TL;DR: Teachers of argument should encourage students to lean out of their comfort zone and explore different points of view. Listening to things we don’t readily agree with actually helps us become more informed about our own values and ideas. Several strategies like believing/doubting, belief continuums, and confirmation bias assessment help students become better at argument writing and speaking. Have … Read More
Students Want Adults Who Care
TL;DR: Students don’t want adults who dispense information. They want adults who care. Create thought-provoking learning experiences for students and avoid lecture-style teaching. Make learning relevant for students by connecting what they are learning to the real-world. If building relationships with students is difficult for you, start by talking to students about their lives. I sat speechless in a grade-level … Read More
The Empathetic Teacher
TL;DR: Our learners’ behavior is an important form of communication. Consider and revise your responses to student behavior to be more empathetic. Don’t assume how a learner is feeling; ask them directly. Validate your students’ feelings to ensure they feel heard and understood. During my first year teaching, I spent countless hours learning, planning, and creating. I loved every second … Read More
Navigating Self-Care Through the 3 Ships
TL;DR: Navigate your self-care through the 3 ships: relationships, leadership, and partnerships. Teachers are more stressed, overwhelmed, and past the point of burnout than ever before. Implementing self-care is something that needs to be done proactively and often. When I first started on my maiden voyage into education, our school had a part-time wellness coordinator. As a stipended paraprofessional, her … Read More
Riding the Waves of Change
TL;DR: Change is inevitable. We should welcome the changes to the way we approach curriculum, instruction, and assessment. Those in the education world should research, ask good questions, and include all the various stakeholders who live and interact with the experiences on the frontlines. We need to make teaching and learning practices more accessible for students and families. The Crashing … Read More
