I Used to Be a Teacher

July 12, 2021.Reading time 1 minute.

I used to be a teacher. (That’s going to take some getting used to.) I’m one of the lucky ones: I had a great experience as an educator in 2020-2021. My unique position didn’t break me; instead, it made me realize just how much I’m capable of. Stepping out of the classroom and into a […]

Antiracist Read: You’ll Never Believe What Happened to Lacey – Crazy Stories About Racism

May 19, 2021.Reading time 9 minutes.

My most recent anti-racist read was You’ll Never Believe what Happened to Lacey – Crazy Stories about Racism, by Amber Ruffin and Lacey Lamar. I experienced this book in the audiobook format. Here is some information about the book, from Brave and Kind Books: Writer and performer on Late Night with Seth Meyers Amber Ruffin […]

Double Draw Dare! with Tom Angleberger and Dub Leffler, from the Virginia Festival of the Book

May 15, 2021.Reading time 3 minutes.

This week, I had the amazing opportunity to moderate a virtual session for the Virginia Festival of the Book‘s Shelf Life series. Double Draw Dare had everything – a gameshow wheel, outer space dragons, sea creatures in formal wear, and two incredibly talented illustrators: Tom Angleberger and Dub Leffler. I’m still sore from laughing! I […]

Are You Comfortable Not Being the Expert in the Room?

February 10, 2021.Reading time 7 minutes.

My 7th graders are teaching me to code in Python. I have no idea what I’m doing. And it is so great. There’s some important context here, and it starts with a big question: Are you comfortable with not being the expert in the room? For me, that’s when the magic happens. When I first […]

Distance Learning: Building Confidence in Middle Schoolers

February 4, 2021.Reading time 10 minutes.

Recently, I’ve noticed that many of my Learn from Home students have hit a wall. It’s been almost a full calendar year since they have attended school in a physical building and regularly interacted face-to-face with a large group of people that love and support them. And for many, it’s been almost a full year […]

Revisiting Ramona

February 2, 2021.Reading time 4 minutes.

Oh man, did I love Ramona Quimby as a kid. When one of my young readers begged to dive into Ramona and Her Father as our next virtual one-on-one readaloud, I couldn’t believe my luck. This reader has grown tremendously this year with the work of her dedicated team – she receives a mix of […]

Kids Antiracist Book Club: Black Brother, Black Brother by Jewell PArker Rhodes

January 20, 2021.Reading time 4 minutes.

Looking for a book to add to your middle school curriculum that will spark meaningful conversation about racism, especially in schools and sports? Black Brother, Black Brother, by Jewell Parker Rhodes, could be it. Read it with… Jerry Craft’s New Kid to compare microagressions and overt racism, and open readers’ eyes to look more critically […]

November Antiracist Read: We Want to Do More Than Survive, by Bettina L. Love

December 3, 2020.Reading time 8 minutes.

My November anti-racist read was We Want to Do More than Survive: Abolitionist Teaching and the Pursuit of Educational Freedom, by Bettina L. Love. I experienced this book via audiobook, and then re-read the hard copy from my local library. Here is some information about the book, from IndieBound: Drawing on personal stories, research, and […]

Distance Learning: On the Fear of Falling Behind

December 2, 2020.Reading time 3 minutes.

“I’m tired of hearing people say that kids are falling behind. Behind what exactly? We have third graders logging into Zoom meetings, troubleshooting technology glitches, learning to communicate their needs, and adapting to a completely foreign school environment. With these life skills, I think they just might be pulling way ahead.” I’ve been thinking about […]