susan maynor
For the past several months, I've had the privilege of being part of an amazing team of innovative educators who are in the process of building something new. Not the kind of new you experience when you buy a new car, all shiny and perfectly clean, but more of a..let's say...redesigned, reimagined, repurposed new. As... Continue Reading →
I'm passionate about teaching students to tell story. Not just story in terms of "once upon a time" but more about the stories that are woven deeply in the fabric of our universe. Everywhere there is narrative. In the change of seasons, in the evening meal, in the serendipity of a moment. We tend to... Continue Reading →
I’ve been thinking about the workshop model in light of today’s learner, specifically the self-directed learner in a personalized learning classroom/community. Gone are the days when students would gather together in front of an easel for a mini-lesson on, let's say, imagery. We would read a beautiful text such as All Summer in a Day, and then... Continue Reading →
I realize standards are not going anywhere. At least not for now, even as we continue to venture into the wild frontier of the "21st Century." We have CCS, NGSS, ISTE, P21, the list goes on. Significant content experts say these are necessary for our students to know and understand and ultimately, integrate into their lives. So... Continue Reading →
"They say" that hindsight is 20/20. We are suddenly in the know because we have moved forward, and we have had time to reflect and evaluate. We feel smarter and more evolved. As teachers, we know that reflection is one of the most powerful experiences for students, as we see them make sense of where... Continue Reading →
Our learning journey began last September when my students expressed interest in researching a topic of their choice. As I thought through how to approach this process with my students (skills, management, deeper thinking), I found myself challenged in that I didn't want them to just "show what they learned" through a presentation or a... Continue Reading →
"Every individual has latent artistry, and if we guide this potential well, we can spark creative engagement in any subject area." - Eric Booth To empower and cultivate creativity in students is a non-negotiable in today's classroom. I believe creativity, as a skill, is right up there with learning to read, write, compute and problem-solve. After... Continue Reading →
Okay, maybe lifeline is a bit dramatic. Maybe. That cute little blue bird has been around since 2006 and has grown into quite the communication giant. When it first emerged on the cyberscene, I was a young(ish) mom who had just been widowed (my personal blog shares that story), and completely uninterested in social media.... Continue Reading →
I'm a Mac snob. I admit it. For over 25 years, I've had a love affair with my Apple devices. I remember navigating the platform in college, on a BIG desktop, mostly word documents and no Internet. Then I had my own little desktop. Then I went online. Then I learned software such as Final... Continue Reading →
