Forming Strong Parent – Teacher Partnerships

A Critical Component of Intentional Teaching  Raising Small Humans is Not Easy… Strong Parent and Teacher Partnerships Help. Relationships are important to all human beings. As adults we lean on our significant others – whether they be a spouse, friend, sibling, or colleague. Those people serve as a foundation that helps us to navigate life: […]

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When is my child’s writing going to look like writing?

A common question our teachers often hear is, “When is my child’s writing going to look like writing?” I’ll answer that question, but first let’s reflect on when your child said their first words, an exciting milestone for any family. Perhaps you called grandparents? Maybe you encouraged your child to say it again in order […]

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Buttons and Zippers and Self-Esteem, Oh My!

Winter is here – and so are all of the zippers, laces, buckles, jacket sleeves, snow pants, gloves, and mittens that create a unique type of “snow-clothes-storm” in our hallways. At first glance, this part of our day might feel a bit overwhelming. And, I’ll admit there are those moments that make dream of summer… […]

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a table top with a bowl of fruit, a half drunk cup of coffee, a calendar, and a handwritten note starting with 'I am grateful for'
Fostering an Attitude of Gratitude

For those of you who’ve known me for a while, you know that I have a Thanksgiving tradition of sharing a life lesson that I learned from my mother, Mary. My mom liked “speaking words of wisdom,” (she was a Beatles fan) and she worked hard to instill in me an attitude of gratitude. If […]

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COVID is Spooky – Halloween doesn’t need to be.

The first time my son, Gus, was old enough to “get” the concept of trick-or-treating was memorable. He donned his firefighting costume, strapped on his oxygen tank, fastened his helmet, and headed out with two very eager parents. What we failed to notice was that before we left the house, Gus had filled his trick-or-treating […]

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Young boy on a play phone in a classroom.
Listen to Me!

Over the last week, I spent some time thinking about the skill of listening and revisiting Mary Renck Jalongo’s book, Learning to Listen and Listening to Learn. In her book, Jalongo poignantly describes how listening is a skill that is commonly misunderstood and hard to define because it often has different meanings to different people. […]

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