5 Ways Education is Like Game of Thrones

Winter is coming! With the return of Game of Thrones to the airwaves, I was inspired to write an article based on this tremendous series. As I prepared for the new season, I thought about the history of the series and began to draw some parallels to the world of education, specifically working in theContinue reading "5 Ways Education is Like Game of Thrones"

5 Ways Today’s Parents Are Different Than Our Parent’s Generation

I am lucky that I get to see both side of the educational world when it comes to working with parents. As an educator, I get to see the perspective of teachers and administrators and how hard they work in the best interest of their students. As a parent of two school-aged children, I getContinue reading "5 Ways Today’s Parents Are Different Than Our Parent’s Generation"

5 Ways Leadership is Like Building a Sandcastle

Being a leader is not easy. Leaders must be steadfast during the storm and be able to remain standing through thick and thin. I was lucky enough to spend some time this summer on a beach building sandcastles with my children. As we built our castle, I was reflected upon my own work as anContinue reading "5 Ways Leadership is Like Building a Sandcastle"

5 Things Teachers Need To Do This Summer

As we come to the end of another school year, it is time for all educators to take some time to breathe, relax, and reflect. There are not many professions that have defined beginnings and endings every year. Educators need to take advantage of this opportunity in order to better themselves by paying attention toContinue reading "5 Things Teachers Need To Do This Summer"

5 Ways To Use Technology at Open House

It is Open House season! Every year at this time, teachers invite parents into classrooms to view student work, projects, and to share successes from the year. This year, spice it up a bit. By the time that parents get to the upper elementary grades, they have seen it all. All Open Houses will blend togetherContinue reading "5 Ways To Use Technology at Open House"

5 Ways to Support New Teachers

New teachers are the lifeblood of schools and districts. It is vital that new teachers are supported and nurtured so that they stay in the profession. A recent survey from the National Center for Educational Statistics indicates that about 25% of teachers who left the profession did so indicating that administration was extremely unsupportive. CreatingContinue reading "5 Ways to Support New Teachers"

5 Pieces of Data Your Leadership Team Should Be Analyzing

Leadership teams spend hours and hours each school year looking at assessment data. Data will help teachers and administrators target individual students and standards for intervention. However, assessment data is only part of the picture. There is a wide variety of data out there that needs to be analyzed in order to truly transform schoolsContinue reading "5 Pieces of Data Your Leadership Team Should Be Analyzing"

5 Ways To Smartly Purchase Educational Technology

Edtech is a multi-billion dollar business. Edtech purchases have increased 5 times over the past five years. However, are these purchases actually doing students any good where it counts? Are they actually benefitting students in the classroom? As a technology in schools advocate, I urge all educators to carefully research and purchase devices and programsContinue reading "5 Ways To Smartly Purchase Educational Technology"

5 Ways to Decrease Disciplinary Issues in the Classroom

Many educators indicate that mastering classroom management is one of the most difficult parts of the profession. Teachers who struggle with poor classroom management skills will never get their students to learn at their highest potential. Their students are seen off task, talking to their friends, defiant, and disrespectful. These students are often assigned consequencesContinue reading "5 Ways to Decrease Disciplinary Issues in the Classroom"

Five Ways To Ensure Your Next IEP Meeting Runs Smoothly

IEP meetings are some of the most important facets of an educator’s job. Ensuring that appropriate placement and services are being provided for some our most at-risk students should always be a top priority. It is vital that these meetings are productive, collaborative, and student focused. Sadly, too often these meetings get derailed by emotions,Continue reading "Five Ways To Ensure Your Next IEP Meeting Runs Smoothly"