

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...


In the News!
Last week I was interviewed by Christy Crawford, a technology teacher at Bronx Community Charter School and a Top Teaching Blogger at...
(Yet Another) Case for Teaching Into Independent Reading
Many of us have heard about Malcolm Gladwell’s “10,000 hour rule”, which indicates that to become an expert at something, one must put in...


Can you say that in a different way?
Over the past couple of months my 4 year old has become increasingly demanding. Almost daily I've heard, “Do this” or “I need a drink."...


Back to Basics: Classroom Libraries and the Very Critical Work of Getting Better Books Into Kids’ Ha
I’ve been a teacher, a staff developer at Teachers College Reading and Writing Project, a coach, a reading specialist and an independent...
Magical, Not Magic
“It’s magic,” a teacher I was working with recently declared after a reading conference we co-taught with one of her kindergarteners. ...
Sleep Deprivation and Small Group Work
Seven months ago my second child was born (well we consider him our third child since our first is a vizla/lab mix that holds a prominent...