Self-Reflection
Authentic Instruction
From the desk of Hope… I had an interesting conversation with a teacher about “authentic instruction.” As I reflect on the conversation several days later, I believe it is worth writing about. As a literacy coach I model lessons for teachers, I observe teachers and I also provide written and verbal feedback to teachers. The…
Read MorePop Quiz- What is the Purpose?
From the desk of Hope… I have been doing some wondering lately……what is the purpose of a pop quiz? In my own teaching career, I’ve given my share of pop quizzes, but they were mostly early in my career when I didn’t teach with very much intention. I remember thinking, “I will see if they…
Read MoreStepping Stones: Facing Failures- Step Eight
From the desk of Hope… Alice and I “birthed” ERG in 2004. In my previous blogs I have addressed some of the circumstances that surrounded the “birthing” of ERG. If you are curious, the blogs are posted on our website, www.myedresource.com and the series is named “stepping stones”. One thing that I had not anticipated…
Read MoreOld Mrs. Witch
(the tune of “Three Blind Mice”) Old Mrs. Witch, Old Mrs. Witch. Tell me what you do, tell me what you do I fly on my broomstick; I fly on my broomstick I fly on my broomstick and I’ll scare you. BOO!! Mrs. Barbara Lewis taught me this song in its entirety when I was…
Read MoreStepping Stones: Having the Courage to Make Dreams Come True- Step Seven
From the desk of Hope… I work with teachers in some way almost everyday and a very common question I get is, “how did you become a literacy consultant?” followed by a comment along the lines of, “I want to become one too.” In fact, I have had this conversation twice this week already with…
Read MoreWriter's Traffic Jam
Recently I have had writer’s block and have had a hard time composing blogs. By writer’s block, I really mean a traffic jam. I mean I have plenty of ideas. Plenty of thoughts running around in my head and some zooming and some lingering and some bouncing back and forth, but none that have become…
Read MoreLearning to Make Fried Eggs
From the desk of Hope… I am excited about some action research I did in my house recently. Let me fill you in on why I did this research. I work with teachers almost every day and a common theme I hear in conversations is “these kids just aren’t getting it.” I also live with…
Read MoreStepping Stones: My Journey to Becoming a Literacy Consultant (Step Six)
From the desk of Hope… I feel like I am at the half way point with my story — becoming a literacy consultant. My Blog, Stepping Stone Five, was about getting my Master’s Degree. That seemed to be a turning point in my career. As I said in that blog, “I kicked it up a…
Read MoreStepping Stones: My Journey to Becoming a Literacy Consultant- Step Five
Salem College. This is one of my most favorite places in Winston-Salem. This is where I received my Master’s Degree in Language and Literacy. I had been teaching about five years, muddling my way through teacher’s manuals and curriculum guides, mostly just doing “stuff” with my students, when I decided to go to Salem College…
Read MoreProductive or Crazy?
One of the things I wanted to accomplish this summer was getting some of my technology updated along with making my life easier. As the summer officially draws to a close, I have been able to reflect on this and am wondering exactly how this has helped me become more productive??? In late May I…
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