How many times have I started a blog post, saved it and then not posted it until weeks later? How many times have I looked at my never-ending “to do” list and then spent my half hour prep time scrolling through Twitter? And how many times have I left report card writing right down to […]
My goal for this year’s action plan was to increase student confidence in speaking French, to avoid hearing “I can’t” and replace it with “I can”. On Thursday I introduced the CEFR to my Grade 4 students: they watched a short video explaining that the CEFR is a tool used across Canada, Europe and many […]
When I was brainstorming my first HMW question a few years ago, one of my biggest frustrations was with hearing students constantly say “I can’t speak French”. Or even worse… “I don’t speak French so I don’t know how to do this”. Since my first year of teaching I have been working to build students’ […]
This week, I have been considering the concept of connections. During a lovely little Google Hangout on Wednesday night with fellow coaches & facilitators, @gnichols said that our goal (as coaches) this Cohort21 season is to help the participants feel “inspired, supported and connected” when they leave each F2F. When I think about my favourite part about […]
My last blog post for Cohort21 was a couple of years ago: I’m ashamed to admit that between my participation in the program in the 2016-2017 year I have been slacking off on blogging. But I will say that the learning I experienced was not lost on me at all. I was invigorated each face-to-face […]
That’s a wrap on becoming Cohort21! is a reference to an MTV show I used to love called “Becoming” where an average person could re-make a music video and become their favourite pop singer. In a way, I could compare my experience with Cohort21 to this concept, as I have been wearing the hat at each F2F […]
Do you ever feel like you are looking down at the world from the highwire? Tip-toeing across a tiny little wire, attempting to balance your professional and personal lives without coming crashing down on your family, friends, coworkers and students in a heaping pile of failure? I’m sure every teacher feels this way at least […]
I promise to no longer say that I am not creative. I promise to have creative confidence! Creating and innovating does not have to look a certain way, or be perfect whatsoever. It involves trying something new, asking questions and taking risks with the hope of learning something wonderful, which is exactly what I’ve been […]
“You’re going to hate me”, my boyfriend texts as he sends me a photo of four tickets to the ALCS Game 2, knowing full well I am unable to make the roadtrip to Cleveland thanks to a more important commitment. But what could be better than experiencing live playoff baseball, you ask? Why, it was the […]