As we all continue to figure out ways to actively engage our learners during these extended school closures, here are some ideas that educators have shared with me that promoted and empowered student choice and voice. While we are grappling with many school-related challenges during these uncertain times, creating opportunities for learners to direct their…
Are all my fellow superhero educators ready for the latest Leadership LEAP? This week’s LEAP revolves around the idea of learning and specifically thinking about the last time we tried something new for the first time and learned something as a result. The following quote inspired this week’s Leadership LEAP… Throughout my career I have talked a…
How many of us have seen this quote? from Pinterest I am sure all my edu friends would agree that this quote is 100% true… educators are superheroes because we are impacting the lives of students and literally shaping the future of our world. From creating engaging learning opportunities to building positive relationships to inspiring…
Found on QuoteMaster At some point during my time as principal at Cantiague, I stopped calling myself the principal and instead referred to myself as a lead learner. The term, which I was introduced to on social media (thank you Joe Mazza) and learned more about from Michael Fullan, resonated with me because I always felt…
As found on nextbeep.com The Issue… This summer I began my 22nd year as an educator and during this time I have made many comments about our profession. Some of the things I’ve said were “trendy” and short-lived; other things were simply “jargony” and ultimately unsustainable; and finally, there were the comments that only perpetuated…
This year I turned 44. I am 44 years old and I am proud to say that almost half of my life has been spent in classrooms and schools as an educator. From elementary classroom teacher to assistant principal to principal to assistant superintendent to superintendent, my entire adult life has been spent working with…
My son, Paul, recently turned 13. Yes, I am the parent of a teenager and while I don’t love getting older, I do love watching the young man my son has grown into over the last 13 years. One of the things that has always impressed me most about Paul is his ability to read…
Over the last several years I have had the opportunity to travel the country and speak about everything from educational leadership to culture to the importance of telling your school/district story. The opportunity to work with teachers and administrators from around the country is consistently a source of inspiration for me because I learn so…
Standards… The Beginning of Standardization Over the last decade there has been much discussion about standards and the impact they have on education. Initially, for me, it was all about the NYS learning standards, specifically in the areas of ELA and Mathematics, which also informed the standardized testing that shaped the learning in Grades 3…
At the start of the summer, I had the opportunity to participate in a collaborative book writing retreat with 10 other authors. The project, otherwise known as #EdWriteNow, was organized by my good friends and professional colleagues, Jeff Zoul and Joe Mazza. Jeff and Joe approached Routledge Educational Publishing with the idea of having educators…
