Reading and Reflection

Will Ferrell once played legendary Cubs announcer Harry Caray on SNL. If you've never seen it, the bit is basically: Harry Caray is a man completely unmoored from social norms, asking the most unfiltered, bizarre questions imaginable: to scientists, to astronauts, to anyone fortunate enough to sit across from him, with zero apology and maximum enthusiasm. At one point, Harry says, completely unprompted: " I'm curious like a cat. My friends call me Whiskers. " And here's the t

If I got a nickel for every time I heard someone ask about my "why" when attending a PD, Keynote, Webinar, or anything in education...I'd have a whole mess of nickels. If I also got a nickel for each scoff, sigh, and hard eye roll from the audience at those same spots...this would be me: However, for the first time, I've encountered an argument for "starting with why" that doesn't make me gag! On Friday, Jeff LeBlanc (Go Penmen!) had an article on EdSurge published titled:

I will go on the occasional rant about just about anything. It's part of my introverted charm; I bottle everything up and then find a hill to die on with all of my hottest of takes! Today, my thoughts are on the accessibility of resources in education. Education is a powerful tool that shapes lives and opens doors to new opportunities. With the advent of the internet and AI, it has become FAR easier to embrace the democratization of education. According to SORA Schools : "E

Just as last year, I've changed positions, and the transition has disrupted my desire to write more on my blog (and the podcast). Guess what, Stella has gotten her groove back , and I'll be publishing at least twice a week on the website, and unveiling a new podcast on the first Wednesday in October! I've transitioned from a regular on-level classroom teacher into the position of an academic interventionist. At my school, the interventionists work with a small cohort of stud

Holy crap, I thought I would leave #ISTELive knowing I had a great time, but I didn't know both my head and my heart would be overflowing with love and ideas! As I reflect on the vibrant atmosphere of ISTE Live 2025, I feel invigorated by the collective passion for transforming education through technology. This year's conference was a hub of innovative ideas, inspiring sessions, and dedicated educators striving for change. The Power of Community One of the most striking aspe

Reclaiming Our Voices: Embracing Change and Growth in Education Navigating Personal Loss and Professional Growth Things shifted for me both personally and professionally throughout 2023. My mother was in and out of the hospital and various rehab facilities for various medical issues. This never-ending domino effect finally took its toll. Tragically, we lost my mother on December 23. Not only did we lose her just before Christmas, but it was also the day before my youngest's b

For the past two months, I have been part of the Teach Better Team 's inaugural Grid Method cohort. The goal has been simple, to create an instructive and collaborative learning environment to create amazing mastery learning oriented plans for our variety of students and courses taught. My goal for the fall is for 100% of my classes to transition to mastery learning/standards-based grading. Here's why I'm super pumped about this change: Personalized Pace for Every Student Ev

A couple of weeks ago on the podcast , I reviewed Quinn Rollins' Play Like a Pirate. I believe the first thing out of my mouth was "if I ever wrote a book, this would be it." Rollins speaks to so many amazing ideas and things to incorporate, that I never thought of, but they are definitely in my wheelhouse. As someone who is both a massive collector and massive nerd I already bring those passions into my classroom. I have plenty of in and out of box Funko Pops, action figur

So, I decided to start a podcast, and one recommendation I've gotten is to post the transcript of the podcast on my blog! So, if you didn't check out episode 1, or you want to read my thoughts instead of listen to my dulcet tones, then here we go! So last week I gave my high school economics class. Some Play-Doh. And to find out why. It's time to plai around and find out. In today's episode, there are going to be two topics of discussion. What I'm lovingly dubbing, playdo

As a teacher, incorporating technology into our instructional strategies has become more important than ever. One exciting aspect of educational technology is the integration of artificial intelligence (AI) into lesson design and teaching. AI-powered tools can enhance student learning, provide personalized feedback, and support instructional planning. To help you harness the power of AI, in addition to my recommendations from part 1 , here are 5 additional websites and/or app

Part 1: The Personal Digital Divide Last week, the International Business Times reported on UNESCO's "Artificial Intelligence and Education: Guidance for Policy-makers" report. UNESCO is currently trying to grab the bull by the horns and issue guidance throughout multiple social and economic sectors as part of it's "AI For All" campaign (Summer) . I'll highlight several areas from their recommendation, and give my trench-level thoughts on if AI can be successful in bridging