5.10.22 Teaching your why: Knowing—and sharing—your motivation matters As a young child, I dreamt of being a teacher. I loved school and idolized many of my teachers. I played school at home, teaching my dolls how to add, mimicking the daily chalkboard assignments,... Read more
5.5.22 5 ways to check classroom assessment processes for quality I still remember the times I felt tricked by a quiz or test when I was growing up. The test I took to get my driving permit was particularly memorable, and not in a good way. I thought I did all the... Read more
4.21.22 Make it memorable: 6 ways the pandemic changed my teaching Most teachers would agree that teaching over the last two years has been challenging. That may even be an understatement. We navigated uncharted waters and pushed ourselves to accomplish the... Read more
4.14.22 Leading up to MAP Growth: 20 tips for families MAP® Growth™ is an interim assessment given to K–12 students that provides data to help teachers teach, students learn, and administrators lead. As testing day nears, teachers help their... Read more
3.22.22 Parent strategies for improving their child’s reading and writing Family time is learning time. Did you know that kids learn most of their vocabulary outside of school, through conversations with family and friends? Or that drawing pictures during play time lays... Read more
3.3.22 The mythical math gene: 5 ways to build growth mindset We’ve all likely explored how to externalize our own mindful mindset to students, but let’s be honest: math class is notorious for being the place that fixed mindsets come to ossify. Most of us... Read more
3.1.22 How to use leveled readers Recently, I visited Savannah, Georgia, and hopped on a tour bus to learn about the city’s history. Located on Chippewa Square is a replica of the iconic Forrest Gump bench. You might recall the... Read more
2.10.22 How the education system failed me as a student with dyslexia “At least she’s pretty and sociable,” said the resource specialist to my mom. My mom sat back in shock when she heard this, stunned that someone who was there to support me had just reduced... Read more
2.8.22 How to get to know your students “What do those tests determine about my being?!” My oldest child is currently a junior in high school, which means she has large assessments coming up. Think the year-end state summative and... Read more
1.27.22 I’ve got a golden ticket: How to address foundational gaps in reading with Florida Center for Reading Research resources One of my all-time favorite movies is Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory. If you’ve never seen it, I suggest you read the book by Roald Dahl, then watch the characters and candy come to life... Read more
12.28.21 6 ways to help your child read fluently, cover to cover You know his voice. It’s deep, soothing, trustworthy. Fans have described it as “running your hand across expensive velvet” or “drinking a rich creamy coffee with your ears.” His voice is... Read more
12.16.21 The best of Teach. Learn. Grow. in 2021 My eldest started kindergarten this year and I have to say: covering his sweet little face with a mask every morning was not what I imagined when I daydreamed about his first day of school. Neither... Read more
