Ten Beliefs of High-Performing Educators
In the world of education, there are amazing teachers and leaders transforming classrooms and schools every day. On the other hand, there are just as many, if not more, failing at the very same mission, and often times working just as hard! It’s not luck, nor a secret to the success of the aforementioned, but […]
Raising My Children Using the No-Nonsense Nurturer® 4-Step Model
Often, while supporting coaches and principals in schools across the country, I am asked the question, “Kara, do you use the 4-step model at home with your own children?” My response is an overpowered and elated “YES”! My oldest son now tells me when that I can’t give him a consequence or reward when I […]
Guest Blog: How do Students Know You Care?
Building relationships with my students is the crux of the culture in my classroom. My students know that I love them deeply, and because of that love, I will accept nothing but their absolute best and I will push until we both feel like they have reached their best, and then perhaps a little bit […]
We Don’t Wait, We Narrate!
A short time ago, I had the privilege of supporting a Real Time Teacher Coach (RTTC) as she was conducting a Baseline Observation in a middle-school classroom for an upcoming RTTC session. During our time in the classroom, when pressing for 100% of her scholars’ attention, I remember hearing the teacher say, “We have almost […]
Guest Blog: One Classroom, One Teacher
I’ve previously written that student behavior is not personal. This is true. Pressure from students’ outside lives can erupt in class. Unprocessed grief can become disruption. Unfelt anger can become a refusal to participate. It’s important that we as teachers recognize the many external factors that can influence behavior inside a classroom. While students do […]
Building Relationships with Families
The education of children is a responsibility that must be shared by the teacher and families alike. We need to recognize what a powerful asset a parent or family member can be; what powerful components parents and guardians are to a child’s success. To work effectively, teachers need families to support their academic, disciplinary, and […]
10 Ways Well-Meaning White Teachers Bring Racism Into Our Schools
by Jamie Utt. Originally posted on Everyday Feminism. Teachers are some of my favorite people in the world. I mean I really love teachers! They tend to be enthusiastic about changing society, and more often than not, they care so deeply about their work and their students. What’s not to like? As a former teacher […]
Guest Blog: It’s Not Personal
“There’s a fight in the library!” It’s 2 pm, and Chelsea is standing on the faded asphalt, yelling. Our principal, Ms. Benjamin, shoots up from her desk and pops out her door onto the quad, wondering how a fight could possibly be happening in our “library,” a bookshelf-lined freight container with barely enough room to […]
Letter to a New Teacher
I recently received the following email from a career-changer who was beginning their first year of teaching. It got me thinking about the kinds of things new teachers should consider and ideas that even veteran teachers should revisit once in a while. Letters like this one demonstrate the commitment that teachers have to improving their […]
A Paradigm Shift to Transformative Coaching
During my tenure as a special education teacher and district coach, I thought I’d seen almost everything. I was an instructional manager supporting the special education reform in New York City public schools for 1.1 million students. I then supervised the implementation of a coaching credentialing program for over 300 coaches in Broward County Public […]
