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Finding Confidence in the Cookie Jar By Laura McDonell
Listen Confidence comes from doing the Tough Stuff. Ahhh, the moment when you reach in the jar, and pull out a freshly baked, chocolate chip cookie. The cookie jar is an iconic item that sits on the kitchen counter in several homes. Often times, kids cannot wait to be...
How to Be More Creative By Laura McDonell
Listen How to Improve One of the Most Employable Skills Creativity Can Be Learned I used to think creativity was about being good at art, and being able to do a really good job on a project for school. I also thought that some teachers were creative and able to...
Give the Compliment By Laura McDonell
Listen Words Matter. They become part of our story. There was a time when I was afraid to give a compliment. I was uncertain about how it would be received, and I wasn’t sure what would happen if I gave someone else (who at many times was my competition), words...
7 Ways to Get Kids Reading By Laura McDonnell
Listen A look at What Actually Worked for Me Reading is one of those things that I go to the wall on. Growing up, reading was something I struggled with. As a teacher, I see how critical it is to overall success as a student. Today, one of the reasons...
Teaching Culturally Responsive Literature: Part 4, Literature Dealing with Low Socio-Economics
Listen Regardless of your political preferences or perspectives, it is undeniable that we are entering into a time of great economic distress. More and more of our students are going to be dealing with poverty, hunger, and housing insecurity. The financial difficulty often leads to additional stresses at home, including...
Teaching Culturally Responsive Literature: Part 3, Hispanic/Latinx Literature
Listen Students of Latin heritage cannot be placed into a box, though they are often stereotyped. While there are 20 countries in Central and South America, many teachers just assume that Hispanic students are of Mexican descent. Trouble with the English language is often quite incorrectly associated with an...
Working with Young and Inexperienced Parents of Students
Listen Parenting is a tough gig, and when working with younger children, it’s especially clear when your student is coming from a family with very young parents who have little social support. Educators are in a unique position to help young and inexperienced parents. Here are a few things we’ve...