I want to write my own story—both professionally and personally. And in the summer I get to do just that.
Summer is for stories: (Re)writing my professional story
The Bear’s recipe for school reform
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 →
Coping with institutional oppression: FOCUS, Kate.
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 →
‘Tis the season to confront institutional malaise
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 →
In search of relevance, Part 1: Nothing so practical as a good theory
In this post I chronicle my winding research path to support teachers who want to make learning relevant to their students. So my answer to the question, "Can theories be practical?" is yes—but only if the person engaging with the theory also has or is willing to seek or create practical strategies.
Kate Lechtenberg, PhD 