“Don’t be patient. Don’t ever be. This is the way a new world begins.” When I read this quote near the conclusion of N.K. Jemisin's amazing Broken Earth trilogy this year, it spoke to me: Yes, change happens when we're not static, complacent, or passive. And sometimes that requires a certain relentlessness that can be...a... Continue Reading →
I want to write my own story—both professionally and personally. And in the summer I get to do just that.
Just a few days ago, I found out that I'll be teaching a section of 11th grade English starting...tomorrow! With a mid-year departure of a part-time teacher at our school, it made the most sense for me to pick up a section, rather than trying (and probably failing) to find a long-term sub for one... Continue Reading →
In a post from last summer about the need for reciprocity rather than hierarchy in schools, I used Sydney's idea of a "chill-archy" from Season 1 of the FX show The Bear, and I went on to muse that Season 2 could a great metaphor for school reform. Although I haven't seen truly sustained reciprocity... Continue Reading →
I have always had a gut-level aversion to acronyms. Why do I hate these so? I love silent sustained reading, but I hate SSR. I agree that it's useful to survey a text, ask questions to predict before you read, the recite (or summarize) after read, and then review by trying to answer your initial... Continue Reading →
The other day, I had a minor "The summer is going too fast!" panic moment when a colleague referenced a training coming up in less than three weeks. I hadn't realized that was all I had left before I would be pulled back into the institutional pressures and frustrations that I have so needed to... Continue Reading →
“An educator in a system of oppression is either a revolutionary or an oppressor.” Lerone Bennett Jr. The new superintendent of the school district where I work and where my children attend school shared this revolutionary quotation when he spoke to district administrators earlier this month. I am so eager to learn how our new... Continue Reading →
One my best friends and colleagues recently asked me to share some resources to send her some resources about the "science of reading" debates that are raging in the media because she knew that I had just finished auditing a professional development course called "The Science of Reading for Adolescents." Like many educators, parents, and... Continue Reading →
Recently while working with teachers on curriculum implementation, I've been thinking a lot about why the phrases "implementation with fidelity" and "implementation with integrity" have always confused or annoyed me at best and enraged me at worst. Confused: "To whom or what do you want to me to be faithful?" Annoyed: "Who decides if I... Continue Reading →
Whether it's a back-to-school keynote address, a series of trainings to support a department's new curriculum, or a long-term contracts for school or district-wide initiatives, there are so many valuable educational consultants available to help educators consider new perspectives and implement new practices. The best consultants bring research and theory alive while engaging educators in... Continue Reading →
In my last post, I wrote about educational scarcity and how small wins keep me going—but also how depressing these small wins can be when I consider how far we have to go in pursuit of just, humanizing schools. In that post, I focused on the possibility of progress—even minor progress—to energize. But now, I... Continue Reading →
Kate Lechtenberg, PhD 