Goodbye August! For teachers, back-to-school month is BRUTAL. On average, I worked 11-12 hour days over the last few weeks to keep up with the fast pace of my classroom, school, and district activities. Being a teacher in August takes superhero strength and endurance. Certainly, I was not alone. This is just what teachers do this time of year.As... Continue Reading →

Like the temptation to gaze at a car accident, I cannot help but stare speechlessly when teachers attack one another in cyberspace over policy opinions, personal beliefs, or teaching pedagogy. Disagreements are unavoidable in this political climate, but teachers have a choice to disagree respectfully instead of crushing each other monster-truck style. It’s time for... Continue Reading →

At our district opening ceremonies this week, there were great speeches surrounding the topic "be all in." Speakers connected the importance of being all in for students, all in for families, all in for our schools, and all in for team collaboration. I think that this is a great topic. I'm totally ALL IN because... Continue Reading →

Last week, I had the privilege to help welcome new special education teachers to my district. I absolutely LOVE early career teachers. Their enthusiasm is contagious and inspiring. Being a special education induction coach (an after-school gig) is something that I am passionate about because we need excellent teachers who stay in this field. My... Continue Reading →

I just read a great article and had to share here: http://blogs.edweek.org/edweek/leadership_360/2014/07/leadership_learning_and_compassion_the_indispensables_of_education.htmlIsn't it true that leadership starts with compassion?...soul-deep, earth-shattering compassion? I think that teachers have the capacity to be incredible leaders because teachers often have enormous amounts of natural compassion and empathy for the struggles of others. When teachers see struggling students, struggling families,... Continue Reading →

I think that one of the coolest things about teacher leadership is that sometimes, you don't even know you are leading. About two weeks ago, I got an excited call from a colleague. Last year was her first year teaching preschool special ed in my district. It was a challenging and frustrating year for her,... Continue Reading →

I recently read a blog post from Josh Waldron, a teacher who is making a big deal out of the fact that he left the classroom this year (http://www.newsleader.com/story/opinion/columnists/2014/06/07/teachers-tough-decision-leave-classroom/10170567/). He is an award winning teacher--the reporters and columnists get that fact into every story. To me, this story is utterly tragic. In his explanation, Mr. Waldron... Continue Reading →