Hooray For Monday

In this week's Hooray For Monday, we share the Inspired Teaching staff's summer reading recommendations, as well as thoughts from Jenna and Aleta on making the most of the summer months. Summer Resource Guide: https://simplebooklet.com/summerresources2023#page=1 Inspired Teaching Institute Mon. June 5, 3p ET: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/the-power-of-reflection-looking-for-wide-ranging-evidence-of...

In early May, Aleta hosted a LinkedIn Live interview with Dr. Tangy Millard, principal at West Potomac High School, about the importance of school connectedness. In that discussion, Dr. Millard shared her appreciation for the challenges all of us in education face right now which exist alongside a strong desire to get back to normal. But maybe normal isn’t where we should be setting our sights. Wr...

Aleta speaks with Jill Vialet, Co-founder, and Erin Ruegg, Director of Teaching & Learning, at Substantial Classrooms (https://substantialclassrooms.org) -- a nonprofit dedicated to improving the substitute teaching situation for everyone. Aleta, Jill, and Erin discuss the myths around subs, the role teachers can play in creating welcoming environments, and more. Written Version: https://inspiredt...

This week, Inspired Teaching Director of Teaching and Learning Jenna Fournel speaks with Sarah Elwell, Assistant Director of Professional Learning at the American Federation of Teachers. Sarah shares her insight into the necessity for professional development, its impact on her teaching career, and the importance of being open to every learning opportunity. Written version: https://inspiredteachin...

In celebration of Teacher Appreciation Week, Inspired Teaching shares insights from a newcomer to the. Bella Cavicchi is a former colleague at Inspired Teaching who moved to London and last year, became a teacher. Her story is a beautiful reminder of why we do this work. Written Version: https://inspiredteaching.org/reflections-from-a-first-year-inspired-teacher/ Resources: Random Walk: https://in...

Happy Teacher Appreciation Month to everyone in our Hooray For Monday community. Know that at Inspired Teaching we remain committed to providing teachers with quality learning experiences that honor their Intellect, Inquiry, Imagination, and Integrity. This is how we show our deep respect for all you do. Written Version: https://inspiredteaching.org/hooray-for-pd/ Resources Inspired Teaching Insti...

In this week's Hooray for Monday, we share insights into children's mental health for teachers, from a medical professional. Inspired Teaching's marketing & communications associate Michelle Welk speaks with Dr. Sarah Ash Combs, an attending physician in the ER department at Children's National Hospital in Washington DC. Written version: Safe and Happy and Healthy: https://inspiredteaching.org/saf...

Students feel connected both to their learning and to one another when they have the opportunity to discuss things that matter to them. AI matters to all of us. When we discuss, debate, and problem-solve together, we strengthen our connections to one another. And of course, we learn a great deal along the way. Written Version: https://inspiredteaching.org/can-ai-bring-us-together/ Resources: Don't...

A WITH approach to teaching is both supportive and grounded in clear expectations. When we use a with approach we’re shifting from “It’s my job to do things for students,” to “It’s my job to engage with students because I truly value what they bring to our community.” Written Version: https://inspiredteaching.org/to-not-for-with/ Resources: Creating a classroom that is student, not teacher, driven...

What would it take for every single child in every single school to feel in their bones that someone is on their side - that they can count on someone having their back no matter what? Written Version: https://inspiredteaching.org/you-are-not-alone/ . . . . . Resources: Interesting, Important, Useful: https://inspiredteaching.org/interesting-important-useful/ Poster Analysis: https://www.instigato...

For the past several weeks we’ve been talking about school connectedness after a report from the CDC found that just 61% of high school students feel connected to someone at school. Today we’ll take a peek inside a school where on a recent EmpowerK12 survey 98% of students said they feel a sense of belonging. Jenna Fournel, Director of Teaching & Learning, speaks with Monisha Karnani. Monisha is t...

Adults are almost always outnumbered in schools. So it's easy, particularly at the end of a long day, to feel that the students and their problematic behaviors are what get in the way of school connectedness. But what if they actually know things we don’t about how to solve the problems? See what happens this week if you ask your students for help. . . . . . Resources: Rethinking Classroom Jobs: h...

This week, as you think through your lessons, look for those spots where students can share their expertise - with you, with each other, with their families, with the broader community. Written Version: https://inspiredteaching.org/create-connection-by-sharing-student-expertise/ . . . . . . Resources Scribe's Record: https://www.instigatorofthought.org/scribesrecord Interesting, Important, Useful:...

