Every year I collaborate with the 11th-grade English teachers on a nonfiction independent reading project. The goal is to increase student agency and create excitement about literature. While many juniors initially express an aversion to reading, they often show an… Read More ›
Research is one of the most valuable skills we can teach learners. Because of the volume of information available online, it’s easy for children (and adults) to fall into the trap of believing everything they read. Before we go too… Read More ›
Data Driven We live in a world that is largely data driven. Teenagers, especially, are surrounded by quantifiable things. How many likes did my Instagram post get? What was your grade on the Social Studies test? Did you add another… Read More ›
Summer is a reading marathon for me. Each year, as I prepare to go back to my high school library, I take stock of titles I’ve read that might engage my students. I’m not always successful at motivating resistant teenage… 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 ›
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 ›
Recently, I was chatting with another school librarian and they asked about our schedule. At one time the school library used a fixed schedule for all classes but switched to a hybrid model several years ago. I realized that it… Read More ›
…It’s just a little voice and if you’re listening Sometimes a little voice Can say the biggest thing… –Sara Bareilles One of the first things that I realized when I became a school librarian and commenced my school librarianship studies… Read More ›
In 2006, I chose to pursue a doctorate. My father was the spark that lit the match. One afternoon we were sitting in my parents’ living room, and he casually asked me why I stopped going to school. I replied… Read More ›
Hope for Education In August 2020, when the Democratic Party nominated Joe Biden for the Presidency, Biden announced his acceptance from the library of the high school where his wife used to teach. And Dr. Biden addressed the nation from… Read More ›