I believe that branding can have a HUGE impact on how parents and community members think and feel about what is going on in our schools and classrooms. Branding is why I pay $4 for a cup of coffee with a Starbucks logo on the side over $1 at a gas station. That brand has come to mean quality (and also yummy flavors) to me – and I believe it is worth it. Isn’t that how we want our communities to see what we are doing as educators? As quality. As worthwhile! Continue reading
This weekend I had the joy of being a part of edcamp Cy-Fair. If you’ve never attended an edcamp, it is a gathering of educators who come together with no agenda – to learn and grow from the knowledge each person in attendance holds. We brainstormed topics we wanted to discuss, created a schedule of what would be discussed in which rooms, and had real conversations with other hard-working educators. I loved hearing what others are doing in their schools and classrooms that work and brainstorming together ways to improve things that aren’t working. Here were my 4 biggest take-aways from edcamp Cy-Fair 2019: Continue reading
I love creating and sending quick notes of encouragement to teachers and friends. My favorite go-to for creating these was an eCard type app (it was called Red Stamp), but it is no longer available in the app store, and it stopped working (boo). I haven’t found any other ecard app that compares and have been looking for creative ways to pass on positivity and praise. Whether you are experiencing the same sadness over this particular app, or you just want some fresh ideas for sharing feedback, read on for 5 ways to quickly and easily provide positive feedback. Continue reading
Gamification of learning is an exciting trend in education. I’ve heard of many different schools and districts that are using ideas started in the classroom to gamify Professional Development by offering learn-on-your-own modules that teachers can complete to earn points or badges. I have been interested in this idea and have even started developing ideas for setting up a choice menu and badges for a summer professional development offering for my staff (more details to come 😉 ), but this morning, after listening to a couple of episodes of the Well PlayED Podcast on my morning run, I was inspired to gamify EVEN FURTHER! Continue reading
We are offering a new kind of PD this spring at Ault Elementary inspired by an idea shared by Tricia Reilly @PrincipalReilly at EdCamp Cy-Fair. Instead of a standard “sit and get” we are encouraging staff to get up and move as they listen to an educational podcast of their choice – taking care of their minds and bodies during this stressful time of year! Continue reading
Often, when we think about school culture, it can feel like something we have no control over. This is a myth! The truth is: a school’s culture is created by every person in the building. So if you’re looking to improve the culture on your own campus, take these three simple steps to make an impact on your school TODAY. Continue reading
I’ve seen it all over Pinterest… a crazy concoction that teachers can whip up to create
Now you can create your own personalized scratch-off cards in just a simple peel and stick? YES! That’s what I’m talking about!!!
Valentines is just around the corner, so I’m using this idea to create these Valentine Lotto tickets for my staff:
The past few years we have enjoyed playing Super Bowl Squares with our staff. If you don’t know about this game, you can check out the full rules here and get some helpful templates. On our campus, we don’t sell the squares, instead, teachers earn them by completing tasks or being caught implementing a specific initiative. Here’s the basic overview of how we’ve adapted for our staff: Continue reading
Research shows that students achieve more for teachers who believe in them.
Knowing that, what steps can we take as educators TODAY to ensure the students we interact with know we believe they CAN achieve? Here are some ideas: Continue reading
We are all in this education business for kids. That’s why we come to work each day. And even though for all of us the overriding goal is to do what’s best for our students, sometimes we disagree on what’s best in our state, our district, our school, on our team, or in our classrooms.
