In case you haven’t figured it out yet, I’m a pretty busy woman. Between teaching 150-something students, leading an English department, coaching 6-12th grade ELA teachers, directing our district’s AP programs, advocating on behalf of students and teachers at the state and national level, completing a dissertation, blogging, consulting, scoring, mentoring, and enjoying my precious little downtime with my (very patient) husband, people are always surprised when I say that I cook dinner. Every night. And that I enjoy cooking. They’re even more surprised when I say I have it ready and on the table when my husband gets home from work. Strange looks are cast my direction, women have visions of placing a plastic bag over my face, people tilt their heads as if asking, “Are you for real, lady?” Even my students are astonished: “Bailey, you cook?! Real food??” Continue reading “A Pinch of Peace, A Dash of Joy”
For teachers, November can be a busy, difficult time. All our projects are finally launched, everyone is buried under 3 feet of paperwork, showers appear to be optional on weekends, and no one wants to make eye contact with administration because we all know that means we will be asked to do something else. It seems the only way to maintain sanity is to find the humor in what often seems humorless.
So, for all my colleagues, friends, family, and all the educators in the world, here’s to salvaging your sanity–
12 ways you know you need winter break:
12. You know there are exactly 112 days of school left.
11. Living in the mountains with no cell reception or internet begins to sound like a solid early retirement plan.
10. You stare at your living room wall for 20 minutes and your only thought is, “When did we paint it that color?!?” Continue reading “12 Ways Teachers Know They Need Winter Break”
The Professional Learning Community (PLC) has gained traction in recent years, even though its initial introduction to the education circuit began in earnest in the early 1990s when researchers documented the efficacy of the PLC to bring sustained school improvement and student achievement gains, to say nothing of the increase in teacher morale, improved professional development, and promotion of best practices. These benefits can be directly linked to teachers collaborating to study student formative and summative assessment data, write lesson plans, discuss the best teaching strategies and interventions, reflect, and support one another in a shared goal and purpose. Continue reading “The Most Effective PLCs”
A Classroom with a View 