One of the most interesting and polarizing concepts in education that has popped up in recent years is the notion of “toxic positivity”. Healthline.com reports that with toxic positivity, negative emotions are seen as inherently bad. Instead, positivity and happiness are compulsively pushed, and authentic human emotional experiences are denied, minimized, or invalidated. Toxic positivityContinue reading “Toxic Positivity is Hurting Education”
Category Archives: Uncategorized
Build Up Student Mental Health, Not Fences, to Prevent School Violence
The number of shootings that are occurring at schools is rising. According to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), there have been 417 school shootings in the United States between 2010 and 2019. Sadly, when those annual totals are broken down, an upward trend becomes quite clear. The past two years have seen more schoolContinue reading “Build Up Student Mental Health, Not Fences, to Prevent School Violence”
Digital Teaching and Learning Trends in Schools
Blended Learning Schools Technology allows for learning to continue outside of the normal school day in a variety of ways. Students can access content whenever and wherever they want to consume it. These are reasons why so many schools are adopting blended learning classrooms, which free up vital in-class time for teachers to coach individualContinue reading “Digital Teaching and Learning Trends in Schools”
5 Educational Concepts We Need To Eliminate In 2019
For the past two years, I have written a culminating post on education practices and ideas that need to be retired. I am pleased to report that the 2017 and 2018 articles have been read and shared over 50,000 times by educators around the world. So, without further ado, here are five educational practices andContinue reading “5 Educational Concepts We Need To Eliminate In 2019”
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 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”
7 Ways To Support English Language Learners
When working with English Learners, educators often hear such phrases as: Model. Watch your rate of speech and offer wait time. Use non-linguistic cues. Provide opportunities to build background knowledge. Have clear expectations and instructions. Check for understanding. Encourage development of home language.
5 Ways to Change Homework Practices Now
The topic of homework is a hot button issue in education. Do we give it? Do we not? What do we give? How much? We all have read articles about children crying and fighting with their parents over homework. Homework should never lead to tears. If homework is to be assigned, then let it beContinue reading “5 Ways to Change Homework Practices Now”
5 Reasons To Utilize Social Media in Schools
Over the past decade, social media has transformed communication. Pictures, videos, and comments can be easily posted and sent to followers instantly. For schools and educators, social media gives them another opportunity to share activities, programs, and student learning with the community. However, schools continue to lag behind the rest of industry in this area.Continue reading “5 Reasons To Utilize Social Media in Schools”
Please Upgrade your Teacher / Principal Meetings
The summer months are ideal for educators to reflect, recharge and to begin planning for the next school year. I always try select one new idea, concept, tool, or program to explore during the first few months back. I have an idea that I would like to throw out to all administrators out there: rethinkContinue reading “Please Upgrade your Teacher / Principal Meetings”
The Principal's Desk 