Many schools and districts have instituted a position of Instructional Coach to support teachers as they improve their instructional practices. Coaches are everywhere in the fields of athletics, performing arts, and business leadership. Most books and experts on personal development recommend finding a coach to support your own professional learning path.

What does a special educator bring to a team?

I have been puzzling over this question ever since I first heard of the new special education law in 1975. Exactly what is a special educator supposed to do?

Does your school have an Instructional Coach? Many schools have added such a position, either for general or discipline-specific support to the faculty. The person hired is usually an exceptionally strong teacher who has existing influence in the building.

Last month, during a conversation of possibilities, I asked a school leader about his practices for family engagement.

“Would you be interested in expanding your practices to build stronger partnerships with your families?”

“Leaders don’t know where they’re going.”

I was deep in my daily reading time – this time the topic was leadership – when I stumbled on this statement. Leadership expert, Orrin Woodward, went on to explain.

In a recent interview, former Vice President Joe Biden said, “That’s how we make progress. Shine a bright light on a problem. Look at it closely, and change the culture.” He was talking about domestic violence, but doesn’t this work for all issues?

As we approach the New Year, we’ll start hearing about new year’s resolutions. Thinking back, I don’t know many people who actually achieved those resolutions. Do you? Why is that?

How can we teach today’s digital youth in inclusive environments?

Our current digital lifestyle has dramatically altered the brain development of today’s learners. Here are four ways described by Marilee Sprenger (2010) Brain-based teaching in the digital age. ASCD.

Most of us complain when we get frustrated. Why do things have to go wrong? Why don’t things go my way? Why can’t things go smoothly?

Sound familiar?

How many of us welcome challenges? For all of us, there are times when things just don’t go as planned….when our students (or our colleagues) make life difficult… when our family members have “issues” that must be handled before we get to our own quite lengthy list of responsibilities. At times like that, if you’re like me, our first instinct is to have a negative reaction. Do you respond under your breath or right out loud? It depends on the issue and your mood, right?