My mission as a middle-school teacher is
...to improve the lives of those around me
...to spread optimism and hope
...to make the teaching experience fun & relevant for the students as well as for myself
...to expect more of students than they expect of themselves
...to challenge students to go beyond their own perceived limitations
...to be a great listener and a great role model of high integrity
...to provide a hunger for students to want to learn more
...to help the next generation fulfill their potential and become successful human beings
...and to always expect more of myself as a teacher with ongoing training and development.
...to improve the lives of those around me
...to spread optimism and hope
...to make the teaching experience fun & relevant for the students as well as for myself
...to expect more of students than they expect of themselves
...to challenge students to go beyond their own perceived limitations
...to be a great listener and a great role model of high integrity
...to provide a hunger for students to want to learn more
...to help the next generation fulfill their potential and become successful human beings
...and to always expect more of myself as a teacher with ongoing training and development.
Professional Literature I've read that has influenced my thoughts about teaching...
Ahmed, S. (2018). Being the Change: Lessons and strategies to teach social comprehension. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann
Armstrong, T. (2016). The Power of the Adolescent Brain: Strategies for teaching middle and high school students. Alexandria, VA: ASCD
Banaji, M. & Greenwald, A. (2016). Blindspot: Hidden biases of good people. Bantam
Barnes, M. (2015). Assessment 3.0: Throw out your grade book and INSPIRE learning. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin
Barnes, M. (2013). ROLE Reversal: Achieving uncommonly excellent results in the student-centered classrooom. Alexandria, VA: ASCD
Bartley, Nili (2019). Lead Beyond Your Title: Creating change in school from any role. San Diego, CA: Dave Burgess Consulting, Inc.
Beers, K., & Probst, R. (2013). Notice & Note: Strategies for close reading. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann
Beers, K., & Probst, R. (2017) Disrupting Thinking: Why HOW we read matters. Scholastic.
Black, P. & Wiliam, D. (Nov 6, 2001) Inside the Black Box: Raising Standards Through Classroom Assessment.
Blum, S. D. (2020) Ungrading: Why rating students undermines learning (and what to do instead). West Virginia: WVU Press
Brookhouser, K. (2014). The 20-time Project: How educators can launch Google's formula for future-ready innovation. Self-published.
Burgess, D. (2012). Teach Like a Pirate: Increase student engagement, boost your creativity, and transform your life as an educator. San Diego, CA: Dave Burgess
Consulting
Chandler, A. (2017). The Flexible ELA Classroom: Practical tools for differentiated instruction in grades 4-8. Routledge
Cockrum, T. (2013). Flipping Your English Class to Reach All Learners: Strategies and lesson plans. Routledge
Dawson, G. (2016). Hacking Literacy: 5 Ways to Turn Any Classroom into a Culture of Readers. Cleveland, OH: Times 10 Publications
DiAngelo, R. (2018). White Fragility: Why it's so hard for white people to talk about racism. Beacon Press
Dweck, C. (2006). Mindset: The New psychology of success. New York, NY: Random House
Evans, R. (1996). The Human Side of School Change: Reform, resistance, and the real-life problems of innovation. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass
Ferriter, W. & Cancellieri, P. (2017). Creating a Culture of Feedback. Bloomington, IN: Solution Tree
Fisher, D. & Frey, N. (2013). Common Core: English Language Arts in a PLC at Work, Grades 6-8. Bloomington, IN: Solution Tree
Fisher, D., Frey, N., & Hattie, J. (2021). The Distance Learning Playbook Grades K-12. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin
Gallagher, K. (2015). In the Best Interest of Students: Staying true to what works in the ELA classroom. ME: Stenhouse
Gallagher, K. & Kittle, P. (2018). 180 Days: Two teachers and the quest to engage and empower adolescents. Portsmouth, NH: Heineman
Hasson, J., & Lennard, M. (2017). Unmapped Potential: An Educator's guide to lasting change. San Diego, CA: Dave Burgess Consulting, Inc.
Haiken, M. (2018). Personalized Reading: Digital strategies and tools to support all learners. ISTE
Hill, D, & Hillman, G. (2018). The Grade Cleanse: A Roadmap to healthy grading. Lebanon, TN: Power of ICU
Hirsch, J. (2017). The Feedback Fix: Dump the past, embrace the future, and lead the way to change. London: Rowman & Littlefield
Hogan, A. (2017). Shattering the Perfect Teacher Myth: 6 Truths that will help you thrive as an educator. San Diego, CA: Dave Burgess Consulting, Inc.
