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Thank You for 20 Years.

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After 20 years of teaching at Brookfield Central, I am saying goodbye. Although I spent the majority of that time in the physics classroom alongside my learners. That changed for my last 18 weeks. I ended up in a place similar to where I started, teaching chemistry and biology. So, rather than dealing with juniors and seniors at the end of their high school careers, I was in classrooms with freshmen and sophomores still trying to find their place. At the same time, I was learning and teaching a set curriculum I hadn't taught in over a decade. So, we were learning. But, of course, I already knew the content.  The point of this post is to take a step back, take in, and share the gratitude from the last students I had in my 20 years at Brookfield Central High School through the cards and notes they made for me on my last day with them.  I don't take many yay me moments. But after 20 years, I think I'll soak this one in.
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Edutopia Week 2

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I haven't fallen back on my 2 - 20 min. commitment, but might feel like I might try to come up with a new way of reflecting on articles I read next week.

Make Learning Last: How Diverse Learners Can Process Their Understanding

Differentiated instruction considers approaches to
  • content
  • process
  • products

As teachers work through content, they need to provide opportunities for students to process instruction.  It doesn't take time away from instruction.  It is essential to instruction. There are many ways for processing.
  • Silent Reflection
  • Journaling
  • Partner Conversations
  • Quick Surveys such as Kahoot, Poll Everywhere, Google Forms




Recognizing and Overcoming False Growth Mindset


"A growth mindset is the belief that you can develop your talents and abilities through hard work, good strategies, and help from others. It stands in opposition to a fixed mindset, which is the belief that talents and abilities are unalterable traits, ones that can never be improved. Research has shown (and continues to show) that a growth mindset can have a profound effect on students' motivation, enabling them to focus on learning, persist more, learn more, and do better in school. Significantly, when students are taught a growth mindset, they begin to show more of these qualities."

Why Don’t We Differentiate Professional Development?


  1. Gauge Teacher Interest before planning
  2. Measure Teacher's Readiness before delivering
  3. Allow teachers to participate
  4. Follow-up after delivering




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