Summer Solstice.
Welcome summer, midsummer, midyear.
Half-way through this year’s turn around the sun.
Time for celebrations and of course, reflection.
I love using the rhythm of nature as periodic check-in points, to ask:
Learning
Cultivating the Future: Inspiring Communities of Learners
Teachers* have an opportunity to cultivate the future by inspiring communities of learners. Last week when I read the Atlantic.com article by Michael Godsey, The Deconstruction of the K-12 Teacher When kids can get their lessons from the Internet, what’s left for classroom instructors to do? I couldn’t respond quickly or coherently enough. I wanted to … Read more Cultivating the Future: Inspiring Communities of Learners
10 Attitudes to Spread the Love of Learning
Even when you choose to unschool, as a parent you will have moments when you are the teacher. Don’t worry if you don’t have a teaching credential. The critical elements that make a great teacher are often not taught in college, nor are they required to earn a teaching credential.
So, you may be asking yourself these questions:
How can I be the best teacher for my kids?
As a self-directed learner, how do I become my own best teacher?
How does a great teacher spread the love of learning?
Close your eyes for a moment and remember the best teacher you ever had. Maybe it was in a Sunday school or summer camp. Think of someone who was a great teacher in your life- not necessarily a classroom teacher. It could be a coach, music teacher, scout leader, professor, parent, neighbor, or mentor. Perhaps it was a friend.
Can you recapture the good feeling of that learning experience? What did you learn? How? What was it about the teacher and how they interacted with you that made it great? How did they make you feel? Jot those down.
Goodbye 2012 , Hello 2013! Here’s to an Uplifting and Uncomfortable New Year!
I have a heart full of gratitude for those who have helped make 2012 such a wonderful year. Thank you. I have a son who is always reminding me to get out of my comfort zone and keep growing. I have friends and family, near and far, who support me when I take baby steps to … Read more Goodbye 2012 , Hello 2013! Here’s to an Uplifting and Uncomfortable New Year!
What’s Love Got to Do With It?
My 25th wedding anniversary is in two days. Summer solstice time. Time to reflect. I read my vows and get teary. They are so great. Sweet. Naive. We spent so many hours at the beach, sifting through beautiful, smooth stones as we discussed, chewed on, wrangled, and negotiated over what we wanted to say, … Read more What’s Love Got to Do With It?
Saying Goodbye to Testing Trauma & Data Disorder
This time of year teachers and students start to twitch because it’s testing time. It seems the weight of the world is on their shoulders and out of their control. National standardized tests are such a limited and short sighted way to judge a person’s learning. In school, Dale participated in annual tests and what seemed … Read more Saying Goodbye to Testing Trauma & Data Disorder
Gifts Worth Passing On: Encouragement, Affirmation, Gratitude, Trust
Today I ran into a friend, D, whom I hadn’t seen in many years. Over twenty years ago I was her daughter’s 5th grade teacher. D was the ace volunteer who spent most Fridays in the classroom with us. She attended field trips, helped with paperwork and gave her opinion when I asked for it. … Read more Gifts Worth Passing On: Encouragement, Affirmation, Gratitude, Trust