Category Archives: Teachers

Defining Professional Learning

Understanding of professional development is not common.  “PD” is about as broadly understood as “curriculum”.  Both require conceptual clarification whenever we discuss them to be sure everyone in the conversation is talking about the same thing.  Is PD the timeslot … Continue reading

Posted in Coaching, Professional Learning Conceptions, Teachers | 1 Comment

Where Have You Been?

Actually it’s me who’s been absent.  I knew I took a break from posting here, but didn’t realize that there are folks who look forward to reading my thinking.   A handful of people have emailed or stopped me to ask … Continue reading

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Community Conversation – You’re Invited!

Over the past five years I have become increasingly aware of the importance of an educated and engaged citizenry regarding effective education systems for our future generations and the children in front of us today.  At the height of my … Continue reading

Posted in Leadership, Politics, School Reform, Teachers | 7 Comments

High Quality Tutoring

Did you know that the ESEA legislation (or No Child Left Behind) has provisions for supplementary educational services (SES)?  In short, if a school is not achieving, the government allocates money for additional tutoring support.   Vendors providing this support must … Continue reading

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Specific Feedback

Few things are as meaningless, yet hurtful, as general criticism.  When I work with a child, professionalism guides me to be specific in my first instruction and even more specific in my expectations when I provide feedback on the next … Continue reading

Posted in Politics, Teachers | 3 Comments

What Do You Read?

From time to time people ask me what I read to keep up with things from the classroom to the world.  Wide reading is a requirement at Sutterlearn.com and here are some of the sources I read regularly: Education Week … Continue reading

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Elements of the Vision

I have a vision of how schooling can become learning for most kids.  Maybe one day I can articulate the details into a plan.  Maybe one day someone will care with me to try and make it happen and reframe … Continue reading

Posted in School Reform, Teachers | 1 Comment

New Language

Flooding, blending, flipping, pull out, push in, strengthen the core, on and on goes the new vernacular of schooling, marching its way to become tomorrow’s cliché or maybe it already is. Through this new language comes new understanding about problems, … Continue reading

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Aha Moments (for teachers)

As teachers evaluate all of the new “stuff” continuously coming at us, it is part of our make up to reflect upon how this affects what we do individually.   When teachers have our own “aha moments” it is as exciting … Continue reading

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No Substitute for Perspective

Perspective is a compassionate activity of viewing your situation from another’s position or viewing their situation relative to your own.  Lately, I’ve been doing a lot of observing from other people’s perspectives. Recently I worked with a substitute teacher going … Continue reading

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