Culturally responsive. Culturally relevant. Culturally competent. Culturally… Each year, educators are becoming more aware of these terms, but what do they really mean? Most importantly, why is it beneficial to create a culturally responsive classroom? Alright, so here is the skinny. And I mean skinny, because these concepts have been researched and written about for …
In my neck of the woods there is about a month until teachers and students return to the traditional classroom. One month. 30 days on the shot clock. What will you do with these next 30 days? How will you prepare YOU? Here are the three things I plan to do. The beginning of the …
Impact: the strong effect or influence that something has on a situation or person As educators we are always being asked about the impact we are making in our schools and with our students. This is an important question because we have such a significant impact on both the school environment and the student experience. …
“Miiiiisssssss? Why do we need to do this?” I hate to admit it, but I heard this question from students more times than I would have liked. Instead of disregarding this question however, it made me think more deeply about my teaching practice. Why were my students completing a particular assignment? Of course I knew …
On the first day of school, after I introduce myself to the students I ask, “Is there anything else you need to know about me that will help you be a better student?” So, on the very first day of my very first year teaching I asked this question. I got some standard questions like, …
People are always saying, “I wish I could be a fly on the wall in THAT room!” Well, today you get to be the fly. Imagine you are buzzing down the hallway in a local school. You fly into a classroom on the left with the door open. Classroom #1: You rest on the white …
Are window, mirror, and map texts really that important? Over the summer my son, a rising first grader, read one book each week. While he read to me this morning, he kept stopping to comment on how different characters looked like certain friends. The book he was reading is called Next Stop: Second Grade! It’s …
What About Me, Teacher? The Importance of Window, Mirror, and Map Texts Read More »