In my KQ Blog Post last month, Standing Together, Working Together, I wrote: “The school library voice is stronger and heard more clearly when we work together to educate everyone about the essential work of school librarians.” An important aspect… Read More ›
AASL exhibited at the 2022 Pre-K-8 National Principals Conference in Louisville, Kentucky from July 14th – July 16th. The National Association of Elementary School Principals (NAESP) organized this event to provide professional development and one voice for Pre-K through 8… Read More ›
Recently I was working with a group of elementary and classroom teachers in Florida. I was tasked with helping them incorporate effective instruction with primary sources around the topic of Reconstruction. Of course, I wanted to focus one activity on… Read More ›
Why is it important to practice comparing and contrasting with learners? Because the exercise develops critical thinking skills and improves reading comprehension. There’s great value in considering how two or more entities are different, yet similar. Noticing and discussing differences… Read More ›
“I am so smart! S-M-R-T! I mean…” -Homer Simpson This September will be my first as a school librarian, after a mid-year switch early in 2022. After 23 years of writing professional development plans (PDPs) and student growth objectives (SGOs)… Read More ›
Over the past few years, I’ve kept a few book carts at the front of my high school library for students’ convenience. Avid readers and curious students take note of the colorful displays as they enter the school library. Though… Read More ›
For the upcoming school year, my building just added an instructional design coach. This position will be new to the high school as we pilot for the other high schools in our district. An instructional coach is a supporting role… Read More ›
Summer is a great time to catch up on reading. So when the Michigan Association of Media in Education (MAME) shared they were hosting a virtual summer book club I was all in! The Book The title that was chosen… Read More ›
I love the school library profession and have gained so much from being a member of the American Association of School Librarians (AASL) throughout the years. Therefore, I feel very honored to have been elected as the AASL President for… Read More ›
How do you decide what to buy, watch, or read? How do you choose what to eat or where to travel? Do you rely on crowdsourced reviews on popular sites, or the streaming algorithm? Do you use specific reviews and… Read More ›
Wait, What? Let’s be clear right up front: I’m talking about things that might seem like cheating because they make PD easier. But they’re better described as “productivity hacks” – ways to increase your efficiency. And pretty much all the… Read More ›
After I take a couple of weeks to relax during the summer, I begin to think about the upcoming school year. Summer provides uninterrupted time to explore technology tools. I recently was involved in an Apple Learning Coach training and… Read More ›
Back in 2019, I shared some recommendations for True Crime Books for Teens. Since then, the true crime genre has only continued to expand. We ALL watched Tiger King on Netflix during quarantine, and the onslaught of new true crime… Read More ›
It’s that time of the school year when I look forward to long, lazy days reading outside. I’m a planner, though, and I can’t stop myself from thinking of new ideas for the fall. In a digital storytelling course I… Read More ›