Let’s Put Our Minds Together
The “science of reading” versus “what goes on in too many U.S. classrooms” debate is raging in this country. Talk of it is seemingly everywhere. Diverse groups of parents, teachers, administrators, university professors, school board members, and taxpayers are...
Best Year Yet?
So I've been thinking . . . What if we all bravely decided right now that THIS was going to be our BEST YEAR YET?! In fact . . . what if we decided to start a bit of a BEST YEAR YET REVOLUTION in education? We could, you know. We get to...
Flipping the Unhelpful Stories We Tell Ourselves
Oh, the unhelpful stories we tell ourselves. Some of them are just plain lies. Many of them compound the stress in our lives. Some leave us feeling exhausted. Some keep us stuck in fear and separated by miles from from the lives we dream of and want. So, if you're...
Engaging Readers without the Allure of Points, Prizes, and Pizza
Along the path to a more reader-centered classroom, it can be easy to veer off the road. Sometimes it's due to distracted driving. Sometimes it's a result of our longing for a short cut where there is none. But most often it's due to navigational confusion as we...
Curriculum-Centered or Reader-Centered? Which Path Are You On?
Along the path to a more reader-centered classroom, it can be easy to veer off the road. Sometimes it's due to distracted driving. Sometimes it's a result of our longing for a short cut where there is none. But most often it's due to navigational confusion as we...
Safeguard Students from the Summer Reading Slide
It's been an incredible year. You've worked hard. Your readers have learned and stretched and grown. But soon it's time to turn them loose into that scary unpredictable space called summer! Research shows that students who don't read during the summer months may lose...
5 Classroom Library Design Tips
Plan your library in the right spot. Give it some sunshine and love and watch your readers thrive and grow. In a kid-centered classroom, the classroom library is a hub of learning activity.
21 Ways to Keep Your Classroom Library Growing without Emptying Your Own Pocketbook
Rich, Relevant and Ever-Evolving Book Collections In kid-centered classrooms, individual interests, passions and aspirations drive reading choices and the classroom library is the backbone of literacy instruction. So, it goes without saying that every classroom...
The Simple Magic of Greeting Kids at the Door
The few precious hurry and scurry moments before the school day starts can often feel like a bustling version of Beat the Clock. Drop your lunch in the fridge. Check your mailbox. Check your email. Gather materials for the day's math and science lessons. Respond to a...
Let’s Come Together! The Power of a Classroom Gathering Space
The Classroom Gathering Space is a Kid-Centered Basic At the heart of a kid-centered classroom is a gathering space. Here students listen, talk, share, and learn from one another, much like we do when gathered around a campfire or a kitchen table. When we create and...
A little less of that. A little more of this.
The schools we have are the schools we’ve created. Our systems and cultures have been built day by day, week by week, year by year, decade by decade, One decision at a time. But maybe it's time to dismantle some of our systems, our habits, and our past ways of being....
Engaging Texts: The Heart of Small Group Instruction
Scales! Ugh! The thing I dreaded most about piano lessons. To me, this repetitive exercise of running my fingers up the keyboard and then down again was a boring waste of time. This was not really making music. It irritated and annoyed me. I didn’t buy into the...
Bravely step into what’s next. Today.
Start. Today can be your day. Be courageous. Let go of your longing for perfection. Trade it in on humility, courage and reflection. Make one simple start. This can be your day. Bravely step into what’s next. What’s that one thing you keep saying you want to do but...
Learn Bravely Everywhere You Go
If you're the smartest person in the room, then you're in the wrong room. - Anonymous I stumbled upon this quote on twitter awhile back, and it has been rolling around in my mind ever since. I love it because . . . It speaks to the importance of being a learner all...
From Chronic Book Hopping to True Engagement – 6 Critical Moves
The book hopper. Every classroom seems to have at least one. These are the kids who never seem to really settle into a book. Instead they hop from book to book to book. They read a few pages here, a few chapters there. They might finish shorter length texts, but...
5 Courageous and Crucial Actions for Literacy Leaders
We all can be leaders. Every one of us. Which is great news. Because strong schools need lots of strong literacy leaders. They need teams of committed teachers, coaches, and principals who will advocate relentlessly for the things that really matter. They need people...
Every Student is Ready for the NEXT Step – It Just May Not Be the SAME Step!
When our teaching doesn't translate into learning, it's tempting to point a finger at students. They aren't interested. They didn't come to us ready to learn. Or they just aren't trying hard enough. But when instruction misses the mark it's often because it's landing...
