Anchored in Education

Have you ever said, "I'm running on empty?" Did you ever stop and think that maybe this was literal when you were using it in a figurative way? Science has shown that we have a finite amount of cognitive capacity each day. In other words, we essentially have a battery that keeps us going.  Thankfully, it's rechargeable. But it is up to us to make sure that we are starting each day with a fully cha...

I don't think I would be alone in saying that at some point managing time has been a struggle. Too often though we just say that time management is our issue. But have we ever thought about what exactly time management issues truly are? What if time management didn't really exist; and instead it was just the symptom of a larger issue? That is exactly what Dr. PJ Caposey proposed in his amazing boo...

Being comfortable in our position is not a bad thing. I remember how different year two felt teaching first grade compared to year one. By year four though, I was beginning to feel the need for something different. Changing grades or subject levels can sometimes feel like starting over, but it also gives us the opportunity to hone our craft at multiple levels making us versatile, well-rounded educ...

What do you truly love to do? That single question put educator Trevor MacKenzie and a struggling student on an unintended and life-changing journey of inquiry, discovery, and meaningful learning.  It was a journey that completely reshaped the way Trevor leads his classroom. With the belief that all students deserve a chance to dig into their passions and curiosities, Trevor has created a scaffold...

Week after week on  Anchored in Education we sit down for a conversation with educators who are doing something unique or have something unique to contribute to the profession. Every now and then though we like to introduce you to a teacher you may not have heard of yet but is making a huge impact in our profession. This week we introduce you to Brandon Thornton. Brandon is a teacher at Bloomingto...

Classroom management—probably the single most important aspect to education. Almost every educator had to take a course in college that was on classroom management. I know I did. I felt pretty confident that I could develop a seating chart, engage my class, create procedures that were fair and consistent.  And then the day came. The day when it was no longer a class, no longer was it an assignment...

Much of what we do is either made or ruined by our mindset. Think about it, how often do we convince ourselves that what we're doing is a waste of time? That we aren't making progress. Or that we are only capable of failing. Or quite possibly we are quick to take credit when things go right but point at others when things go wrong. This is what our mentality does to us if we don't have it aligned...

This profession is demanding. That's just one of the reasons why it irritates when someone outside the profession tells me that teachers have it easy. Ha! We all know that 9 out of 10 people who say that wouldn't last a week in our shoes. But I digress. A major problem with the high demand in this profession is that it becomes to easy to lose sight of what matters most: our health. I'm not just ta...

When you hear the word GRAMMY, you probably think of the giant music awards ceremony that happens every January. The GRAMMYs are presented by The Recording Academy. And you probably figured this out already, but The Recording Academy cares a lot of promoting music education. And I mean a lot! How much? Enough that The Recording Academy executives realized they needed something more to promote musi...

The first day of my first year of teaching was exciting. The night before I couldn't sleep as I waited with such high anticipation of what it would be like on that first day. It did not disappoint. And neither did the next day, the next week, the next month. Then came my second year—same thing! I loved the excitement of being an educator. Fast forward to my time in administration. I still get that...

Every school district I have been employed with has had a partnership with the American Heart Association. Every year, typically in the spring, students work to raise money for the AHA with a culminating activity of jumping rope or shooting hoops. Even with a name change in the recent years, the Kids Heart Challenge as it is known now has a stronger than ever partnership with schools districts acr...

Students are the heart of education. Of course that seems to be stating the obvious. Yet, for decades now we have made changes and improvements to education based upon what we as adults felt was needed. Sure, along the way we have said we are going to do what is in the best interest of students. But has anyone ever asked students what their interests even are? That is what authors Mike Lubelfeld,...

Last week David Marquet joined me on Anchored in Education to talk about intent-based leadership. This is the leadership model David used when he took over the USS Santa Fe, which at the time was the worst performing submarine in the entire Navy fleet. David said when he implemented this empowerment among his crew, there was an immediate change in climate. In just a couple of years, the Santa Fe w...

L. David Marquet was set to become a captain in the Navy's Pacific submarine fleet. He was assigned to takeover the USS Olympia. He spent nearly a year learning the ins and outs of that submarine. With just weeks before the takeover, he was informed that he would instead take over for the USS Santa Fe—the worst performing submarine in the entire Navy's fleet. In addition to the Santa Fe being the...

A couple of months ago Coach Jim Johnson joined  Anchored in Education to talk about that miracle night back in 2006 when J-Mac, a senior basketball manager diagnosed with autism, dressed for action and took the floor for Senior Night, proceeding to put on a four minute tutorial on the court finishing the game with 20 points. After the interview, I had the opportunity to talk to Jim for about 30 m...

Several years ago the father of an autistic student approached an area art teacher with a plan. His son, a talented artist, found a way to express himself through art. Now the family wanted to offer the same opportunity to teens and adults with special needs in a special evening arts program. They call the program Our Voice Through Art. The six-week classes are held three different times throughou...

Have you ever heard someone talk about your school and you think, "That's not even close!" I'm guessing you have. But the crucial question is: did you set them straight? My guess is that doesn't often happen. Here is the deal though, it's up to us to change the narrative. From custodians, to teachers, to admin, to the board of education, we are all a part of a larger picture with a singular focus:...

In the last regular episode of  Anchored in Education , Dr. Tony Frontier joined us to discuss his book  Five Levers to Improve Learning . Tony's book gives thought-provoking insights into how we often make try to find solutions to problems using the wrong lever of change. I had the opportunity to talk more to Tony about how the five levers came to be. We also discussed different kinds of change a...

How many times have you heard the word change in education? Okay, too many to count. Let's just go with how many times you've heard change so far this year. Probably still a lot. It is no secret that change is a constant in education. But are we changing the right components to achieve the results we're actually looking for? That is the question co-author Dr. Tony Frontier poses in his book  The F...

The Titanic is still one of the most recognized maritime disasters. Historians often point out that the loss of so many lives could have been avoided had the White Star Line put the proper amount of life boats on the ship. Something that would not have kept the doomed ship afloat would have been rearranging the furniture into a different configuration. Now let's think about our schools and classro...

One of the most crucial aspects of education is involvement from families.  Research even shows how valuable it is on students.  Increased family engagement leads to higher grades, better attendance, and more likely that a student will have a successful post-secondary career.   I honestly believe schools all over are getting a better grasp on this as they look at ways to positively engage families...

The United States has been at war on poverty since 1964. However, with the Economic Opportunity Act was signed, it was primarily addressing the lack of financial means. Fast forward to today—we are still talking about how we can best address poverty. Only poverty today goes well beyond the lack of money. Poverty can be the lack of resources which does include financial, but also includes language,...

Education has evolved in many ways over the last several decades. Almost everything from curriculum, to technology, to how we approach teaching has improved. We often say, education sure doesn't look like it did when I was in school. Which is great because I don't want my children taught the same way I was thirty years ago. But we might notice one thing that hasn't changed—the majority of administ...

Think back to the last big decision you made. It could be a decision about anything from big to small. It could be a career change, new vehicle, new shoes, or even what you're having for supper. Now try to remember if you hesitated before making the decision. Did you have the slightest bit of apprehension? Did you question if it was a good decision? The larger the decision, the more likely we are...

A major part of education is staying current in this profession as it constantly evolves.  Old challenges are met with new ones with each passing year. There are workshops, webinars, books, and more that teachers can engage with to further develop professionally. And one organization has committed themselves to the cause of creating top-quality professional learning experiences. That organization...