Growth Through Professional Development
When the general public is talking about teachers, one complaint that you’ll often hear is that those in education have too many days off. It seems like every other week my kid has a day off, a half day, or a late start. Teachers have it so easy; I wish my job had that much […]
Test Success: Preparation And Follow Through
As a school counselor I spend a significant part of each day working with students who are struggling academically. There are many reasons why a student may struggle: homework completion, stress at home, poor sleep habits, attention deficits, anxiety, or test taking. Many of these factors are affected by forces beyond the walls of our […]
A Snow Day Doesn’t Have to Mean a Day Off
If your school is anything like mine, or practically the entire Midwest, you’ve had a string of snow days. In fact not only has the polar vortex canceled school this week but also at the start of the year a little over two weeks ago. Students sit next to the phone, waiting, wishing for the […]
Grade contracts: An alternative path to mastery
As second semester gets underway, students are able to hit the reset button on their class percentages. Whether a student had a 92% or a 62% at the end of first semester if they turn in the first assignment this term, both students will have an A. For many students, this reset button is motivation […]
How do we respond when a student fails?
How do we respond when a student fails? If your school has made the jump to PLCs, essential questions, enduring understandings and understanding by design, you’ve certainly heard this question before. As educators we’re tasked with asking and answering questions: What do we want students to learn, how will we know when they have learned […]
Success in the new economy
Last week we looked at the college for all mentality that has become a staple of the country’s educational mantra. As we examined the case for alternatives to the four year degree, we largely spoke in concepts. Today I’d like to share a great video that gives you specific statistics on the change in our […]