Humans thrive on being seen and heard, and the reflection shared in this week's Hooray For Monday often pushes us to think of new ways to see and hear our students more. . . . . . . Written version: https://inspiredteaching.org/curiosity-and-school-connectedness/ Resources: Sunshine vs. Up All Night Reflection Sheet: https://mcusercontent.com/b82ba57eebd6ac2ac331f5104/files/5a3ad1f4-2f8e-dbbc-4968...

If we deepen our relationships with our students and let learner needs inform every approach we take to strengthening connections, we’ll improve the school experience and well-being of the children in our care, and ourselves as well. Written version: https://inspiredteaching.org/the-urgent-need-to-increase-school-connectedness/ Resources Emotion Continuum: https://www.instigatorofthought.org/emoti...

Whether you’re an adult flying a helicopter or a child learning the skills you’ll need to fly on your own one day, it’s good to keep your curiosity in shape. Our continued growth as learners is fueled by our capacity to figure things out. Written Version: https://inspiredteaching.org/when-the-helicopter-is-going-down/ Resources Exploring the power of curiosity and deeper learning: https://open.spo...

When we increase the occasions in which our students experience moral beauty, we build our collective capacity to feel and create awe and joy. As teachers we have the opportunity to nurture the moral beauty that already exists within every child, and every adult as well. Written Version: https://inspiredteaching.org/moral-beauty/ Resources Jenna's Source of Curiosity: Origami Heart Design: https:/...

Young children have a lot to teach us about concentration, about focus, about how to be fully present. Yes, we can turn to apps and books and other more “sophisticated” tools. Those certainly have their place in teaching us how to be present. And, we can sharpen our curiosity muscle and wonder about what it’s like to be a young child, a true master of being in the moment. Written version: https://...

Each week at our Inspired Teaching staff meeting, we begin with a brief exercise. This past week, each of us responded to the question: “What are you curious about?” The question connects directly with Inspired Teaching’s work to promote the kind of teaching that fuels - instead of stifles - curiosity. Written Version: https://inspiredteaching.org/the-opposite-of-curiosity/ Resources: Random Walk:...

On Thursday, January 26th, Center for Inspired Teaching will host a special, online, Speak Truth event. Speak Truth is a student-led series of respectful conversations, themed around both current events and larger social issues. Student-facilitators work with teachers to prepare, and then each Speak Truth session is run for and by students. Adults are welcome to attend - to observe, listen, and le...

It’s comforting to have people agree with us. And this desire to “be right” leads to motivated reasoning which ultimately leads to finding comfort in our own bubbles. Internet search engines and social media algorithms have been fine tuned to feed into this aspect of human psychology.  But there is value in intentionally seeking out people with different viewpoints. We grow, intellectually and emo...

It takes a lot of people to create and sustain a movement. And Hooray For Monday is part of Inspired Teaching’s movement to create a radical shift in the school experience for every child, away from compliance and toward engaging, curiosity-based learning. Written Version: https://inspiredteaching.org/gratitude/ Resources: Games that Build Student Expertise Institute Resource Guidebook: https://si...

Children spend a lot of time with us in schools. One of the most useful things we can teach them is how to build the skill of turning worry into action. Written Version: https://inspiredteaching.org/action-as-antidote-to-worry/ Resources: Making Re-Solutions: https://inspiredteaching.org/making-re-solutions/?mc_cid=bc2ce5ac0f&mc_eid=UNIQID Make Way for the Monarchs: https://inspiredteaching.org/ma...

For many of us, the New Year is a time when we make resolutions – promises or commitments to ourselves or to others toward positive change. The word resolve means determination to get something done, and that’s an important goal for all of us to take into the New Year. But if you add a beautiful hyphen, the word resolve becomes re-solve, and that means to solve something again. And the word resolu...

There’s something about the end of the year - holidays filled with dazzling light, reflections on months gone by and the new beginnings that lie ahead - that stirs our emotions. This stirring can be complicated, but also awe inspiring. Written Version: Resources: Speak Truth: Talking Across Dividing Lines registration https://forms.gle/aPAHP1cC2B5L8yjy7?mc_cid=8cce182e7e&mc_eid=UNIQID Hooray For 2...