(from the archives) Another “what summer break?” post

I've posted about all the things I've got planned for the summer break before. This isn't that post. This is to point people towards this article, Not Summer Break. The author is talking about how there's the myth of the summer break in education, how many (most) teachers spend their time revisiting their classes and…

Adding some orienteering skills

When I was a child, my father taught me to read a map so I could help navigate on car trips (Mom drove, he would do work or nap while I followed the route). Then, in sixth grade, as part of the leadup to a weeklong class trip, we learned orienteering skills. I'm not sure…

Is it me, or is it just a job?

At this time of year, many (most?) of us in independent schools are getting reappointment letters. It may be too late to fully reassess what your job is or requires, but it may not be too late to make some changes to what next year will look like. I blogged about it earlier. Nancy had…

Naming the problem

If you know me, you know how much I hate (hate's actually too mild a phrase for my feelings) the misuse of the word "name". You know: when someone "just wants to name that this is difficult" or "let's name the issues". NO. No no no no no. You are not "naming" - you're identifying…

I’m old (but you already know that)

Last year I saw and bookmarked this tweet: https://twitter.com/i/status/1594528156064821248 As I've moved from residence to residence, my workspace has changed from a desk... to a desk that could hold a desktop computer... to now, when I actually need very little space for my actual work stuff but am thinking about/designing for my notecards, pens and…

Circle Game

The past few years, Milton has leaned heavily into restorative justice and circle training. This year, we've done almost nothing with all that training and time beyond a few sessions training people on how to keep a circle. I love the intent of circles (or, as another blog calls them, spaces for listening) but the…

New Year, New Month, New Pages

Every month I set up my notebook for the coming month, and every week I set it up for the coming week.  It's been a long process, trying to figure out what system works and how to make it consistently work for me.   Because of work, I can't go completely analog, and because (like many)…

Where are you from?

If you've followed the recent Royal gossip, or been part of any diversity training, you know that that simple question has become loaded. When I started at Milton, during orientation, we were paired off and asked to learn about the other person's journey, and that was one of the questions. My partner was from a…

(from the archives) Agendas

Nancy wrote a post about creating a shared agenda back in 2020, and it's been sitting in my "to think about" folder for a while. This year, our new Dean of Faculty has been using the format for our Faculty Meetings and Department Chair Meetings, and this old post popped into my head. The biggest…

October, a month of challenges

Maybe it’s just at Milton, but October is one of those months that starts… and stops… and starts again. Weekly. Between the Jewish High Holidays, a Wednesday for PSATs/Community Engagement/college stuff, Columbus/Indigenous People’s Day, and Upper School Family Weekend/Diwali, we haven’t had a complete week. And next week, with a late start for professional development…