#SmallBites

When most teachers I talk to about AI speak of it only as something to block or disallow to keep students from cheating, I understand this knee-jerk reaction. Every new technology is met with resistance...before it weaves its way into main stream use. Cars over buggies, planes over cars, search engines over encyclopedias and now AI over life as we've known it. Thinking of using a machine to ha...

The saying goes, "there's no tired like teacher tired." Teachers have exhausting schedules, and if you've ever time stamped a teacher day, you'll know that a teacher day is simply impossible to get through in a day. That feeling is not confined to the classroom. For those of us who have deeply held beliefs about what a student-centered school environment looks like, feels lik...

Wellness in educational spaces has become a trend that, while important, often falls flat in practice. That may be because teachers and administrators tend to forget that they have to actually make use of the time and tools given. Refilling your proverbial cup is the only way to ensure personal success and success for those in your charge. Good quality teaching is dependent on you being consistent...

As we approach November when the country highlights the histories of Indigenous Peoples of North America, it's fitting that Martin Scorsese's Killers of the Flower Moon, based on the book by David Grann, calls our attention to the heinous crimes committed against the Native American Community. In contrast to the narratives many of us have grown up with that cast the "Injuns" and...

The emotional work of teaching can be heavy on a good day, when all is generally right with the world. But on a day when students have had a weekend filled with clips of children in wartorn countries and friends running from bullets at state fairs, your upbeat Monday morning "How was everybody's weekend?!" might devolve into a discussion that quickly takes you out of your depth. Stud...

As the opposition to educational change grows, especially when talking about issues like learning gaps, teacher retention and inclusive environments, it's left to teachers in the trenches to help shape our future. That burden is immense, as seen in the droves of teachers experiencing burn-out and leaving the profession in years 1-5. The sector's lack of healthy, well supported and experien...

If you are reading this, whether you have a signed contract at your old school, a contract that signals new beginnings in a new position or even a new beginning that has nothing to do with education, you survived the year (or are at least nearing the finish line)! Students and staff have looked to you for guidance and gotten it. No matter what you forgot to do or even how you fell short; you spent...

In this final full week of #AAPIHeritage month, you still have time to learn about the PI in AAPI with your students, families or just for yourself. Read the part I blog, check out the resources in part II and add the resources below to your cache. What you can listen to (beware, the Jawaiian sound is addictive). What you can watch. What you can read. How you can 'vacation' virtually. How...

Listen to part one and get the show notes here. Further Resources: National Park Service AAPI History Site Learn a few phrases in Hawaiian Watch the Kealakehe Middle School May Day Production About our guest: Kecia McDonald is not a PI, she is an EL resource teacher and longtime resident on the Big Island. You can follow her on ⁠Instagram⁠, ⁠LinkedIn ⁠or ⁠Twitter⁠.

Although I hate the fact that we celebrate certain cultures only during certain months, I acknowledge that so much of the country sees diverse Americans as adjuncts, and with no group is that as profound as with Pacific Islanders. Admittedly, it is the group of Americans that I know least about, so I'm excited to learn, and to share my new knowledge with you. As I talk with educator Kecia McDo...

After this week’s CrazyPLN Twitter Chat, led by the incredibly knowledgeable “Constitution Lady”, Linda R. Monk J.D., I began to look more closely at the verbiage in various state censorship and "anti-woke" laws and book bans. While researching the often vaguely worded laws, it occurred to me that the general consensus is that there is an attack on the way things have always been, based...

What do you think when you see a "big Black guy'? Do you immediately feel a sense of danger? When you see Hispanic Americans, do you immediately think they are 'bad actors'? And what about White people? Do you think of them as racist and uncaring, or maybe just top of the food chain? Depending on who you are, any of these messages could have been a part of your upbringing. The way...

Only a few short hours ago, I said goodbye to my son as he left to begin his career as a proud member of the US Army. Only yesterday I watched him make a wish as he blew out candles with the same family that was there at his very first birthday. Today he is entrusted with fighting for the freedoms of this land. And as I record this episode of SmallBites, my heart is with my son, but my mind comes...

