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 […]

Distance Learning: Spin and Steal for Social Emotional Connection

November 30, 2020.Reading time 6 minutes.

Catching up with kids after time away from school can be such a great way to learn more about their lives and deepen connections. And, this year, when teachers are being asked to blur the lines between being educators, counselors, and social workers, it’s more important than ever that we know our students as full […]

Distance learning: Middle School Resources for Exploring Hamilton Together from Home

October 15, 2020.Reading time 20 minutes.

We’re six weeks into the 2020-2021 school year, and the charm is starting to wear off a bit. Maybe you’re feeling it, too? August, in all of its uncertainty and whirlwind, felt a bit like the pandemic’s beginnings in March. New and scary, with lots of questions, but a heightened sense of togetherness. We can […]

Banned Books Week 2020

October 1, 2020.Reading time 4 minutes.

September 28-October 2 is Banned Books Week. Buckle up, because – surprise! – I have some feelings about censorship. Librarian Mike Rawls, otherwise known as @thebookwrangler, put it beautifully on his Instagram page this week: “Books are banned for all kinds of reasons… but 8 out of 10 books on the American Library Association’s Most […]