The silence between the notes

 As a career educator, and a 1st gen college student who once had very little confidence in my financial literacy or business skills, I'd never have guessed that I'd become a person who studies state budgets, or sends bill commentary to my legislators, or attends meetings in Olympia. But sure enough, that's now my reality. And I'm starting to enjoy it. Why? Because as an educator, I'd experienced so many situations which showed me that school funding and budgeting are at the root of equity--or inequity-- in our education system. And it was disheartening to repeatedly have meaningful conversations with my colleagues then feel like we weren't being heard by the many many people guiding that education system. As an educator, I was often unsure of which decision makers to reach, or how to get our point across. Education might be a bipartisan topic overall, but in order to effect change, we have to learn how to navigate the political landscape, and the field of educ...

Although this is a tough topic for summer reading, I’m really glad to see  this article is tackling it. It’s no secret that student behaviors have become more noticeably challenging in the last two years, but a lot of people still don’t appreciate just how difficult it really is to manage a classroom full of students these days. Mind you, we’re not even diving into the increasingly common crisis of mass violence in schools, just the regular old non-deadly challenges that teachers handle in a typical week. This article has great insights for teachers AND non-teachers so I hope you’ll read it when you’ve finished with this prologue of mine. Maintaining a productive, healthy learning environment is SO MUCH MORE COMPLICATED than many people realize. Contrary to what I’ve heard non-teachers advise, we can’t just tell students to be respectful of each other, because all their homes define respect differently; and we shouldn’t try to scare students into working silently all day because t...

Full disclosure: Teaching is HARD! Online teaching is somehow even harder! Teaching online (and/or hybrid) in the middle of ever-changing social situations and a pandemic is UNREALISTICALLY HARD! I usually take pride in my ability to differentiate for students’ various needs but with online learning, that’s basically become one of my main job requirements! There’s no time left in the day to grade—just barely enough time to respond to the individual messages and try to plan their supports/modifications/extra meetings. Some days, my eyes are dry and burning and my heart is broken by student stories even before 10AM. On those days, I practically give up all hope of grading because it takes every ounce of professionalism to stay strong through my next 6 hours of Zoom meetings. And by the way, that is in no way a complaint! I sincerely value the fact that students are willing to reach out, and I value the fact that my job allows me to support them in different ways. I have seen programs w...

Last month, I attended a virtual meeting with a nonprofit organization called Stand for Children and I asked if they knew how to help with some of the technological needs that I have observed in my recent classroom observations. Last weekend, I received an email from them inviting me to share my testimony at the upcoming House Education Committee meeting . Sadly, the bill on Digital Equity on was then removed from the agenda. Surprisingly, the bill then was moved back onto the agenda early this morning! Between my regularly scheduled work meetings, I logged on and listened to other speakers who were sharing their testimonies in support of or opposition to the bill. Although there was no more time allowed for new speakers, there was still time to submit my written testimony before the meeting ended. So with fueled by a sudden rush of adrenaline and coffee, I typed up my testimony as quickly as my shaky hands could handle. I don’t think I have ever been so grateful to have the speedy sk...

As more and more STATES and SCHOOL DISTRICTS are releasing their plans for how their schooling will happen in the fall, I’m seeing more and more anxiety and frustration from people’s responses. Friends, please remember there are NO EASY, OBVIOUS ANSWERS, because no matter how obvious one viewpoint might seem to YOU, we have millions of families coming from various experiences across the country and they all have different concerns. I really don't think a singular solution exists, so the most important contribution I can offer in this conversation is my wider perspective. I’ve been a teacher for about 20 years, and a teacher of incoming teachers for 5. I have worked in or alongside approximately 60 schools throughout Washington State. I love my students and their families and my coworkers very much and I wish we could find some magical answer that would fix this situation we’re in. But honestly, I'm still torn about what I wish for the 2020-2021 school year. I’m worried...