Note: Today's Easter episode is a special edition specifically for Christian educators. While the episode offers great guiding questions to all educators, scriptures are used as a foundation for this episode. "There's no hate like Christian love" is an all too common phrase these days. And as I get ready for my Easter morning church service, I feel shame at what the face of the C...

Remember the old adage, "what you see is what you get"? Well, that phrase is officially from a bygone era. Now what you see may be what you get, but what you're getting may not be real. With AI tools becoming less expensive and more accessible, deepfakes are increasingly finding their way into our media feeds. Consider the recent Donald Trump deepfake arrest video . According to a Ma...

When educators are asked in my workshops, what the main goal of a media concern is, they generally answer “to inform”. For those of us who think in terms of author’s purpose, what other answer could there be, right? Usually, after a little prompting, someone comes up with “to make money”. We all want to pay our bills, so this is not an indictment. But it does mean that the stories that sell are th...

Welcome back, listeners! There was so much I took in during my hiatus, that it was hard to choose ONE thing to come back with. But decide I did: CRT. The last time I did an episode I could still count how many laws banning "CRT" there were on my hands and toes. That is no longer the case. While 28 states have no restriction, almost half the states either have restrictions in place OR hav...

What have you learned? In two and a half years of SmallBites, how have the equity strategies talked about influenced your practice? What are you doing differently because of what you've learned? Let me know here or on Twitter, Instagram or Tiktok. I'll be looking forward to your answers. Additionally, SmallBites is on hiatus until spring to get some courses and webinars up and running. Be on the l...

Repost from part 1 : With 90% of teachers surveyed by NEA experiencing burnout , the education industry obviously has room for growth in the ways teachers are supported in the workplace. As stated in last week's episode, wellness initiatives do not ensure teacher wellness. This week and next, SmallBites has enlisted author and burnout researcher Dr. Kevin Leichtman of TLC Educate to give district...

With 90% of teachers surveyed by NEA experiencing burnout , the education industry obviously has room for growth in the ways teachers are supported in the workplace. As stated in last week's episode, wellness initiatives do not ensure teacher wellness. This week and next, SmallBites has enlisted author and burnout researcher Dr. Kevin Leichtman of TLC Educate to give district and campus leaders in...

With all the talk of teacher wellness, I find that in the lives of the teachers I know, and in the lives of teachers they know, there is a lot of yoga, a lot of meditation, a lot of emoji checking in and tons of surveys about what’s working. What classroom educators are missing is time; and that means working in schools that support a healthy work-life balance. While it’s common knowledge that tea...

When is the last time you saw a student with trisomy 21 on the field playing drums? When you grew up, were gender non-conforming, male presenting students allowed to be a part of color guard or dance team? Were Afrocentric hairstyles represented on the field—even gracing the heads of Eurocentric students? Were girls even drum majors? Bands of America Represent! This week, I got a needed rest from...

Could bias have been responsible for the Jeffrey Dahmer murders? If you think that sounds a bit like a way out there conspiracy theory, let me help you follow the logic. Glenda Cleveland was a woman in the neighborhood who, along with her daughters, followed up several times with the police because of suspicious activity surrounding Jeffrey Dahmer’s movements. Without going full blown spoiler aler...

Often, when we think of moving the equity needle on our campuses, we talk in terms of implicit bias, diverse representation and personal responsibility. We don't often connect it to data. Data tells you which teachers are having discipline referral problems within certain populations. Data tells you which teachers are closing gaps for Black and Brown students more quickly. Data tells you which app...

Because it's time to don costumes and have some fun, I thought it would be a good time to send this friendly public service reminder: culture ≠ costume. Borrowing the sari, the skull or the sombrero is not the same as wearing a secret service agent suit, a superhero cape or a celebrity gown. Those are examples of cultural appropriation.  Having a cultural day at school in which students wear...