Really, I am trying. I don’t usually write about my personal challenges as a teacher in this blog, but today I find myself needing to. I started at a new school this September and was hired to teach and design a new program for older students (16-21) who are not  expected to graduate. I’m now [...]

[cross-posted at LeaderTalk] I will be returning to the classroom at the end of August after a year as a special education consultant and professional development facilitator. I decided to return for a variety of reasons, the most important being that I miss the energy I pick up from daily contact with students and the [...]

The Power of Personal RelationshipsBy Thomas S. Mawhinney and Laura L. SaganPhi Delta Kappan, March 2007 The essence, the very essence, of what I believe as an educator is summed up in this understanding: We now understand that higher-level thinking is more likely to occur in the brain of a student who is emotionally secure [...]