Professional development [PD] is often an experience where novices learn from experts. In education, this generally means bringing in a consultant of some kind to lead a very dry, boring information session. There is little practical application and no time to practice. During my career, I have endured many ineffective PD sessions. However, a principal…

It’s no secret that I absolutely love being an educator. I have shared my story numerous times and I realize it is rare for someone to know in early childhood what they wanted to be when they grew up and then never divert from that plan until it came to fruition. It was a dream…

It’s no secret that I love books. As a teacher, whenever someone offered to donate items to my classroom I almost always said books. As a mother, the first items I purchased for my baby girl were cute clothes and of course books. She was going to be stylish and smart, even though she didn’t…

It’s no longer enough to just go to school. Kids have to have goals, dreams and ambitions for what comes after their schooling ends. The phrase ‘college and career ready’ encourages schools to revamp their systems and culture to support the idea that students are preparing to take one of two courses: college or career…

As a Carolina educator, I really had no skin in the BIG game. My Panthers went to the Superbowl last year so this year I was pleased to just enjoy time with family and friends without biting my nails an inch from the television. While watching this year’s Superbowl teams go at it, I had…

Thrifty Thursday Each week I bring to you helpful tips to become a more effective educator on the Always A Lesson fan page on Facebook. (Give it a quick like by clicking here!) I decided to start grouping my social media posts into a blog post incase you might have missed anything. Time to get caught…

This post is not about parent shaming, rather to uncover the reasons why parents may not ever see their child from your perspective. The reasons for that disconnect could be the antidote you’ve been looking for when trying to come up with a plan of action. [spp-tweet tweet=”Parents are valuable stakeholders in the education of…

A teacher is influential in so many ways. In fact, many teachers became teachers because of an educator that helped them learn. Oftentimes these magic moments happen off the clock- in the hallway, at recess, in the lunchroom, etc. However, due to the heavy requirements of educators today these moments are few and far between.…

As a kid, I LOVED to read. At bedtime, my Dad would always read my favorite picture books to me and it became my favorite part of my day. As I got older, my mom got me hooked on the local library and I’d spend days sitting and reading chapter books. Reading became an escape…

Thrifty Thursday Each week I bring to you helpful tips to become a more effective educator on the Always A Lesson fan page on Facebook. (Give it a quick like by clicking here!) I decided to start grouping my social media posts into a blog post incase you might have missed anything. Time to get caught…