Category: Instructional Leadership

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As a long-time teacher, school leader, and parent, I can personally and professionally attest to the fragility of the human spirit. That’s because I have been there, along with you and the rest of us. One minute we believe we can change the world and the next minute we are ready to give up on it. The thin veil of self-confidence that envelopes each of us, and our children in particular, brings into question the propriety and opportunity we have as educators in the words that we use and the actions that we take. For just a moment, let us all think back as far as we can remember, for it is there among memories pieced together that we might recall the first time someone…

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Kids Learning, Discussion

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It would be funny if it wasn’t so sad. You know what I mean. We’ve all seen those black-and-white photos of students from the 1800s sitting quietly in rows, silent, and in fear of reprisal like something out of a Dickens novel. And there on the wall, if you look closely, are the classroom rules for all to see and heed: Be silent during class. Do not talk unless it is absolutely necessary. I’m not kidding. This was actually a common rule in most classrooms. As someone who prefers to honor our history and not belittle it, I point this out only to say that we have come a long way as educators and as school systems. Still, as we stumble and explore better methods…

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Kids Learning, Discussion

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It seems that all of our emphasis in schools on improving reading scores has created a sense that reading is an end unto itself. In fact, let’s be clear that no one reads simply to check off some list that they have read something (except, of course, in school). Reading as a life skill is never really an end game, as much as curiosity is, or knowledge-seeking is. We all read for a reason, even if it is pure escapism into a salacious romance novel or a page-turning thriller. The idea of reading practice as we assign it in school sounds logical. The more that struggling readers read, the better readers they will become. They might even grow to like reading, to be less reluctant.…

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There has never been a great orator who didn’t first learn to speak, just as there has never been an accomplished musician who didn’t first learn to play an instrument, and there has never been a gifted writer who didn’t first learn her letters. This is a simple way of saying that there is no shortcut to confidence, credibility, and wisdom. I have come to discover through a few successes in my career and through many, many mistakes that (no matter our titles) we are not really leading if no one is following us, and that no one will follow us for long if we don’t know what the heck we’re talking about. Even as we preach the values of teacher leadership, most of our…

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Instructional rigor, accountable talk

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The daily dance around student engagement and lesson planning has been made much too complex in recent years, and I’m not sure why. We have countless definitions of what engagement is and what it is not, and we have varied opinions on how we should rate this concept when we observe a classroom lesson. Let’s be clear that true engagement is a highly advanced instructional skill and is much easier said than done. Still, I don’t think the definition itself is as complex as we are making it out to be. For me, I prefer to think of student engagement as synonymous with “thinking” and even “learning,” with a nod to things like student interest, choice, and real-world application. The real caution here is that…

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Tribute to teachers, landscape

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Along a hillside, alone and unplugged So I heard that cars can drive themselves, And that a metal voice will ship groceries to my door. I sit along this hillside, and I wonder if these machines will one day Provide me the pinch of sun I see through the crooked clouds, Or the trill of the wind along an unspoiled path, Or the shortness of fall’s first breath upon my lungs. Among the rugged weeds I spot a patch of flowers, And I hear the unbroken song of leaping waves along the shore. I am alone and unplugged, and pleased to know that there is no such machine yet That can paint a vibrant rainbow across the blue-gray sky, Nor offer the numb solitude of…

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Student freedom

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As a long-time teacher, school leader, and parent, I can personally and professionally attest to the fragility of the human spirit. That’s because I have been there, along with you and the rest of us. One minute we believe we can change the world and the next minute we are ready to give up on it. The thin veil of self-confidence that envelopes each of us, and our children in particular, brings into question the propriety and opportunity we have as educators in the words that we use and the actions that we take. For just a moment, let us all think back as far as we can remember, for it is there among memories pieced together that we might recall the first time someone…

Read More

Posted on

It would be funny if it wasn’t so sad. You know what I mean. We’ve all seen those black-and-white photos of students from the 1800s sitting quietly in rows, silent, and in fear of reprisal like something out of a Dickens novel. And there on the wall, if you look closely, are the classroom rules for all to see and heed: Be silent during class. Do not talk unless it is absolutely necessary. I’m not kidding. This was actually a common rule in most classrooms. As someone who prefers to honor our history and not belittle it, I point this out only to say that we have come a long way as educators and as school systems. Still, as we stumble and explore better methods…

Read More

school-leadership; instructional leadership

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Let me reiterate what has been said countless times. Leadership matters. This is especially true in schools and school districts where so much is at stake and where nearly everyone has an opinion about how schools should be run. Let me also reiterate my continued support for the dedicated and kindred spirits who each day stare down the awesome challenges of leadership in today’s public schools. They are heroes all. Still, despite our best efforts, academic progress in our schools is slow and we must own that. Blaming our shortcomings on politicians or public policy is not bold and is not leadership. Blaming teachers is cowardly, blaming parents naïve. What did Gandhi tell us?  “We must be the change we wish to see in the…

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Educational Leadership, A tribute to principals

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Oh, the pride and privilege of our youth. I’m certain that Shakespeare and our mothers warned us about such things. Yes, let us be clear that we never knew as much as we knew when we were 17. For those of us who are a bit older now and only somewhat wiser, it really is a great honor and blessing to congratulate our young people and join in the celebration of graduates everywhere. Here’s to each and every one of you! If I could get the attention of our graduates even for a moment (which is unlikely), I would offer a bit of advice. I would ask them to slow down, to take in these final few moments of their youth and experience them in…

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