Although I don't give book recommendations often, this one is offered to help those of us out there that struggle with differentiation, a very important part of individualized learning. Check it out.

So many kids these days lack the perseverance to succeed. Sports is a great way to start teaching them these lessons and the more we connect the lessons to classroom learning, the better students grow as learners.

As the world is growing increasingly more technological and folks claim people are losing attention spans, we need to focus on the words and experiences that connect us and really great literature does. What helps you connect to your students?

Voxer is a versatile tool and it's bringing great people together, but we still need to be mindful of what and how we're using it.

It's normal to feel nervous about change. There are many moving parts and the unknown is always, well, unknown until it isn't anymore. My subconscious understands this and allows me to work through the concerns while I sleep, so that I can wake up and be the best version of myself when the time comes.

Being an educator requires constant growth. We're always on a stage. Students and colleagues notice everything and since we want to model best behaviors, we must be aware of ourselves. There are many lessons to be learned and taught in non-teaching situations and they happen all of the time around students. One thing is for sure, we definitely recognize that faster and take more opportunities to use authentic moments as teachable.

By getting rid of grades, students can focus on what they know and can do and develop strategies for skills and content they have yet to master. This is a much more inclusive teaching philosophy because no one is expected to be the same.

As we continue to move forward with education reform, we need to model the changes we expect to see in classrooms in the learning we get. It's so important for leaders and learners to see how it's done.

There is no one right way to do anything, but there is a best way for each of us. Learning ourselves well enough to know what that process is and being able to articulate it is essential for future replication and success. So as you work on your next task, try to be conscious of your steps. Reflect on what works and what doesn't work and see if it can be replicated over time.

We must cultivate conversation in our classrooms, real dialogue between more than just one teacher and one student, but rather strive to have the students talking to each other, with us as facilitator. We can scaffold this into our everyday practice, starting with think-pair-shares, writing activities, small group assignments and then full classroom discussions where all student have something different to offer.