I'm sure the last thing a teacher is thinking about right now is summer professional development, but! Melinda Miller is an amazing principal that I get to call friend, conference roomie, and creative collaborator! We've teamed up this week to bring our campuses a fun opportunity for summer ... [ Read More ]
Math Mysteries for your Students
Dum da dum dum... duuuuuuum! And that's not a lolly pop offer, :) I'm talking mysteries...plus math! Found a fabulous reminder this morning of a site I've used with GT students before, although it can also be used whole group. It combines problem solving with their natural mystery loving ... [ Read More ]
5 #leadership promises to my Assistant Principal
One of my realizations early on last year in my first year as being principal was that I was now responsible for growing and empowering my assistant principal. As a connected educator, and someone whose strength is that of an activator, I don't remember looking to my principal as the person who ... [ Read More ]
“13 reasons why” I’m ok being a helicopter momma! #cpchat #leadupchat #momsasprincipals
My beast is a freshman in high school. High school (if you haven’t had the pleasure of experiencing YOUR child in high school yet, just you wait), is a whole. new. ball. game. She is fiercely independent (which she comes by naturally), but is unable to grasp that I am still the conduit to all the ... [ Read More ]
Easy treats for teachers!
What do you get when you have teacher appreciation and the week before your standardized test all rolled into one? Easy treats for teacher ideas that don't stress out the principal! I am not the testing coordinator but I still like to add a lil'something to the testing buckets. This year I ... [ Read More ]
Looking for advice or its been given? You can go your own way!
Advice. ədˈvīs/ noun guidance or recommendations concerning prudent future action, typically given by someone regarded as knowledgeable or authoritative. Everyone has advice to offer. Sometimes it's solicited, sometimes it's not. Sometimes it is helpful, sometimes ... [ Read More ]
Why should reading and writing be authentic? #taketwo
At some point, as the adult in the room, we have to recognize that as long as students are reading and writing for a fabricated purpose, there is only so much energy and time that they will commit to the assignment. Churning out students who hate a subject but can perform in a standardized way isn't ... [ Read More ]
It’s spring…how can you support teachers when they’re tired?
This is the time of year I struggle more than any other. Spring in Texas is just hard. The weather is wonky. It's testing season. My teachers are exhausted. My students are spring fever-ing. Spring break is past, and there's much to do before we can call it summer. I can't fix all the ... [ Read More ]
All about changes? Remember this… #IMMOOC & an @ASCD giveaway
It's easy to have great ideas, or energy, or a big grand vision. The hard part is remembering that it is your experiences that led you to a place where those ideas, or big changes you want to make, is your reality. Making changes is not inherently bad, unless it's at the expense of damaging ... [ Read More ]
Reflection is personal power… & other people might grow too! #LeadLAP #IMMOOC, week 5
I started blogging in 2005. It was something new, something different to engage my 4th graders. I didn't even contemplate the power that using it for reflection would do later in my career. Permission from my parents was the easy part. More difficult was convincing the technology powers that be that ... [ Read More ]