Culture
How Potatoes are Like a PLC
In the last decade we have seen the rise (and fall) of Professional Learning Communities (PLCs). The idea itself is a really good one… bring professionals together, collaborate and learn, and walk away with agency to do amazing things for students. What could possibly go wrong?! Well, like many things in education, we took an…
Read MoreFailure in the Kitchen and in the Classroom
Anyone who has ever attempted to cook has burned something. It happens. And when it does happen, it is very tangible. You can see the burn, taste the burn, smell the burn. It’s immediate and signals us to make changes. Do we throw it out? Do we fix it? Can we make an adjustment and…
Read MoreHow Pound Cake Builds Community
It’s a not so well-kept secret that we love food over at ERG Headquarters. We love our schools and our teachers and growing all learners, but the topic of food is usually next on the list when we are done talking shop. One day, when thinking about why we love food so much and why…
Read MoreDear Teacher Who Has “Bad” Kids
Let’s talk. As a trusted friend, we have to tell you it’s time to pause, reflect, and get your class back on track. Those kids in the back who keep talking while you teach… this is now your issue. Those kids who keep taking out their phones… also your issue. The ones who keep talking…
Read MoreWhy Not You?
I don’t believe in coincidences. I was thumbing through a bookshelf in a classroom and came across the book I Am Malala. Now, I would like to tell you that I have read it cover to cover and it changed my life, but I have not. I have never read the book, only the headlines…
Read MoreMath Gangs
Math (n): The abstract science of number, quantity, and space, either as abstract concepts (pure), or as applied to other disciplines such as physics and engineering (applied). With all that fancy language, it’s no wonder there is a lot of confusion and anxiety around this subject. As soon as you read that first word, you…
Read MoreI Am Not the Face of History, But I Am a Part of It
One of the worst experiences a student can have is a class where they cannot see themselves in anything. Not in their teacher, their peers, or even their curriculum. Nothing will steer a student away from history faster than realizing that they are on their own. I can remember times when I would dread heading…
Read MoreVision Check
If you don’t know where you are going, how are you going to get there? I have conversations with new teachers who are frustrated with student behaviors and feel helpless to make any changes. The bad news is that we really cannot control other people. The good news is that we can control our vision.…
Read MoreDon’t Ask
What did you get for Christmas? Did you have a good break? You may think this is polite chatter for your students as everyone falls back into the routine of school. These are normal questions that we all ask without thinking. We’re excited to see the kids and genuinely interested in how they spent their time. They are the…
Read More