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A special treat for all teachers, teacher leaders, and administrators… A FREE 30-minute virtual coaching session with ME! This coaching session will provide you with clarity and concrete action steps to rejuvenate your school year. Sign up today. This offer expires December 31, 2016. SIGN UP HERE The Urban Schoolhouse Virtual Coaching Session To learn more about my educational coaching…

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#advice #education #instructional coaching #leadership coaching #professional development #teacher development

The Busy Educator Reset

It’s November and your energy is depleted. You just keep going and going and going… Curriculum nights, interim assessments, department meetings, progress reports, parent meetings, pre-observation reflections and conferences… going and going and going… the pile mountain of laundry in the corner of your bedroom, the neglected plants in your living room, the multiple side-eyes from friends and…

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#HappyTeacherHappyStudents #TakingCareOfSelf #advice #inspiration

Dear Mayor Emanuel: I resign my position as principal of the #1 rated neighborhood school in Chicago

Quiet Schoolhouses

#SXSWedu Update: CONTROL Your Narrative

Whew! These education folks sure do know how to party! The “corporate sponsors” are hosting lavish lounges with tacos and beer! Yes, that’s lavish in the education world, lol! As promised… *raises fish taco for emphasis* let me tell you all about yesterday’s learning… I attended a panel discussion with Nadia Lopez, principal of Mott Hall Bridges Academy a middle school in Brownsville, Brooklyn…

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#counternarrative #Mott Hall Bridges #SXSWedu #teachers #urban education

Destination #SXSWedu

Hey! Yeah, I know. I’ve been MIA. Life. Work. Creative projects… Time consuming, but in a good way, with very little time for blogging. I miss it and plan to get it back into my schedule – at least once every couple of weeks. I’m currently on Amtrak headed to Austin, TX for SXSWedu – a wonderful four-day conference focused on innovation in learning. This #edunerd is looking forward to learning…

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#educators #SXSWedu #teachers #urban education

MustSee: Evolution of a Criminal

MustSee: Evolution of a Criminal #EvolutionofaCriminal

Hey Urban Teacher, here’s a hard truth… some of your students will have an encounter with the criminal justice system. I know we look at our precious babies and they are innocent and angelic in our eyes. But unfortunately, due to societal and economic issues, our students will make mistakes that will lead to arrest, and in some cases, incarceration. According to the Center on Juvenile and…

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#crime #Darius Clark Monroe #documentary #Evolution of a Criminal #juvenile justice #youth development

#NowReading: #Scandal - The Chicago Public Schools Edition

Happy New Year! Happy #CPSSnowDay!!!

Looking for something good to read during this unexpected extended vacation??? Well, look no further! The Chicago Board of Education Office of the Inspector General Annual Report is out! I have to admit, this is one of my favorite documents to read. It’s the #edunerd version of Scandal. I try to figure out what schools are being referenced and who did what.…

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#CPS #Scandal

#SQRPWatch 2014

The SQRP, the School Quality Rating Policy, was created by the Chicago Public Schools to provide an annual measure of school performance. And, guess what, it is missing-in- action. It ain’t happening. SQRP is somewhere stuck between Data Purgatory and The Land of Bright Ideas.

According to CPS, the SQRP is a ” five-tiered performance system based on a broad range of indicators of success,…

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#Chicago #CPS #ed policy #school performance #SQRP #urban education

Ryan Gosling On... Urban Education

Hey… I have blogger’s block. So, I’m sharing this. It made me giggle. Then, it made me sad. It’s funny how we always look for the silver bullet in urban education. I sigh… (BTW, can I need Idris Elba teacher memes. Please make that happen. Thank you!)

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#achievement gap #Common Core #education #humor #teachers #urban education #urban teachers

Dealing With The Sunday Night Blahs :(

Educators, let’s face it. Your weekends are an emotional roller coaster and probably look like this…

Yeah, I’m feeling bleh right now because I spent most of my afternoon in that frantic Sunday get things done state of mind. Now, I’m totally exhausted and looking for a way to center myself and get ready for tomorrow. Here are three things I’m going to do tonight to make sure I wake up refreshed…

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#inspiration #teachers #urban education #urban teachers

Saturday Snack: Grammarly

The Little, Brown Handbook. A thesaurus. Elements of Style. APA Handbook. A dictionary.

These were the writing tools of my day. I still have these books in a storage bin. They had years of use and helped me from undergrad until now… until I discovered Grammarly!

Yesterday, I was up at 3 am proofreading and revising a consulting project. I hate proofreading, and the only way I can be effective is…

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#education #grammar #Grammarly #teaching tools #technology #urban education #urban educators #urban tecahers #writing

Goals, Goals, and More Goals

Happy Friday!!! Before you get all into your weekend plans, let’s take a quick moment to think about next week’s lesson plans. I want to share a quick idea with you that capitalizes on the report card blues you might have seen in your classroom today. I’m sure you have a few students that aren’t too happy with their current performance. And, they probably had an attitude with you about the grade…

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#assessment #goal setting #lesson plans #teachers #teaching #urban education #urban tecahers

Thursday Tidbits

Today's Quick Reads

It’s a busy day. Tomorrow, I’m closing out the first phase of a major project, and I’m buried in revisions. And, I’m trying to sneak away for an hour to attend a vintage thrifting event at Chicago’s The Bottomline. You know I love anything that incorporates thrifting and a good cause. Alright, I digress, lol. I didn’t want to skip today’s blogging, so I’m sharing a few quick reads. I found them…

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#Dyslexia #Dyslexie #education #JSTOR #SQRP #urban education

Chicago Peeps... Where's Barbara??

In October of 2012, Mayor Rahm Emanuel appointed Barbara Byrd Bennett to the role of Chicago Public Schools CEO. I must admit, I was excited to finally have a black woman in this role. This was the first CPS CEO who was female and of color. And, I think the last time Chicago had an African-American female superintendent was in 1981 when Ruth Love was appointed by Mayor Jane Byrne (Chicago’s first…

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#Barbara Byrd Bennett #Chicago #CPS #school actions #school closings #urban education

Five Things: The Parent-Teacher Conference Edition

Teachers, the day you’ve been waiting for *insert drum-roll here* parent-teacher conferences. I know you are struggling with the thought that a 10-minute conference could mean 10 weeks of punishment for a student. Please don’t fret. Here are five things to help you survive the hurry up & wait roller coaster of this notable day!

Snacks:Outside of the 15 minutes school-wide break, you will sit…

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#education #family partnership #parents #schools #urban education #urban educators #urban teachers

Monday Musings: Professional Learning Communities

Note: Now that I’m back into the rhythm of blogging, I don’t want to miss a beat. So, even when I don’t have much to say, I’m going to find something… anything… like a musing – a deep thought about my day’s work.

It is important for teachers to have a space to discuss their practice and receive critical feedback. While most teachers have department meetings and common planning times, we must…

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#education #educators #PLC #professional development #professional learning communities #urban education #urban educators #urban teachers

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