I have always bristled at the idea of “searching for best practices.” In my 17 years as an educator, I strived to provide my students the best possible lesson. To me, that was the best fit for the kids in…
Author: Kris VanDuyne
COVID-19 Meets the Laws of Learning
I realized my last monthly post was February 2020. For one second, I wondered why I had stopped. Thanks, COVID. Our lives have been upended in more ways than we can list these days. As we are finally (yea!!) back…
What Are We Teaching Our Kids?
Today’s society promotes the happiest person is one who is fit, eats healthy food, has plenty of friends and family, a great job and perfect Instagram pictures. How many of us can say “I am just killing it!” regarding aspects…
FORO (Fear of Running Out)
The term FOMO (fear of missing out) is a common rationale used not miss the next party, go on the perfect vacation or purchase the best outfit everyone is talking about. Today I learned about FORO, or the fear of…
What a zero really means
The debate over using a 0-100 grading scale seems to be growing lately. At the beginning of my career, I believed in assigning zeros to students who did not complete homework or projects in a timely manner. I took percentages…
No Mom Blaming in Education
Michael Fullan penned the quote “A crisis without a strategy is a recipe for random action and growing frustration.” This advice is now printed above my desk in my office and will continue to guide my decisions. Reeves would also…
Fresh start for every kid, every day
Tonight I read an Edutopia article, “Fresh Starts for Hard-to-Like Students” by Dr. Allen Mendler and the main points really spoke to me in my current position. My day entails interacting with students and problem-solving issues. As adults, we have…
Loving kids
Last week I was walking the halls with my Principal and came across a former student of mine. We hugged, caught up on volleyball practice details and hairstyles. When K walked away, she said “love you” to me and I…
That one kid…
Our job, as educators, is to be on a constant path of learning in how to teach kids. To name a few, that learning includes the latest in edu-jargon, content knowledge and emotional/social needs. Recently I am focusing on the…
This I believe…
The role of the educators is to empower future generations of students to live productive lives and to solve complex problems with empathy and compassion. The world is increasingly interconnected; thus our students need a global point of view far…