I was chatting with a colleague about the values of vulnerability in our teaching and with our teams when the conversation took a surprising turn. It got me wondering... how many teachers don't feel safe enough to share their mess-ups, errors or faults (being vulnerable) at their schools?

There is a lot of talk about vulnerability across all industries these days. We know what it is, but do we practice it in education? Do we make it safe for our teachers to be real with each other and their students? Is it possible in education to regularly make ourselves vulnerable? It depends.

Here's the deal....

Vulnerability can be liberating. It's wonderful to be honest and admit we don't have all the answers. It's good for our students to see we make mistakes every day and how we handle that. But sometimes and in some situations, vulnerability can feel really unsafe.  In some instances, it can expose us to ridicule or threaten our jobs.

There are teachers who work in districts, schools or on...

Are you limiting your students thinking and learning?

Sometimes we put our students in a box and close the lid on their potential without realizing it. Let me explain.

Imagine, if you will, two classrooms with the same book and similar lessons.

In the first classroom Teacher 1 reads The Relatives Came to the class. She has a few cute worksheets she has created for her students to complete around the book.

1. Students will fill in the meaning of some of the phrases printed on the worksheet from the text. There are boxes with lines for each one. Everyone shares their thoughts once the class finishes.

2. On the second worksheet there are 3 sections with lines, one each for beginning, middle and end of the story. The transition words first, next and last are filled in to get the students started. There is a picture at the top of the page that students can color, if they have time.

3. The third worksheet has a venn diagram. Students are to fill in what one of their visits with the

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I love gingerbread. I can't get enough of it.

Every year my family and I make gingerbread cookie ornaments for our Christmas tree, gingerbread St. Nicholas cookies for St. Nicholas' Day, make gingerbread houses and read gingerbread stories during Advent. 

Gingerbread stories abound.The Gingerbread Baby, The Gingerbread Boy, The Gingerbread Man, The Gingerbread Man Loose in the School, The Gingerbread Cowboy and The Baker's Dozen: A St. Nicholas Tale are just a few.

Let's face it. Once December hits, we are all a little antsy. So...

Keep your students engaged and learning until the last minute before break with gingerbread. 

Start by having some fun with gingerbread stories. Pick a few different versions to read. Then, decide on some lessons. 

Here's a few ideas:

• Compare and contrast them.

• Students can practice their persuasive writing skills by "selling" a favorite version with a commercial or radio ad.

• Make gingerbread or have some cookies to share, decorate and

  ...

There are light years between a student who simply knows how to read and student who is a reader.

I have been to many a school and met many teachers who excel at teaching students to read well. But... few of their students are readers - people who love books, seek out and choose great books, talk about books like they are friends and read for the sheer joy of reading. 

Our goal as educators and as parents is always to grow readers. 

Fostering a love of books and reading and growing readers is the magic that great teachers strive for. And yes, it can seem like magic when it happens if we don't understand the steps needed to guide students there and the things we, inadvertently, do that hinder the process. 

Let's face it, there are thousands of people and computer programs that can teach someone to read. It takes special combination of dedication and skill with a big dose of heart to grow readers. With practice using these top 10 tips and my Cheat Sheet for accomplishing the critica...

Yes, you really can enjoy the fun of Thanksgiving and keep the learning on track.

As we head into the season of fast and furious holidays, it's hard to hang onto routines and productivity. Keep your students focused and engaged by incorporating the fun in meaningful ways.

My Thanksgiving favorites for engaging, meaningful teaching:

• Scholastic's First Thanksgiving Virtual Field Trip (Use primary sources, listen to stories, explore the Mayflower and lots more!) Grades K-5

• Plimoth Plantation's You are the Historian (Explore what really happened, hear from both sides and make your case.) Grades 3-5

• Hubbard's Cupboard has some easy free Thanksgiving lesson ideas and printable beginning readers, Get them here. Grades K-2

• The Mini Page First Thanksgiving Edition. Grades 2-5

• Here's a few books to share as well.

  

  A day in the life of a pilgrim girl.

  

  Easy to read version of the First Thanksgiving.

  

  The

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I love switching things up from year to year, but not everyone does.

As teachers, we can get stuck in a rut, stuck in habits and routines that aren't always helpful. In short, we cease to grow. 

The top 5 signs your teaching is stuck in a rut are: 

1. You reuse all your lessons from previous years without any revision.

2. Students and families know the drill before the year starts because you are known for doing certain projects.

3. If you hear yourself saying, "We always do it that way" or "This is how we do it every year" you just might be stuck.

4. Change is not your thing.

5. Your desk position and classroom configuration stay the same all year.

Don't stay stuck.

As nice as it is to feel like we "have it down" or finally can do the same things as last year and not have to create anything new. Don't go there. It's a deadly trap. Don't get trapped into doing the same thing and reusing old plans in their entirety.

I know it's tempting to take it easy with planning a...

Looking for some Fall inspiration? I've got you covered. 

Sometimes I've just got to say thank you and great job to the teachers, parents and others out there creating great stuff. Let's face it, recreating the wheel every day is just not realistic. Besides, we all need an inspirational boost once in awhile. That's where these powerhouses come in. 

How We Learn

From weather experiments to egg carton helicopters, Sarah has tons of ideas that are easy to do and adapt for all ages. For fall try Why do leaves change color? Oh yeah! This simple experiment is worth doing. Keep it up Sarah!  Check it our here.

A Little Bit of Perfect

Katie's fall leaves are so lovely. It would be easy to create a full lesson around these.  Add this with the leaf experiment (above), mix in some of the picture books in Katie's post to teach the week's reading and writing concepts and you've got a full week. Thanks a bunch Katie! Check it our here.

Math Geek Mama

Teaching doubles with Sixteen Runaway Pump...

Keeping up with the teacher next door (or our Pinterest Pals) is an impossible task. But, we still try. What is it about all that perfection that is so alluring, even when we know it's not realistic?

Ok, this will date me, but I just have to share this perfect example of perceived perfection. I remember watching The Jetsons's cartoon on TV when I was young. There was this one episode where Jane Jetson gets a phone call on the video phone early in the morning. She quickly grabs her "morning mask", literally a mask that she places in front of her face before answering the call from her friend. The mask looks like her all done up and hides her real "just rolled out of bed making the kids lunches" face. Once the call is done, she puts the mask away and goes back to her morning with her friend none the wiser. 

Let's face it, everyone wears masks. We just don't always know what the masks others are wearing are and what's real.

Well, it's time to put our blinders on. 

Quit worrying about ...

Being properly prepared for Parent Conferences allows you to go into each conference with confidence.

So what do we need to do to have successful conferences? Prepare, structure and rehearse and understand parents' expectations.

THREE THINGS EVERY TEACHER NEEDS TO DO TO BE READY FOR CONFERENCES.

1. Decide: What are you hoping to accomplish? What is the purpose of your conferences?
2. Create a data form for each child - partially filled out (data, class time observations...)
3. Collect work samples for each child to back up your talking points. 

STRUCTURING YOUR CONFERENCES FOR SUCCESS. 

Remember, parents are often both excited and nervous about coming in for conferences. These kids are their babies, and mama and papa bear are quick to protect. For extra confidence: Write out a script and practice it for any conferences you are nervous about. This ensures you cover what needs to be said, builds trust with parents and ensures you listen more than you talk. 

• Start with a thank yo
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