When I moved into my current apartment, I left behind an ex-wife who was very handy and had every tool you could imagine. She could pretty much repair every household thing. This also meant that I didn’t need to focus on my fixing skills because I had someone else to...
It’s spring already, and you may be thinking ahead to your summer vacation. It’s coming soon, and I know we’re all excited here at LP headquarters. Meanwhile, you may be looking around your classroom, thinking it’s time to do some spring cleaning. I love a good...
When I was teaching in the classroom, I prioritized time for kids to share with partners during the reading workshop. This is important for a few reasons — building stamina helping kids read and speak longer during reading workshop. It helps kids build a relationship...
It’s time for another teacher confession. When I first started teaching, I paired up my students to do peer editing before publishing their writing. It seemed like a great idea, and it is. Just not the way I did it. After pairing kids with their table partners, a...
I’ve taken up running again — and I have to be honest, I don’t love it. Every time I have to do it, I groan to myself and try to think of all the reasons I don’t want to do it. And here’s the crazy thing — when I do it, I feel a rush (maybe you’ve heard of “runner’s...
Recently, I finally gave in to peer pressure and bought an air fryer. So 2020, I know, but I couldn’t imagine adding another kitchen appliance to my roster back then. After months of feeling uninspired to cook anything and numerous friends raving to me about their air...
As I share articles here on various topics, one thing remains top of mind about the life of an educator that we don’t talk about often enough. It’s about showing up. As an educator, showing up each day for your kids is a daily commitment. This looks different for...
The beginning of the calendar year or the new semester is the perfect time to think about goal-setting. No, not those new year’s resolutions that we all make (or vow not to make) and then forget about by February. Instead, I’m talking about supporting students with...
In our work with clients, we’ve been investigating ways to further support teachers with informational writing units. We see some common issues repeatedly as we visit and talk with teachers who are diving into nonfiction writing. Kids thrive when they write about what...
In 2020, when we couldn’t safely gather with our extended family members, my husband, stepsons, and I enjoyed a small celebration. With no one to tell us otherwise, we decided to break with tradition and have a crab boil instead of the usual turkey and mashed potatoes...
Halloween is almost here, so let me say something that might sound scary. It might be time to drop the Halloween writing project. (Cue dramatic, horror-film music.) I know, I know. Your students love writing spooky stories. They want to write about witches, goblins,...
When I remember back to my experiences in elementary and middle school with small group work in reading, what sticks out in my mind is that the groups were always organized by level. We followed a tracking process, so each reading group had a name and a text they were...