Johnston, P. (2004). Choice Words: How our language affects children's learning. Portland, ME: Stenhouse
Keene, E.O. (2012). Talk About Understanding: Rethinking classroom talk to enhance comprehension. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann
Kittle, P. (2013). Book Love: Developing depth, stamina, and passion in adolescent readers. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann
Kohn, A. (1993). Punished by Rewards: The trouble with gold stars, incentive plans, A's, praise, and other bribes. Boston: Houghton-Mifflin
Krebs, D. & Zvi, G. (2016). The Geniushour Guidebook. Routledge
Lehman, C., & Roberts, K. (2013). Falling in Love with Close Reading: Lessons for analyzing texts -- and life. NH: Heinemann
Mackenzie, T. (2016). Dive Into Inquiry: Amplify learning and empower student voice. Irvine, CA: EdTechTeam Press
Mackenzie, T. & Bathhurst-Hunt, R. (2018). Inquiry Mindset: Nurturing the dreams, wonders, & curiosities of our youngest learners. Irvine, CA: EdTechTeam Press
Maiers, A. (2012). Classroom Habitudes. Bloomington, IN: Solution Tree
Maiers, A., & Sandvold, A. (2011). The Passion-Driven Classroom: A framework for teaching & learning. Larchmont, NY: Eye On Education
McGee, P. (2017). Feedback that Moves Writers Forward: How to escape correcting mode to transform student writing. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Literacy
McKeown, G. (2014). Essentialism: The Disciplined pursuit of less. New York, NY: Currency.
McLeod, S. and Graber, J. (2019). Harnessing Technology for Deeper Learning. Bloomington, IN: Solution Tree
Miller, D. (2009). The Book Whisperer: Awakening the inner reader in every child. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass
Miller, D. (2013). Reading in the Wild: The Book Whisperer's keys to cultivating lifelong reading habits. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass
Miller, M. (2015). Ditch that Textbook. San Diego, CA: Dave Burgess Consulting, Inc.
Murphy, K. (2019). You're Not Listening: What you're missing and why it matters. New York, NY: Celadon
Musallam, R. (2017). Spark Learning: 3 Keys to embracing the power of student curiosity. San Diego, CA: Dave Burgess Consulting, Inc.
Nesloney, T, & Welcome, A. (2016) Kids Deserve It! Pushing boundaries and challenging conventional thinking. San Diego, CA: Dave Burgess Consulting, Inc.
November, A. (2012). Who Owns the Learning? Preparing students for success in the digital age. Bloomington, IN: Solution Tree
Palmer, E. (2011). Well Spoken: Teaching speaking to all students. Portland, ME: Stenhouse
Philibert, C. (2016). Everyday SEL in Middle School: Integrating social-emotional learning and mindfulness into your classroom. Routledge
Pink, D. (2009). Drive: The surprising truth about what motivates us. New York, NY: Penguin
Ritchhart, Ron, Mark Church, & Karin Morrison (2011). Making Thinking Visible: How to promote engagement, understanding, and independence for all learners.
San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass
Robinson, K. (2009). The Element: How finding your passion changes everything. New York, NY: Viking
Sacks, A. (2014). Whole Novels for the Whole Class: A Student-centered approach. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass
Sackstein, S. (2015). Hacking Assessment: 10 Ways to go gradeless in a traditional grades school. Cleveland, OH: Times 10 Publications
Shalaby, C. (2017). Troublemakers: Lessons in freedom from young children at school. The New Press
Sheeran, D. (2016). Instant Relevance: Using today's experiences to teach tomorrow's lessons. San Diego, CA: Dave Burgess Consulting, Inc.
Solarz, P. (2015). Learn Like a Pirate: Empower your students to collaborate, lead, and succeed. San Diego, CA: Dave Burgess Consulting, Inc.
Sztabnik, B. (2015). The Best Lesson Series: Literature. Sound Beach, NY: Talks with Teachers Media
Tricarico, D. (2015). The Zen Teacher: Creating focus, simplicity, and tranquility in the classroom. San Diego, CA: Dave Burgess Consulting, Inc.
Wettrick, D. (2014). Pure Genius: Building a culture of innovation and taking 20% time to the next level. San Diego, CA: Dave Burgess Consulting, Inc.
Wormeli, R. (2006). Fair Isn't Always Equal. Portland, ME: Stenhouse
Wormeli, R. (2001) Meet in the Middle: Becoming an accomplished middle-level teacher. Portland, ME: Stenhouse
Educational Videos that have influenced my thoughts about teaching...
