And How to Bring It Back to What Students Actually Need
I believe in restorative practices. I believe in reflection.
And I also believe we need to be honest about when our tools miss the mark.
Recently, I came across a student reflection sheet comp...
One of the things I’m most proud of from my teaching career was co-creating the SNAP Academy (Student Needs Assistance Program) alongside two of my closest colleagues.
At the time, I had served as the SNAP Team Coordinator at our high school for ove...
 I still remember the day we sat around the rectangular-shaped table in the conference room after school ended.
Richie wasn’t there, but his parents were.
So were several teachers, his school counselor, and an administrator.
He was considering a retu...
When one of my bunnies, Chaplin, does a binky, it’s impossible not to smile.
(He's the white one with the little mustache!)
A binky is this unpredictable burst of joy: a mid-air twist of the back legs that rabbits do when they feel completely safe and ...
How many times did I get irritated today because I had to wipe water off the back of my phone after setting it down on the sink…
Before I finally just dried off the ledge?
(Hint: TOO many!)
The Pattern We Miss
It made me laugh at myself. Why keep...
Near my kitchen, I keep two easy-to-grab baskets.
One holds a hammer, screwdriver, nails, and screws. I rarely use it, but when I do, it’s for something obvious, like hanging a whiteboard in my office, putting up a picture, or fixing a stubborn shel...
Last year, while facilitating a session with middle school teachers, I referred to a small group as “you guys.”
If you’re from the Philadelphia region, you know this word isn’t gendered in everyday use. It’s a common way to address a group of people...
When my son, Jared, was in second grade, I came home from work to find him sitting on the couch. His head was down, his arms folded across his lap, and he looked upset.
“Jared, what’s going on?” I asked.
He sighed and said, “I had a really bad day ...
There’s a small sea creature called the sea squirt that begins life with a brain.
As a larva, it swims freely through the ocean, exploring and searching for the right spot to anchor. Once it finds that spot (a rock, a dock, or a coral surface ), eve...
My middle son took Organic Chemistry (Orgo) 1 and 2 last year at Villanova. He’s a civil engineering major, but he loves chemistry, and he’s worked in the chemistry lab on campus for the past two years.
He got a C in Orgo 1 and a D+ in Orgo 2.
When...
I just watched the newest Karate Kid: Legends, and it instantly transported me back to my childhood.
I couldn’t help but remember when the original Karate Kid came out. Daniel LaRusso moved to Reseda, California, from Newark, New Jersey, while I onl...
“How the patterns we create shape the way we grow”
When I was in college, summer breaks often meant working alongside my father, a landscaper. My brothers, sister, and mom placed bets on how long I’d last - manual labor, scorching heat, long pants, ...