I haven’t posted any of my writings in nearly a year because I haven’t felt like I had time to revise and edit and do them justice. But today’s funny little post is funny…and little…and time sensitive to today’s date, so I figured I might as well get it up here either way.  By now, you probably know that crazy dreams are a nightly adventure for me. Well, amidst last night’s nightmares, there was one quirky plot that actually turned out to be surprisingly thought provoking.   It started out with an unlikely family trip—me, my sisters Megan and Kasey (who lives in DC), and my parents (who really don’t “take trips” anymore)—somewhere in a far off campsite or recreational area of Washington.   Four of us had been ready to leave for a few hours but Megan had supposedly been hanging out by herself for a while and wasn’t answering her phone. We were getting sunburned and cranky while waiting for her to come back so I went to track her down. Turns out, among othe...

In my 15+ years as a teacher, I've never seen such fear for physical and emotional security as what I've seen this year ...and I’ve struggled to find the words to talk about it but I think it’s important that I try to share. In addition to the social-emotional support that teachers offer in an average year, I’ve had to council my high school and university students after 3 separate shootings that have forever changed the way they’ll view their world ; In the last month, I’ve also tried to support them through 2 threats that they suspected were aimed at our own high school. The last 1 was the day my dance team left for the State Championships and it was a frightening whirlwind of emotions for everyone. My main solace was getting on a bus with my students and driving away from the situation, but my students and I continued to worry about our school for the rest of the day. Although I’m glad my students all know that our dance class is a safe place, and that they get the cha...

It was an honor being asked to present at the 2016 Celebration of Talent conference , and I spent weeks figuring how to teach teachers about supporting highly capable students in high school.  Then I realized that the best thing I could do is share the stories of students--straight from their own mouths (or word documents)! I reached out to a handful of young adults from throughout Washington State, asked them 4 important questions, then compiled some of their most poignant answers. The following presentation includes insights from 14 respondents with a WIDE variety of high school experiences. I hope you'll review these answers with an open mind. And I invite you to share them with teachers, students, and even parents who could benefit by a more thorough understanding of how to support today's gifted students. Hi-Cap in High School:  https://youtu.be/0Kq9_ftAguo Since the slides have been converted to a video, you'll probably want to pause to give yourself...

Recently, a challenging situation with a student reminded me of a piece that I wrote two years ago but never posted.   Just as students are often surprised to discover that teachers have real lives and real emotions outside of their classroom, adults should remember that students also have real lives and real challenges outside of the classroom. During a recent altercation, this understanding allowed me to remain calm and focused.   I often find myself wondering what challenges outside of class are making these students so angry by 8AM. I wish students like this could understand that many teachers are actually attempting to help them and teach them, not just to punish them. I also wish that our society as a whole could understand how the obstacles these children face on a daily basis also impact our effectiveness in the classroom. And that thought brings me back to the piece I wrote two years ago. ------------ From January 2012------------ 104. 106. 110....

Facebook has obviously modified what we consider "friends" in our world today. Maybe it's a good thing--reconnecting friends separated by time and distance, or allowing acquaintances to see beyond the typical passing hello's. Maybe it's a bad thing--causing some to seek out people to call their friends so they can increase their numbers, or possibly lowering the threshold of what's considered appropriate to share outside a circle of close friends. But as the graduating seniors of 2011 are now eligible to become my "friends" on Facebook, I find myself wondering about the increasingly ambiguous nature of friendship in our society. Before Facebook and before becoming a teacher, these might have been my simple, uncomplicated definitions of a friend.  Friends look out for each other.  Friends laugh together.  Friends cry together, or stay strong when the other cries.  Friends work past the difficult times together, even when they caused the problem.  Fri...

I shared these thoughts with our FCA students this week. I hope it inspires them, and I hope I can live up to my own ideals. I believe we are called to demonstrate a Love that is greater than our own human nature can supply. *********************************************************************** One of my favorite quotes about being a Christian: “As a Christian, the greatest influence you can have on those around you is…just not be a jerk.” (Sean Lumsden, Living Hope Church ☺) *But then again, any non-Christian can also “not be a jerk.” So what would make me different? God’s love v. man’s love *Unless I pursue God and truly understand his love, I can only love out of my own human capacity. Since humans fail, my love will also inevitably fail. Sadly, sometimes my love will…be impatient, envious, proud, snippy, selfish, feel like giving up on someone, lose hope. *What does 1 Cor 13:1-7 say about God’s love in the face of those failures? If I speak in the tongue of m...