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đźš« The Biggest Barrier to Innovation in Education? The Penalty for Failure

If you want to know why innovation moves at a glacial pace in K–12 education, look no further than this: the penalty for failure is too high. Innovation thrives in environments where calculated risks are encouraged, failure is seen as data, and learning is iterative. That’s not how our education systems are built. In fact, most departments of education operate in the opposite direction—with rigid accountability structures, limited tolerance for experimentation, and political consequences for getting it wrong. 🎯 High Stakes, Low Risk Tolerance When a school or district tries something new—a new platform, a new schedule, a new grading system—they’re betting with their reputation, their funding, and sometimes even their jobs. Test scores drop during the transition? That might be enough to derail careers. Parents complain? The school board intervenes. One bad press article? The whole initiative dies. It’s no wonder so many schools stick with outdated systems. The known, even if broke...
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🎯Get a Strong Start Teaching Online: 3 Must-Do Moves for the First Week

A smooth start to the school year sets the tone for everything that follows,  especially in the online classroom . Whether you're new to virtual teaching or a seasoned pro, building trust , clarity , and connection early on pays off all year long. Here are three essential steps to help you start strong: ✉️ 1. Send a Welcome Letter That Connects Before students ever click into your LMS, send a warm, clear, and visually friendly welcome letter. Include: đź‘‹ A brief personal introduction (with a photo, if you're comfortable) đź“š A simple overview of what to expect in your class 📬 Preferred communication channels & your response times 🔑 Login instructions and how to get started 🎥 Bonus: Add a short video greeting to help students feel connected, especially in asynchronous or self-paced programs. đź“Š Fun fact: A 2014 study found that instructor-generated video content boosted student engagement and satisfaction in online higher ed courses. 🔥 Pro Tip: Use a m...
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Hack your Dopamine with Tasks Aligned with your Strengths

If you’re a teacher with or without ADHD, you know the importance of finding tasks that not only help you stay productive but also give your brain that rewarding dopamine hit. 🧠✨ The key is to match those tasks with how you naturally feel motivated and appreciated . Hack your brain by applying a framework to your tasks for maximum dopamine hits: 💖 The 5 Love Languages : Describe how people experience and give appreciation. 💡 Clifton Strengths : Focus on individual talents and motivators. ⚠️ Decision fatigue and analysis paralysis are real! Here are some ideas to get you started: 🔋 Dopamine-Boosting Tasks by the 5 Love Languages 💬 Love Language 🔧 Examples of Dopamine-Boosting Tasks Words of Affirmation 💬 Make positive calls or emails home; write thank-you notes; keep a wins journal; post encouraging sticky notes. Quality Time ⏳ Schedule focused 1:1 check-ins; collaborate with colleagues...
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đź’ˇ How I Use Generative AI to Support My Writing

Between coaching, consulting, parenting, and studying policy, writing can easily fall to the bottom of my list, even though it's really my first love. I’ve always loved ideas, but the process of getting them out of my brain and onto the page hasn’t always been easy. As someone with ADHD and dyslexia, I often struggle with executive functioning, writer’s block, and imposter syndrome. Generative AI has become a surprising ally—one that’s helped me build momentum, stay productive, and still feel like *myself* in my writing. ⚙️ How I Use AI in My Writing Process I use tools like ChatGPT to draft initial copy for blog posts, workshop materials, emails, and more. I’ll often start by giving a few prompts about the message I want to get across or the audience I’m writing for. The AI helps me generate that first messy draft—the hardest part for my brain to start on its own. Any time I have an idea, rather than just jotting it down on a piece of paper (that, let's be honest, I'm...
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Building on “Reimagining School Starts with Reclaiming Time” from Getting Smart

After reading “Reimagining School Starts with Reclaiming Time” from Getting Smart , I found myself nodding in agreement—but I’d like to take the conversation a step further. We’ve been promised for years that technology will save us time, increase efficiency, and create more equitable learning experiences. But here’s the reality no one wants to admit: those promises will always fall short in a system that’s fundamentally bound by time . ⏱️ The Problem Isn’t the Tools—It’s the Schedule It doesn’t matter how adaptive, AI-powered, or data-rich our edtech becomes—if we’re still measuring student progress in seat time, daily minutes, or pacing guides, we’re trying to fit a round peg into a square hole. Learning isn’t linear , but our systems are. Time-based structures demand that students move at the same pace, finish on the same day, and absorb the same content in the same way. Even with technology offering flexibility, we’re still building within a rigid frame. 🤖 Tech Promise...
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I'm an ELA Teacher and I Don’t Want to Teach English Classes Anymore

  Wait—before you clutch your annotated copy of To Kill a Mockingbird , let me explain. I’m not burned out. I’m not bitter. I still believe in the power of story and the necessity of critical thinking. I still light up when a student finally cracks open a book they claimed to hate—or when their writing hits that sweet spot of clarity and voice. But after years in the ELA classroom, I’ve come to a difficult but exciting realization: English class, as we’ve traditionally framed it, is too narrow for the kind of reading and writing students actually need. đź“š Reading and Writing Don’t Belong in a Silo We live in a world where language is everywhere—slippery, powerful, and inextricably connected to every subject. So why do we keep reading and writing corralled into “English class,” dissecting fictional texts and over-analyzing symbolism as if that alone builds literacy? I’ve seen what happens when we teach reading as a skill for English class , not a survival skill for life. S...
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When ADHD Feels Normal: A Teacher-Mom’s Perspective on Diagnosis and Denial

🧠 I have ADHD. Two of my children have ADHD. And still,  even knowing what I know now, it's a struggle. Why? Because when ADHD runs deep in your family, the symptoms don’t always feel unusual. They feel familiar . They feel like you. Like home. Like “just how we are.” But that sense of normalcy can be the very thing that delays support—and as both a teacher and a mom, I’ve seen just how important it is to name what’s happening and get help. đź‘€ When ADHD Runs in the Family, It Hides in Plain Sight ADHD is one of the most heritable mental health conditions— up to 80% of its traits are passed genetically ( PMC , EBSCO ). So when one child has ADHD, there’s a good chance others in the family do too, whether they’re diagnosed or not ( ADDitude ). That’s exactly what happened in my house. And in my classroom, I’ve seen it play out again and again: Parents say, “I did the same thing as a kid and turned out fine.” Families build elaborate systems to work around c...
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