Today I Celebrate Educators
Whether it's the end of the school year, the beginning, or somewhere in between, every day is the right day to celebrate the work of educators. So, for every educator committed to keep making our schools better places for kids, this one’s for you. Today, I celebrate...
3 Questions Every Reading Teacher Should Be Asking
It doesn't matter what type of reading instruction, materials, or program you have in place in your school or classroom. It doesn't matter if your state has adopted or rejected the Common Core Standards. It doesn't matter if your school is high-poverty or high-income....
5 Tips for Surviving the Messy Beginning Stages of Student Book Choice
The research base on student-selected reading is robust and conclusive: Students read more, understand more, and are more likely to continue reading when they have the opportunity to choose what they read. Richard Allington and Rachel E. Gabriel, “Every Child,...
Classroom Library Chaos? It’s Time to Get Your Kids Involved!
I love a bargain. I’m a sucker for a red sticker. Yet, lately I’m losing patience with chaotic clearance racks. I know there are gems hidden amongst the muck. But, my tolerance for everything all jumbled and jam-packed together seems lower all the time. Just across...
The Courage Rules
Why courage? We all need a dose of courage from time to time . . . Because have big work to do. And because taking the first step in a new direction can sometimes be scary. Even once you get going down the right path, you'll certainly experience moments when you just...
Courage Rule #1: Start small. But start.
Courage Rule #1 - Start small. But start. You can’t do it all at once, but you can do something more all the time. Don’t wait for conditions to be perfect before you start. Today is all we have. The only time to start is now. The work is a journey and there is no...
Courage Rule #2 – Keep a sense of humor.
Laugh more. Smile more. Stop taking yourself so seriously. So what if you try something and it completely flops? Have a good chuckle about it with a friend. Learn from your experiences and move on. Lighten up. Enjoy the journey. Just have some fun! Life's too short...
Courage Rule #3 – Be good to yourself.
Slow down. Eat well. Get plenty of sleep. Listen to your body. Exercise. Give yourself room to make mistakes. Take naps. Think kind and positive thoughts. Let go of guilt. Find time for the things that bring you joy.
Courage Rule #4 – Reflect, learn, and adjust.
Reflection, not perfection, is the key to progress. You don't have to know exactly how to do a thing; you just have to be willing to reflect on what you do, learn from it and adjust accordingly. Forward motion provides opportunity to fine tune your skills for...
Courage Rule #5 – Take charge of your own learning.
You've chosen the learning business as your life's work. So, lead the way by designing a path for your own learning. Read. Write. Research. Reach out to colleagues. Be vulnerable. Ask great questions. Read some more. Don't wait for others to "give you what you need"....
Courage Rule #6 – Don’t give up when things get tough.
Everything worth doing takes time and practice. So, give yourself permission to begin as a beginner. New learning takes time. Hang in there. Stick with it long enough to pass through the awkward and uncertain first steps. Dig deep. Be patient. Be tenacious. Refuse to...
Courage Rule #7 – Celebrate Along the Way
Develop the habit of recognizing and celebrating even the tiniest bits of progress. Celebration becomes fuel in our tanks; keeping us moving forward and helping us resist the urge to quit (see Courage Rule #6). Keep a list of small successes. Smile. Pat yourself on...
Small Group Instruction; More Than a Level and Kidney Table
In my home district, we’ve moved past the initial flurry of back-to-school assessment activity. Now the focus shifts to making plans for how we might effectively meet the many diverse needs of our students. One tool we rely on is small group work. Walk down the halls...
Hanging Out with Books is NOT the Same as Reading
We've all seen it happen. Instead of reading during reading time, some kids are just hanging out with the books. I love to hang out with the books, too. Turn me loose in a bookstore and I'm a goner. But the precious minutes for independent reading we've worked...
End-of-Year Clean Sweep: 5 Essential Questions to Help You Know When to Let Go
This post was joyfully co-written with Christina Nosek. You can learn more about Christina by visiting her blog, The Teacher Triathlete. You can follow her on Twitter @ChristinaNosek . It’s the end of the school year. We’re trying to make use of every last...
Dear Teacher: 7 Simple Requests from Your Students
It’s Sunday night of Labor Day weekend. Emotions hang everywhere. Even as we grieve the last weekend of summer the air is thick with anticipation. Tomorrow marks the beginning of a new school year. Hip shoes and flashy backpacks have been purchased. Three-ring...