Brandon Busteed of Gallop (link not working as of 2018) ~ Brandon Busteed of Gallup spoke before a Business Summit to Drive Education Reform in Des Moines. He looks at a Gallup Student poll on how engaged students remain as they progress in grades 5 through 12.
Sir Ken Robinson ~ The author of The Element gives a TED Talk on how schools kill creativity.
Ahmed, S. (2018). Being the Change: Lessons and strategies to teach social comprehension. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann
Armstrong, T. (2016). The Power of the Adolescent Brain: Strategies for teaching middle and high school students. Alexandria, VA: ASCD
Banaji, M. & Greenwald, A. (2016). Blindspot: Hidden biases of good people. Bantam
Barnes, M. (2015). Assessment 3.0: Throw out your grade book and INSPIRE learning. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin
Barnes, M. (2013). ROLE Reversal: Achieving uncommonly excellent results in the student-centered classrooom. Alexandria, VA: ASCD
Bartley, Nili (2019). Lead Beyond Your Title: Creating change in school from any role. San Diego, CA: Dave Burgess Consulting, Inc.
Beers, K., & Probst, R. (2013). Notice & Note: Strategies for close reading. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann
Beers, K., & Probst, R. (2017) Disrupting Thinking: Why HOW we read matters. Scholastic.
Black, P. & Wiliam, D. (Nov 6, 2001) Inside the Black Box: Raising Standards Through Classroom Assessment.
Blum, S. D. (2020) Ungrading: Why rating students undermines learning (and what to do instead). West Virginia: WVU Press
Brookhouser, K. (2014). The 20-time Project: How educators can launch Google's formula for future-ready innovation. Self-published.
Burgess, D. (2012). Teach Like a Pirate: Increase student engagement, boost your creativity, and transform your life as an educator. San Diego, CA: Dave Burgess
Consulting
Chandler, A. (2017). The Flexible ELA Classroom: Practical tools for differentiated instruction in grades 4-8. Routledge
Cockrum, T. (2013). Flipping Your English Class to Reach All Learners: Strategies and lesson plans. Routledge
Dawson, G. (2016). Hacking Literacy: 5 Ways to Turn Any Classroom into a Culture of Readers. Cleveland, OH: Times 10 Publications
DiAngelo, R. (2018). White Fragility: Why it's so hard for white people to talk about racism. Beacon Press
Dweck, C. (2006). Mindset: The New psychology of success. New York, NY: Random House
Evans, R. (1996). The Human Side of School Change: Reform, resistance, and the real-life problems of innovation. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass
Ferriter, W. & Cancellieri, P. (2017). Creating a Culture of Feedback. Bloomington, IN: Solution Tree
Fisher, D. & Frey, N. (2013). Common Core: English Language Arts in a PLC at Work, Grades 6-8. Bloomington, IN: Solution Tree
Fisher, D., Frey, N., & Hattie, J. (2021). The Distance Learning Playbook Grades K-12. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin
Gallagher, K. (2015). In the Best Interest of Students: Staying true to what works in the ELA classroom. ME: Stenhouse
Gallagher, K. & Kittle, P. (2018). 180 Days: Two teachers and the quest to engage and empower adolescents. Portsmouth, NH: Heineman
Hasson, J., & Lennard, M. (2017). Unmapped Potential: An Educator's guide to lasting change. San Diego, CA: Dave Burgess Consulting, Inc.
Haiken, M. (2018). Personalized Reading: Digital strategies and tools to support all learners. ISTE
Hill, D, & Hillman, G. (2018). The Grade Cleanse: A Roadmap to healthy grading. Lebanon, TN: Power of ICU
Hirsch, J. (2017). The Feedback Fix: Dump the past, embrace the future, and lead the way to change. London: Rowman & Littlefield
Hogan, A. (2017). Shattering the Perfect Teacher Myth: 6 Truths that will help you thrive as an educator. San Diego, CA: Dave Burgess Consulting, Inc.
