I had an amazing day with a group of teens in Lancaster, Pennsylvania last week. I want to tell you all about it, as well as some takeaways. What I did I got to spend the morning sharing ideas about neuroscience and what it means to be gifted. We started
You don’t have to be the most amazing teacher ever, tomorrow. That’s the thought for the day. Recently, I heard a message at church that encouraged us to start where we are and simply do the next thing on our journey to becoming better Christians. What’s the next step? That
This summer I was introduced to a tool I think belongs in every teacher’s toolbox. I decided to try it myself before I shared it with you. I hope you’ll find the tool itself useful, and I also hope you can learn from my story about how I almost rejected
Have you ever been at the end of grading period and noticed that inputting a grade – even an important one – did nothing to class averages? Have you ever manipulated the weight of grades to make it “count” at all (“Oh, yes, that was worth 2 test grades, 3
What 3 lessons did I learn from the best professional development experience in the history of the world, and how can they help you in your classroom? At the end of June, I spent one of the most enjoyable weeks of my life in Conroe, Texas (north of Houston)…at professional
When I introduce students to the water cycle, I give them a bottle of water labeled “dinosaur pee.” I invite them to, “Drink up, me hearties!” I ask them if they believe me that there is dinosaur pee in the bottle. Some do, some don’t. I then explain that because
Summer…ahhhh…the time most teachers catch up on doctor’s appointments, shopping, and all the myriad errands and chores that go by the wayside during the hectic school year. I’m sharing 11 things every teacher should do this summer to help it be a recharge, refresh, and also effective preparation for the
I received an email about a differentiation issue, and decided it was worth doing an entire case study on the problem this parent is facing. While I have trained tens of thousands of teachers on differentiation, I thought it would be fun to do something a little different than just
Got defiance? Handling defiant students (or personal children) can be one of the most difficult aspects of teaching, particularly when we don’t feel supported by others on the support team. Having a large toolbox of strategies and ideas can help. I’m sharing the ideas I’ve gathered over time from
Why you must see Gifted. Gifted does for gifted what Love Story did for Harvard: everyone will want to go there. It is the best onscreen fictional treatment of gifted ever. In history. In the universe. It is a must-see for anyone who cares about gifted kids, doesn’t really understand giftedness, is parenting a
I’m sharing where to find dot-to-dot free samples (and other ideas) today because I love dot-to-dot. Why I love dot-to-dot It’s fun. I like fun stuff. It is great fine motor skill practice. This is more critical for academic success than I think we give it credit for. It allows
Best Practice in Vocabulary Instruction for English Language Learners In a lot of ways, vocabulary instruction for English Language Learners is a lot like vocabulary instruction for any learner. [See the previous posts in the series for ideas.] Yet there are some differences that are worth discussing to ensure that vocabulary
