Let’s Rethink Collaboration: Outputs versus Outcomes
I’m an introvert, a lone wolf, and never gravitated toward team sports. When I drive to work, go on my morning run, or attack weeds in the garden, my brain is its most productive. I like to be a creative problem-solver, dig into research, and test out new strategies to examine their potential. I understand…
Leading Together to Transform Teaching
It seems everyone has an opinion on teaching as a profession, these days. Nearly everyone can speak fondly of a favorite teacher, describing meaningful experiences and the impact that teacher had on students. Putting a label on the specific skills and qualities that made this teacher effective is not as easy. What attitudes, strategies, philosophies,…
Ban the word “Parents”
This school year, I want to challenge you to ban certain words from your vernacular. We each have our own set of words and phrases that are taboo in our classroom, like “stupid” or “I can’t”, but this year I want to challenge you to stop using the word “parents”. This may sound like a…
What Matters Now
On Wednesday, August 10, the National Commission on Teaching & America’s Future (NCTAF) released What Matters Now: A New Compact for Teaching and Learning. The report lays out a compelling argument to reorganize schools in ways that support teaching, drive learning, and provide every student with a strong foundation to build a bright future. What Matters…
Listening to Students’ Voices through Audio Essays
I aim to teach my Chicago high-school students that writing is not always about the writing. Yes, the ideas, the sentence structure, the connotations matter. But sometimes, the process before the writing or after matters more. I start every year with a challenging non-fiction narrative unit that pushes students to focus on one key event…
Why Pronouncing Students’ Names is Important to Building Relationships
The beginning of the school year is a stressful period: teachers readjust to their school schedules, master new curricula, set up classrooms, learn new policies, and, finally, meet a new group of students. The last part is most important to me, because it connects to the first step of the Architecture of Accomplished Teaching (AAT).…
Opening My Door as a Candidate for National Board Certification
When I first started teaching, a veteran teacher told me that one of the best things about teaching is that as a teacher I could close my door and become my own boss, taking control of the room. I didn’t have to answer to anyone. For the longest time I kept my door closed. I was…
Variety is the Spice of Accomplished Teaching
While attending the National Board Leaders’ Academy in Las Vegas in early July, I found myself sitting with a distinguished group of educators as we enjoyed a lunch of New Orleans styled selections (being a native Louisianan, I dubbed the meal a respectable homage to Cajun cuisine). During the meal, we talked about the common…
Accomplished Teaching and the Growth Mindset
Do you ever have an “Ah Ha” moment, only to wonder what was possibly wrong with you that you didn’t make the connection before? For example, the first time I discovered that cream cheese and jelly are a fabulous combination on crackers. It was perfectly obvious that this would be a delectable duo, but yet…
