I absolutely enjoy teaching writing to my students. As a matter of fact, I encourage a variety of writing every day, cross-pollinating the curriculum all year long. There have been many times I have heard, “There is no time to write”; “I only write twice a week”, or “how do I include writing in all subject areas?”

Reading and writing go together, and you can’t teach one without the other. The Common Core expects our students to be able to respond to the text with writing. No matter...

The lotus flower has been a symbol in Buddhism tradition as well as Hinduism and Egyptian culture.  For example, Buddhists have come to associate the flower with beauty and purity and as a symbol of spiritual awakening. The flower is certainly unique. Growing in murky ponds, the lotus rises above the water and mud in all its colorful glory.

Growing up (I’m about to date myself), I loved the television series, Kung Fu, starring David Carradine, who played Kwai Chang Caine, a Shaolin...

In recent years, educational experts have debated the concept of differentiation—that is varying/altering curriculum, content, and teaching methods to meet the individualized needs of students.

Let me join this conversation by saying that first, I believe differentiation can work to various degrees but requires much training and knowledge. Like education, it is inherently flawed and poses many challenges. I agree with Dr. Jim Delisle when he points out the incredible challenge of...