Johnston, P. (2004). Choice Words: How our language affects children's learning. Portland, ME: Stenhouse
Keene, E.O. (2012). Talk About Understanding: Rethinking classroom talk to enhance comprehension. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann
Kittle, P. (2013). Book Love: Developing depth, stamina, and passion in adolescent readers. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann
Kohn, A. (1993). Punished by Rewards: The trouble with gold stars, incentive plans, A's, praise, and other bribes. Boston: Houghton-Mifflin
Krebs, D. & Zvi, G. (2016). The Geniushour Guidebook. Routledge
Lehman, C., & Roberts, K. (2013). Falling in Love with Close Reading: Lessons for analyzing texts -- and life. NH: Heinemann
Mackenzie, T. (2016). Dive Into Inquiry: Amplify learning and empower student voice. Irvine, CA: EdTechTeam Press
Mackenzie, T. & Bathhurst-Hunt, R. (2018). Inquiry Mindset: Nurturing the dreams, wonders, & curiosities of our youngest learners. Irvine, CA: EdTechTeam Press
Maiers, A. (2012). Classroom Habitudes. Bloomington, IN: Solution Tree
Maiers, A., & Sandvold, A. (2011). The Passion-Driven Classroom: A framework for teaching & learning. Larchmont, NY: Eye On Education
McGee, P. (2017). Feedback that Moves Writers Forward: How to escape correcting mode to transform student writing. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Literacy
McKeown, G. (2014). Essentialism: The Disciplined pursuit of less. New York, NY: Currency.
McLeod, S. and Graber, J. (2019). Harnessing Technology for Deeper Learning. Bloomington, IN: Solution Tree
Miller, D. (2009). The Book Whisperer: Awakening the inner reader in every child. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass
Miller, D. (2013). Reading in the Wild: The Book Whisperer's keys to cultivating lifelong reading habits. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass
Miller, M. (2015). Ditch that Textbook. San Diego, CA: Dave Burgess Consulting, Inc.
Murphy, K. (2019). You're Not Listening: What you're missing and why it matters. New York, NY: Celadon
Musallam, R. (2017). Spark Learning: 3 Keys to embracing the power of student curiosity. San Diego, CA: Dave Burgess Consulting, Inc.
Nesloney, T, & Welcome, A. (2016) Kids Deserve It! Pushing boundaries and challenging conventional thinking. San Diego, CA: Dave Burgess Consulting, Inc.
November, A. (2012). Who Owns the Learning? Preparing students for success in the digital age. Bloomington, IN: Solution Tree
Palmer, E. (2011). Well Spoken: Teaching speaking to all students. Portland, ME: Stenhouse
Philibert, C. (2016). Everyday SEL in Middle School: Integrating social-emotional learning and mindfulness into your classroom. Routledge
Pink, D. (2009). Drive: The surprising truth about what motivates us. New York, NY: Penguin
Ritchhart, Ron, Mark Church, & Karin Morrison (2011). Making Thinking Visible: How to promote engagement, understanding, and independence for all learners.
San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass
Robinson, K. (2009). The Element: How finding your passion changes everything. New York, NY: Viking
Sacks, A. (2014). Whole Novels for the Whole Class: A Student-centered approach. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass
Sackstein, S. (2015). Hacking Assessment: 10 Ways to go gradeless in a traditional grades school. Cleveland, OH: Times 10 Publications
Shalaby, C. (2017). Troublemakers: Lessons in freedom from young children at school. The New Press
Sheeran, D. (2016). Instant Relevance: Using today's experiences to teach tomorrow's lessons. San Diego, CA: Dave Burgess Consulting, Inc.
Solarz, P. (2015). Learn Like a Pirate: Empower your students to collaborate, lead, and succeed. San Diego, CA: Dave Burgess Consulting, Inc.
Sztabnik, B. (2015). The Best Lesson Series: Literature. Sound Beach, NY: Talks with Teachers Media
Tricarico, D. (2015). The Zen Teacher: Creating focus, simplicity, and tranquility in the classroom. San Diego, CA: Dave Burgess Consulting, Inc.
Wettrick, D. (2014). Pure Genius: Building a culture of innovation and taking 20% time to the next level. San Diego, CA: Dave Burgess Consulting, Inc.
Wormeli, R. (2006). Fair Isn't Always Equal. Portland, ME: Stenhouse
Wormeli, R. (2001) Meet in the Middle: Becoming an accomplished middle-level teacher. Portland, ME: Stenhouse
Educational Videos that have influenced my thoughts about teaching...
Brandon Busteed of Gallop (link not working as of 2018) ~ Brandon Busteed of Gallup spoke before a Business Summit to Drive Education Reform in Des Moines. He looks at a Gallup Student poll on how engaged students remain as they progress in grades 5 through 12.
Sir Ken Robinson ~ The author of The Element gives a TED Talk on how schools kill creativity.