of documentaries about U.S. education that have been produced within the last ten to fifteen years. This one, like those that have come both before and after it [see: Race to Nowhere (2010), Beyond Measure (2015), Waiting for Superman (2010), etc.], railed… Continue reading A Call to Educational Filmmakers
HEY TEACH #1
I love comics. I haven't a clue how to make them, though. Here is my first attempt at one. Try not to be too judge-y. It took me, like, a month.
Ten Texts I Never Would Have Read–Had It Not Been for a Recommendation by Shawna Coppola
Originally blogged on the Nerdy Book Club site...
Four Stories That Homework Tells Children About School, Learning, & Life
At the risk of sounding like Captain Obvious, I must begin by acknowledging that the topic of homework is a hot-button one. Several times within the past few months, I have been part of a Twitter conversation about homework that has effectively blown up my digital devices with each resuscitation. "Homework" as a concept makes… Continue reading Four Stories That Homework Tells Children About School, Learning, & Life
Edu-“Jargon,” or Professional Discourse?
Let me just begin by saying that I get the annoyance regarding the plethora of acronyms that plague our profession. Last spring I, along with a roomful of other educators who would've preferred to be outside soaking up the afternoon sun, was subjected to a "quiz" on these acronyms as part of a district-wide mentor/mentee meeting. After… Continue reading Edu-“Jargon,” or Professional Discourse?
The Heartache Kids
I wandered into a colleague's classroom today just as they were brainstorming some possible topics for writing in their writer's notebooks. As I found an empty seat, Mrs. K asked her students to open up to a fresh page in their notebooks and do some quick writing about one of the topics they had just… Continue reading The Heartache Kids
My So-Called Literacy Life 