Reflections on Best Practices in Public Education

Let’s keep moving ahead and return our country to the greatness we have always been known for!!

BREAKING: DEMOCRATS WIN! Mike Johnson CAVES and agrees to end DHS shutdown with no new ICE funding in humiliating defeat for Trump and the entire Republican Party!

After weeks of painful airport lines and unpaid TSA workers, House and Senate Republicans just caved and agreed to fully fund the Department of Homeland Security, which is sure to anger the Godfather of tweets.

So Democrats get a short-term win by ending the shutdown and forcing Republicans to negotiate, but they did not lock in permanent restrictions on ICE. The bigger battle over accountability will come later this year.

Democrats had refused to give Trump and Republicans a blank check for ICE without basic protections like requiring agents to wear body cameras and remove masks during raids. Instead of compromising, Trump threw a fit on Truth Social and demanded total surrender.

Now Republicans are rushing to reopen DHS so TSA agents can get paid and airports can function again. They’ll try to fund ICE separately later without needing Democratic votes.

This is a clear win for Democrats. They finally showed a spine and stood strong against Trump’s minions, protected basic accountability, and forced Republicans to end the unnecessary shutdown they created.

If you’re happy Democrats finally held the line and finally got TSA workers paid, like and share to celebrate: Standing up works!

https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=1165924022240210&set=pcb.1165924412240171

No jumping, No Running. 28D Chair Yoga Challenge🕒🏠 Take An Quiz To Get Personal Chair Yoga Program 🧘‍♀️🔥

A huge thanks to my son , Joel, for “coming to my rescue” so I can proceed with my re-organization of my yard!!!
He is always willing to help me … and never complains!

True Story

Important reminder. 🙌

Wake up America!

These 2022 Teacher Shortage Statistics Prove We Need To Fix This Profession

Good Morning, Everyone,

I apologize for not posting in so long. I am consulting for MEDOE and have been working with schools are preparing and starting with their students. Here in Maine we have a number of models ranging from students attending to class (by state guidelines), to hybrid models, to total remote. Because we have local control in our states, parents are allowed to select the form of teaching they feel best fits their child/children. This has caused a great deal of confusion. Some schools allow students to switch their choice every 5 days and/or by semester or trimester...with many variations in between.

I am sure everyone is going through a similar process. I have been contemplating how to best serve the followers on this page and have decided to post resources that may help.

Today's posts come from the free section on Brenda Power's Choice Literacy in the free section. It is a great resource for everyone.

I particularly like the first article because it addresses many of the issues we are finding in schools. The majority of students ...even our top...have lost a year or more. This makes it a challenge for all of us. Research from Katrina implicates our most effective practices start where the child is and move forward at a normal rate. This demands differentiation.

The first article talks about how to address real reader response...something most of our students have probably not had since they left us. It addresses first grade... YES...but can be adapted to many other grade levels.

https://choiceliteracy.com/article/linking-evidence-to-reading-response-in-first-grade/

The second article is on how to spark "grand conversations" using read-a-louds. Many teachers are starting at this point with their students to begin to build up their academic and literary language patterns as well as revisiting their metacognitive/higher level thinking processes

https://choiceliteracy.com/article/grand-conversations-and-read-aloud/


Enjoy, be well, and thank you for all you do for the children you serve, Darlene

https://choiceliteracy.com/article/linking-evidence-to-reading-response-in-first-grade/

Linking Evidence to Reading Response in First Grade – Choice Literacy A group of first graders we work with is reading level M texts independently in late winter. Although the texts they’re ready and able to read have more complex ideas, they are still first-grade readers: they can’t help but bookend their reading with personal stories that are (mostly) unrelated ...

Hope all of you are doing well. You are the unsung heroes of this pandemic. You hold the future of the students you serve in your hands...and you are definitely on the front lines. Bravo! I know you will do your best! America is proud of you. ❤️❤️

"Today was a Difficult Day," said Pooh.
There was a pause.
"Do you want to talk about it?" asked Piglet.
"No," said Pooh after a bit. "No, I don't think I do."
"That's okay," said Piglet, and he came and sat beside his friend.
"What are you doing?" asked Pooh.
"Nothing, really," said Piglet. "Only, I know what Difficult Days are like. I quite often don't feel like talking about it on my Difficult Days either.
"But goodness," continued Piglet, "Difficult Days are so much easier when you know you've got someone there for you. And I'll always be here for you, Pooh."
And as Pooh sat there, working through in his head his Difficult Day, while the solid, reliable Piglet sat next to him quietly, swinging his little legs...he thought that his best friend had never been more right."
A.A. Milne

Sending thoughts to everyone having a Difficult Day today. I hope you have your own Piglet to sit beside you 🧡

Good Morning,
I hope you are all doing well. I have been busy preparing PD for Differentiation in Reading Instruction as we begin our school re-entries here in Maine.

Following is a list of books that can be used with children to discuss COVID19 and the ensuing changes.

I hope this helps.

Be well,
Darlene

Books to share with students RE: COVID19: (Please read prior to sharing with your class )

Anna and the Germ that Came to Visit, by Christianne Klein and Helene Van Sant-Klein

Billie and the Brilliant Bubbles,Social Distancing for Children , by Tara Travieso

Help your Dragon Deal with Anxiety, by Steve Herman

Lucy's Mask, by Lisa Sirkis Thompson

Our Class is a Family, by Shannon Olsen

The Day My Kids Stayed Home, Explaining COVID 19 and the Corona Virus to Your Kids, by Adam M. Wallace

The Day the Lines Changed, An inspiring Story About a Line, a Pandemi , and how Change Shapes Us All, by Kelley Donner

What is Social Distancing? A Children's Guide, by Lindsey Coker Luckey

Why Did the Whole World Stop? Talking with Kids About COVID-19, by Heather Black