General

  So I slacked off a little with my “Must Read” posts this summer so this one is a two-fer.  Here are TEN books I read this summer that I loved and I think you might too! Jabari Jumps by: Gaia Cornwall I love me some picture books and there are probably 30 I could…

  2018 has been quite the whirlwind of a year, and it’s only June. The image of ashes keeps coming to mind. That image of something being in existence and then burned by fire until all that is left is ashes. But even in the midst of the ashes there’s always the possibility of something…

  It’s summer!  For so many educators that is finally their chance to catch up on great professional development books.  But sometimes it always isn’t in our budgets to get all the great books we want….and I love giving things away, so I had an idea!! Every few weeks I put up some t-shirts to…

  I started this “series” of posts back in February, and then my life got flipped upside down and I haven’t posted since then.  So, it’s back! My plan is to post once a month with 5 recommendations of books I’ve finished recently. These will be books that touched my heart, moved my spirit, taught…

  I believe in the power of a single book.  That one story, or character, can empower/challenge/save a life.  I’ve seen it with my own eyes. In 2016 I was asked to join the Scholastic Principal Advisory Board.  This isn’t a position I get paid for but instead is somewhere that I can grow myself…

  I have watched the power of a story change a life. I have seen a child become so engrossed in a book that they carry it everywhere with them and find a way to put it into any conversation.  And when you can have a child fall in love with a book, it changes…

  If there’s one thing I’ve learned more than anything else, it’s the power that lies within stories.  Over the past year and a half I have consumed one book after another.  But I’ve started reading books I would have never chosen in the past.  Why? One simple reason, reading builds empathy. As I see…

  I am a huge fan of music.  If you’ve followed my blog for very long you may have seen me write posts reviewing music, posts that were completely inspired by a song, or even posts like this one where I share with you some great music! So that’s my goal today.  Every morning on…

  If there’s one thing I’ve learned, to depth of my core, about being in education, it’s how deeply we get connected to our students and how much of what goes in their little lives, affect ours. When I was deciding what I wanted to do with my life and the career path I wanted…

Three weeks ago today.  That’s when it happened.  That’s when years worth of personal work was erased, the slate was essentially wiped clean, and I had to begin again. Three weeks ago.  It feels like yesterday.  I can still hear the words coming out of their mouth. I can still feel the sting.  I can…

As educators we give our all for our students.  They become like our own children with whom our hearts break alongside of, we laugh and eat together, we give up hours of our time to help, and we lose sleep over often. And I think just about every year we all have “that” student.  That…

This post was co-written with Steven Lamkin. You can follow him on Twitter or check out his blog. Schools across the country have either already begun or are gearing up to start their year.  As the year gets underway, one thing that campus leadership must keep at the forefront is how we can intentionally uplift…