Teachers are overwhelmed. Parents are overwhelmed. Leaders are overwhelmed. And, to be fair, this feeling isn’t new for educators, though it’s magnified now. It’s time to simplify. Simple does not mean easy. Simple does not mean that we are letting...
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Are you afraid to say yes? I bet you are, at least a little bit. Saying NO is easier. It’s safer. It lets you maintain control. NO is the word of restraint. I think that’s why it’s a first response...
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Shhhhh. Finger raised to lips, teacher looks sternly at students. Once again, “sshsh: Why? What message are we sending our students when we shush them? I recently posed this to some teachers I was working with. I’d noticed it in...
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“I know you hate this, but let’s plow through.” “I see lots of anxious faces out there.” “This is really hard.” I’ve heard many comments like these over the years. I’m sure I’ve said them as well. Why? When we...
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Differentiating learning for all students is hard enough—now we are asked to think about giving students a choice and voice in their own learning. Seems like more work for the teacher. And, on the front end, it is. But here...
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David Aderhold, a superintendent in New Jersey recently put an end to HS mid-term and final exams in a well-intentioned attempt to ease pressure on increasingly anxious kids–pressure also discussed in this recent NY Times opinion piece and the film Race to Nowhere. Aderhold’s decision...
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