Much of what we do in education falls into grey areas. Yet, many of the conversations we have regarding education seem to use black and white statements and fall into the category of binary, or dichotomous, thinking. Binary thinking leads… Continue Reading
As we near the end of March, many schools have moved into the final term of the year and this often leads to discussions about awards ceremonies in schools. I recently had the honour of travelling to Red Deer, Alberta… Continue Reading
It is no secret that I have concerns with the focus on awards in schools. For the past 9 years, I have been privileged to work as a principal in two different school communities who have both moved away from… Continue Reading
There is a simple mistake that the vast majority of us as parents and educators make when dealing with challenging behaviours: we focus on the behaviour. When we focus on the problem behaviour, most of our theories and strategies involve… Continue Reading
As I continue my journey in the first 4 months at James Hill elementary, I wanted to share my beliefs around student discipline with the staff. Although my views continue to evolve and grow through formal and informal learning and… Continue Reading
Pardon the delay of this post. It was originally written a week ago but the flu hit our family and it never got posted. As I begin the next exciting journey of my career with the honour of being the… Continue Reading
Ok, I admit it. I hate losing. I hate losing even more when I know i don’t have a chance to win. I have played hockey since I was in preschool and I continue to play to this day and… Continue Reading
It is no secret that I have some strong opinions on using awards and rewards to “motivate” our students to be better behaved and achieve more in schools. Instead of using carrots and sticks to bribe and punish students, we… Continue Reading
I was recently asked by educator Larry Ferlazzo to share my views on awards ceremonies as part of his article on Ideas for The Last Two Weeks of School. Here are my thoughts: The final few weeks of school are… Continue Reading
Kids need movement. We all need movement. Recess is a need. PE is a need. Energy breaks are necessary. If I am in a longer session and I need to move, I get up and take a break. I bounce… Continue Reading