In Their Own Words
In some classrooms, the last day before a holiday recess tends to be a time to host a class party, watch holiday videos, or do crafts. We look at this day as our last chance before a prolonged… Read More
Are We Enough?
Sometimes we think about all the energy it takes to teach and it feels daunting. Students are coming to school with a sweeping range of abilities and needs. Some days in the classroom feel as though we are… Read More
The Most Wonderful Time of the Year
Jill’s class is currently celebrating a reading unit of study where they learned how to grow personal knowledge about a topic. One intention Jill had going into the unit was to share control of the learning with her… Read More
From Theory to Practice
Jenn tweeted this last Thursday during #G2Great on Twitter: There were so many “likes” and “retweets” that we grew curious. This tweet prompted us to think more deeply about the Gradual Release of Responsibility (GRR). Anything that is… Read More
Being That Teacher You Decide
This post is dedicated to our friend and mentor, Dr. Mary Howard. She inspires us everyday to move our practices from “Good to Great”. Mary, who believes in the potential for all children and works tirelessly to encourage… Read More
Observation in Action
Leaning in to observe children at work is a sacred time. We get to see the evolution of their thinking unfold, as they grow more aware of their sense of autonomy, and power. One of the happiest moments… Read More
Just Keep Swimming
Fix a problem, fix a problem, fix a problem. There are so many needs and we care so much about our students. The attachment is real, and we want the best possible learning environment for them. There is… Read More
Making the Most of a Moment
Anything we do with kids, it is our mission to embed it in authentic learning. We want these experiences to mirror what they will do in real life. We don’t write to a prompt, we don’t read for… Read More
Celebrate the Product Honor the Process
We are teachers and we want to make our students’ work shine. Whenever we come to the end of a unit we celebrate, so it’s natural to want to put students’ work in the best possible light. In an… Read More
Striving for Balance
Teaching children to be literate is a complex undertaking. It requires hours of study, observational work, critical analysis, and ongoing practice. That is the truth, and Jill and I are just teachers working in a school. Sure, we… Read More
Hello! Come on In…
We just finished a round of parent-teacher conferences. Our hallways were full of smiling families who were there to support their children. It was a beautiful thing! Caring adults who stopped to read pieces of writing, or who… Read More
Time Is on My Side
Time is not a teacher’s friend. It can be an unwelcome guest that comes to the classroom with lots of baggage. Teachers worry about time slipping away. We fret about lessons taking too long. If a student is… Read More
WIRE for Agency 