I remember how I felt my first year of teaching: isolated, weary, surprisingly unprepared for the challenges of classroom teaching. I was only mildly comforted to discover that nearly all new teachers have both positive and challenging experiences. Teachers who stay in the profession (for
Does this sound familiar? Your student has a meltdown when asked to comply with a request. It feels “out of the blue” but you’re just learning more about your students this year and so you aren’t sure if this is typical. Your first action once all
The creative aspect of teaching extends beyond designing an inviting and engaging learning environment. Daily, we use our creative juices to: Deliver meaningful and engaging instructional content, Adapt, modify, or reteach curriculum for specific students, Develop and implement enrichment activities, Meet curricular timelines, Design instructional
In our book, Building Resilience in Students Impacted by Adverse Childhood Experiences: A Whole-Staff Approach, my co-authors and I propose a multi-tiered framework for supporting students affected by adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) and trauma. Yet we realize many teachers work in schools that have yet
2017 has brought us some good news: Social-Emotional Learning is still with us and ever expanding! More and more, educators and employers are recognizing that those who are intrapersonally and interpersonally skilled are more successful in school and careers. Of late, much of the literature regarding
Anything easily attained is cheaply held. – Debbie Silver One of the most compelling motivators for students is when they work hard towards a goal and achieve it through their focused efforts and conscious choices. If there is an attentive adult present to give appropriate feedback,
With the passage of the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA), states are now required to include at least one measure other than test scores in their accountability systems, and many districts are turning to SEL components to fulfill this part of the federal law. How
Our district will support ALL students with… Our district exists to provide ALL students a…
Working in education takes a specific kind of courage. Educators constantly face the question: Am I competent at what I do? Am I relevant? In 2009 I published Owning Up, a curriculum that was a combination of social emotional learning, bullying prevention, and media literacy. But
Recently, the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) took a step towards recognizing the importance of social emotional learning (SEL). Signed into law last December, it allows for a broader definition of student success that now includes “nonacademic” factors such as student engagement, school climate, and