The Power of Mentors
My younger son, Christopher, is on the verge of turning three. As his birthday approaches, I find myself reflecting on the past year in...
The Perfect Start to My School Year
The other day a teacher caught a glance of my school year calendar. He was taken aback by the format. The calendar has two columns...
When a Whole Class Novel is EXACTLY the Right Choice
A little over a year ago, I sat at a small table with co-directors at the school where I work as a part time literacy coach. We were...
On Reading Assessment...
I recently enjoyed a solo trip to Barnes & Noble. This meant I had a solid chunk of time that I could actually spend reading and...
A Framework (to Break) for Planning Interactive Read Alouds
An informal survey of teachers I work with revealed that very few of them found the time to plan an interactive read aloud each day. To...
Transferring Our Learning
trans·fer·ence transˈfərəns,ˈtransfərəns/ noun the action of transferring something or the process of being transferred. "education...
Sharing the Pen: Interactive Writing
My son has always been what I would describe as a reluctant writer. He has always loved letters and numbers. So, when he started...
On Reading and Cemeteries
My favorite thing about moving back to my hometown is getting to walk my kindergartener to school every day. It’s true that we would walk...
Making Teaching (and Running) Stick
I have always loved running. I was an avid runner for many years. That changed after I had my second son. I struggled to find time with...
On Downsizing...
A popular theme in life, often tossed about when we are complaining or agitated, is that less is more. There are so many ways to...
