After being an instructional coach for three school years, I make no assumptions about what is happening in classrooms in a school. When you are an instructional coach, the principal gives you the rundown on who is a great teacher and who is not. Instructional coaches tend to get inside of classrooms more than principals….
Spring break is the last long break before the school year ends. For teachers, it is a time to recharge, but it is also a time to think and reflect upon the school year to determine if their current school is a place they want to return to next school year. Principals slip forms in…
Last school year, IPS closed three high school campuses and went from seven high schools to four. This was under the reinvent IPS high schools movement. Under this district restructure, IPS moved to an all choice model. This model allowed students to choose the high school they wanted to attend based on future career interests….
Last week, a Chalkbeat Indiana article caused much debate in education circles but especially in education circles of color. Educator responses ranged from asserting that teachers do not need to pass a test to educators feeling offended that the article seemed to suggest educators of color could not pass a standardized test. Check out the…
This school year is my 13th as an educator but my first school year as a library/media specialist. It has been a whirlwind but a whirlwind full of fun. I quickly learned that a school library is an important part of the school. This is why we need to draw attention to libraries in our…
In some mythical utopian school, students would be angels. They would come to school ready to learn. They would work hard, follow rules, and get along with other students, but we know conflict and bad behavior is part of growing up. Students have to learn how to behave and interact with others. Knowing student misbehavior…
Most of us have heard stories of people who talked about how far they had to walk to school back when they attended school. Today, most students arrive at school on the school bus. Not only is it convenient, but it helps school parking lots not be crowded with parents driving their children to school….
Most school districts in Indiana are on spring break this week. Some school districts, like the one my sons attend, are out for one week, and other school districts, like the one I work for, are on spring break for two weeks. Unfortunately, many educators do not use this as a chance to rejuvenate and…
When I applied to college to become an educator, I did not know I was potentially signing up to give the ultimate sacrifice, my life. With the increase of school shootings, this is a potential reality for educators. This leaves school districts scrambling to find the best way to prepare students and staff to survive…
Last week was a rough week. I expressed to my husband how weighed down I was feeling with all that was happening in our lives. I mentioned how I love being a library/media specialist but feel out of place at my school. My husband suggested I should think about doing something else. If you know…