It’s just after spring break when I scrawl this poem on the whiteboard. We are three-quarters through the school year, but for many students it feels like it’s already over. For the dejected and the defeated, the ones whose grades...

Hope and the Teacher — José Luis Vilson My colleague asked me point-blank: “You’re saying you don’t think you’re having an effect on kids?” I guess I should have been more poignant. I’m also not one for small talk, an...

In her reflection in Teaching with Heart, Rachel Willis writes how teachers are “powerful beyond measure.” We couldn’t agree more.  Thank you for all you do!   Teachers Are Powerful Beyond Measure — Rachel Willis In many professions, when you...

All Hearts On Deck — David Henderson Having been the principal of this small, rural high school in Montana for two years and having come from the teaching/coaching ranks of the school, I was finally beginning to feel like I...

Here are two great ideas for celebrating Poem in Your Pocket Day. In Teaching with Heart, Jovan Miles, a high school math coach, shared how he shares poems in his pocket to engage students throughout the year.   Check it out...

Ideas for Sharing Poetry This week we have several special blog posts we’d like to share. This means we’ll miss posting a few of our daily suggestions for using poetry.  To make up for the gaps in the week ahead,...

Using Poetry to remember to find what is beautiful in children:   In Teaching with Fire, one teacher told us that she taped the line “Life has loveliness to sell” from Sara Teasdale’s poem “Barter” onto her steering wheel so...

A Miracle in the Classroom — by Owen M. Griffith As one veteran teacher told me, “Getting through the school year is like running a marathon where they expect you to sprint the whole 26.2 miles.” I knew I would need...

Thanks to Greg John for sharing his Principal’s Reflections with us. “Flash” is another terrific story from Notes from the Playground.  Greg John writes: I’ve been an elementary and middle school principal for fifteen years now. I think often about...