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Category Archives: Teachers
#MIpubED Common Core/Higher Standards
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
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#MIpubED Community Chat
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
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Self-Directedness, Teacher Leadership Series #3
The third key component of the leadership disposition is self-directedness. Self-directedness is a professional characteristic that includes self-correcting, self-managing, and self-governing behaviors. Systems that nurture these traits are more effective than those that attempt to monitor and manage behaviors (Sanford, … Continue reading
Posted in Leadership, Teacher Leadership, Teachers
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Adaptivity, Teacher Leadership Series #2
The second critical component of a leadership disposition is adaptivity. As things change in the educational landscape, and be assured they will, an adaptive leadership disposition supports the teacher to remain effective and reduces anxiety. Adaptivity is different from reactivity. … Continue reading
Posted in Coaching, Leadership, Teacher Leadership, Teachers
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Problem Solving, Teacher Leadership Series #1
The first attribute of the leadership disposition is problem solving. As we work to empower a system, we must see ourselves and our roles clearly within the system. More than being productive members of the teaching community, teacher leaders are … Continue reading
Posted in Coaching, Leadership, Teacher Leadership, Teachers
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Teacher Leadership Series
A colleague and I have been watching our district’s attempt to shift its leadership structure to be more distributed. The nature of distributed leadership in education expands the roles of teachers and changes their interactions with principals, the community, and … Continue reading
Posted in Coaching, Leadership, School Reform, Teachers
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Net Neutrality
In an era when students will be mandated to take achievement tests online, another challenge looms. A concept called “net neutrality” or “open internet” is worth googling and learning about. In short, the Federal Communications Commission is deciding if they … Continue reading
Posted in Politics, Teachers, Technology
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Responsibility…then accountability
The mom had good intent, but I had to pause shortly after we started talking about her son’s performance. She was upset that his handwriting fell short of her expectations. Then came out a math paper that further displeased and … Continue reading
Posted in Leadership, Parenting, Students, Teachers
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Tomorrow, We’re Not Friends
A beautiful, sad story crossed my desk today. Each year, our elementary school invites back the current graduating seniors for an after-school reception. We serve cake and have retired teachers come back to see the kids grown up, then the … Continue reading
Posted in Students, Teachers
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Cultivating Grit
There’s a scene in my favorite movie, A River Runs Through It, where the father played, by Tom Skerrit, forces his son to write and rewrite an essay multiple times. Each time, returning it with lots of red ink and … Continue reading
Posted in Parenting, Teachers
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