Professional Learning

Billy Jean King once said, “Champions keep playing until they get it right.” As educators we keep trying to get things right. When I first started conferring with middle and high school readers, [...]

In the era of 1:1, many educators (and parents) hold tight to students reading “real” books, such as books bound by a publisher. Others say we need to “get with the times” and allow our students [...]

by Katy Tessman, New School Services Project Manager and Maker Specialist at Mackin There’s an old saying: “Don’t judge a book by its cover.” This saying is very hard to follow, especially for [...]

“Tell me and I forget; show me and I may remember; involve me and I will understand.” You have likely heard this interpretation of a Chinese proverb by Xunzi, a Confucian philosopher, in relation [...]

by Katy Tessman, New School Services Project Manager and Maker Specialist at Mackin Having students engaged and motivated in reading is one of our goals as educators. Therefore, it is important [...]

Create a Culture of Literacy. A culture of literacy is one where the entire school, and even better, the entire district, plays a part. From food service to administration and custodians to [...]

by Katy Tessman, New School Services Project Manager and Makerspace Specialist at Mackin Classrooms are filled with a variety of learners and therefore classrooms should be filled with a variety [...]

“Treat others the way you want to be treated.” “If you can’t say anything nice, don’t say anything at all.” “If you fall off the horse, get back on and try again.” For most of us, these Golden [...]