Category Archives: Parenting

Loving, Doing, Being

Posted on March 10, 2021 by sutterlearn

One year ago today my mom died. Two days later the world shut down for COVID. I haven’t posted here in a while, but as my dad has spent the year grieving in almost isolation and the funeral my mom … Continue reading →

Posted in Parenting, Personal Essay, Uncategorized | Leave a comment

Looking Back For Grandma

Posted on January 7, 2018 by sutterlearn

Looking back it is much easier to make sense of life, or perhaps we just create meaning once we know.  Sometimes, we just struggle to make sense of things at all.  John Dewey said, “We don’t learn from experience, rather … Continue reading →

Posted in Parenting, Personal Essay | Leave a comment

Technology Amuck

Posted on February 13, 2016 by sutterlearn

A young lady was recently telling me her woes about a boy she had a crush on.  The woe was this: he hadn’t “liked” a picture she posted of them earlier that day.  I asked her if his opinion was … Continue reading →

Posted in Parenting, Students, Technology | Leave a comment

Hey Stripes! Nice job.

Posted on January 31, 2016 by sutterlearn

For over 35 years, I avoided any interest in sports whatsoever. I literally would not stay in a room where a ball game was playing on a TV.  It just wasn’t part of me and I wasn’t missing out on … Continue reading →

Posted in Coaching, Leadership, Parenting | Leave a comment

Give Them Chores

Posted on September 12, 2015 by sutterlearn

Not long I was talking with a friend about raising kids, carpooling everywhere, working, fixing meals, and all the things that fill our hours between wake and sleep.  As I explained the chores list on our refrigerator that our children … Continue reading →

Posted in Parenting, Students | Leave a comment

Book Review: Dispositions

Posted on April 25, 2015 by sutterlearn

Art Costa is one of the originators of the Cognitive Coaching practices that I’ve trained in for helping people move their thinking, so it was clear that when he put out a book all about Dispositions, I was dying to … Continue reading →

Posted in Book Reviews, Coaching, Leadership, Parenting, Students, Teacher Leadership, Teachers | Leave a comment

#MIpubED Community Concerns

Posted on March 22, 2015 by sutterlearn

As March 2015 winds to a close, the #MIpubED Twitter chats have uncovered more questions than answers…such is learning.  In just a month we have discussed standards, high-stakes tests, and the creation of an online community where educators and their … Continue reading →

Posted in Parenting, Politics, School Reform, Students, Teacher Leadership, Teachers | Leave a comment

#MIpubED High-Stakes Tests

Posted on March 14, 2015 by sutterlearn

Let’s be clear that assessments are not the standards and vice versa.  When I was changing careers years ago and had to do a teaching internship, I had this great idea of gathering stories from educators about the trials and … Continue reading →

Posted in Parenting, Politics, School Reform, Teachers | Leave a comment

#MIpubED Common Core/Higher Standards

Posted on March 6, 2015 by sutterlearn

Two years ago at a community conversation, a highly-educated and evidently highly-conservative parent asked me to assure him that I would not adhere to the Common Core State Standards because, he believed, it would require that I “teach history about … Continue reading →

Posted in Parenting, Politics, Teachers | Leave a comment

#MIpubED Community Chat

Posted on February 17, 2015 by sutterlearn

There is so much going on with public education these days that now is a perfect time to really connect educators with the community members we service (parents, business partners, academia, and basically anyone with a vested interest in our … Continue reading →

Posted in Leadership, Parenting, Politics, School Reform, Teacher Leadership, Teachers | Leave a comment