Taking responsibility for professional practices
This blog post is the conclusion in a series of three posts suggesting we can push accomplished teachers even further with regard to some professional practices. Part One suggested that teachers must be more willing to meet students and families where they are – online. Part Two focused on the need to improve practices around…
Religious Tolerance: Teaching the Teachers
In June, educators from Maryland’s Montgomery County Public Schools made history when they completed an intensive academic study of religion. The course, which rewards MCPS teachers with three Continuing Professional Development credits, exposed teachers to the diversity of religious practice in the region and across the United States as a whole, while giving them the…
To Transform Schools, Slow Down
I’m a bit of a teacher-nerd in that one of my favorite parts of the job is lesson planning. I’m a notorious wheel-re-creator, as it is a captivating puzzle for me to build together just the right sequence of experiences to help my learners move from point-A to point-B. I don’t necessarily script out activities…
What They Don’t Seem to Understand about Certification
What they don’t understand about birthdays and what they never tell you is that when you’re eleven, you’re also ten, and nine, and eight, and seven, and six, and five, and four, and three, and two, and one. And when you wake up on your eleventh birthday you expect to feel eleven, but you don’t.…
NBCTs Take a Stand in Support of Educational Policies
From July 2-7, 2016, approximately 10,000 delegates convened in Washington, DC at the National Education Association (NEA) Representative Assembly (RA) to advocate for legislation to promote academic and social justice for all students. Among those present were members of the NEA NBCT caucus. These NBCTs work diligently at the RA to do the necessary work,…
A Call for Peace-Based Teacher Leadership
The violent events of early July weigh heavily on my heart and mind. It seems that America is a pressure cooker that has exploded with hatred and brutality. I have read my friends’ sentiments on Facebook, but I haven’t been emotionally ready to even have a face-to-face conversation with them about all that is happening.…
Addressing Core Proposition 1 to Engage Students and be Culturally Responsive
Teachers are committed to students and their learning is Core Proposition 1 of the National Board Standards. How do you demonstrate your commitment to your students and their learning? As the demographics of my community changed I realized the practices I used to engage students weren’t as effective as they were in the past. I…
Giving Students the Skills to be an “Executive”
It’s summer and the school year has ended… we had kindergarten graduation, high school graduations and college graduations. At this point, you know your students so well, maybe you can even picture what they’ll be doing when they’re adults. So, close your eyes and picture your class. Which of your students do you see having…
Letting go of “We’ve always done it this way” (Part 2 of 3)
If you want to start with Part One in this series of blog posts, here’s the link, though the sequencing is not essential. Being a National Board Certified Teacher (NBCT) is a source of pride for me, providing both a sense of professional accomplishment and sense of professional companionship with leaders in my field. The…
Watching Dreams Become Goals and Goals Become Realities
A decade into my career in education and I felt as though I had checked off all the goals I set way back when I was a novice teacher. I had survived the first year, while meeting, and dating my now wife. Next, I had earned a master’s degree in curriculum design and instruction and…
