E M P O W E R E D

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Shorts

March 28, 2022
Music: The Power to Create Audible Experiences in Any Classroom

My daughter was struggling in fifth grade math. After some sleuthing, we discovered that real challenge was in trying to memorize (or fail to memorize, in her case) the multiplication tables. Now I was confused. This is a girl who

March 28, 2022
Best Incentives for 2022

So, you’re going to try an incentive strategy in your class. You’re making a great decision. Incentives simultaneously motivate students and teach them important life skills. Most importantly, they give you flexibility to help your students see their value, when

March 22, 2022
How One “Hunger Games” Search Became a Full-time Career

Unfortunately, though, there wasn’t much — just one resource on a site called Teachers Pay Teachers (TpT), which had launched a few years prior. Excited to bring the popular novel into her classroom, she joined the site, downloaded the resource,

February 2, 2022
Building Relationships with Ty Tiger

Ty had built real relationships with these students. She knew and cared about them and they did the same for her. But, like the power teacher she is, nothing made her beam with pride more than the great essays they

April 13, 2021
Book Excerpt – Teaching with Resiliency by SaraJane Herrboldt

As I sit to write this, we are nearing the one-year anniversary of when life, as many of us knew it, was disrupted and altered. Quite suddenly, we found ourselves thrown into a pandemic that disrupted our routines, blurred the

March 29, 2021
Note to my 1st Year Teacher Self

The other day I came across a well-worn notebook where I like to brainstorm and write down goals. It includes my 100 bucket list items, notes of inspiration from time spent abroad, and my dreams and aspirations of becoming a

March 26, 2021
Incentivizing With Swagger

I still remember my first year of teaching like it was yesterday. I thought I knew what I was up against. Heck, so many teachers who came before me warned me not to smile before Christmas. But I couldn’t imagine

March 25, 2021
Explore and Create With Augmented and Virtual Reality

Take your students on field trips to the moon and back via augmented reality (AR) — when technology augments your view of the real world — and virtual reality (VR). When we offer these options to our students, we provide

March 25, 2021
Burnout is Just a Meme

For a decade, I taught these fascinating creatures called “Teenagers.” A never-ending well of oddities, eccentricities, and unusual social behaviors, these little fellas continued to perplex and excite me with each passing day. Among the more unusual behaviors prevalent in

March 25, 2021
The Single Surprising Benefit to the Pandemic

After more than a full year of pandemic life, silver linings can be tough to come by — especially in education. However, as an educator and parent, I’ve felt the weight of responsibility to make the most out of this