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LEARNING CURVE:
A BLOG
Here are some of the many things we’ve been thinking about. Please share your thoughts and feedback in the comments field at the bottom of each post!
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New Year, New We
Before I turned eight my family had moved five different times, within the United States as well as abroad. My mother was in the...
Jack Bailey
Aug 8, 20243 min read
Forty-Years Later: A Personal Reflection on Black and Belonging in Middle School
I had the pleasure of spending four weeks with my grandson Kal-EL this summer. I can’t believe that he’s already eleven years old and has...
Cheryl Vines
Sep 28, 20237 min read
Where do we go from here?
I woke up this morning to an article from the Atlantic in my newsfeed: “Why People are Acting so Weird.” The author, Olga Khazan, notes...
Kristin Blais
Apr 6, 20225 min read
Discipline is not punishment
As a pre-service teacher, I worked in an elementary classroom that had a Green-Yellow-Red disciplinary system that went something like...
Kristin Blais
Jan 27, 20215 min read
It's time to rethink 'discipline'
My personal resolutions last January - when the novel coronavirus was only a potential and still faraway danger - ran to the ordinary,...
Kristin Blais
Jan 7, 20215 min read
The Limits of Technology
I’ve been on just about a billion and one Zoom, GoToMeeting, and Google Meets over the past nine weeks. Among my new insights: I have...
Kristin Blais
May 20, 20204 min read
Seeking Rainbows
Ages ago - in February - when I was sketching out some ideas for upcoming blogs, one of the ideas I had was to challenge myself to go...
Kristin Blais
Apr 15, 20204 min read
Leaning into Relationship
As I begin this post, one day after the World Health Organization declared COVID-19 to be a pandemic, my attention is many places at...
Kristin Blais
Mar 18, 20204 min read
New Beginnings
When we hear the word graduation, some may think first of caps and gowns, Pomp and Circumstance, and photos taken in May or June...
Kristin Blais
Feb 19, 20204 min read
Gifts for Students
I don’t know how everyone else manages the many pieces of holidays with family, but I make lists. I’ve been working on a too-elaborate...
Sara Bailey
Dec 18, 20194 min read
Continuing to Build Relationships (even in December)
It’s December, the days are short, the school day is long, and everyone feels the impending excitement of vacation. December can be...
Sara Bailey
Dec 4, 20194 min read
The power of shame
I’ll speak for myself: Middle and high school were awkward for me. I think they are for many. I was never one of the cool kids, though...
Sara Bailey
Sep 18, 20195 min read
Getting the Adult Culture Right
Recently, I found myself at a conference for administrators, and I was hoping to meet and talk with school leaders who were trying to...
Sara Bailey
Aug 7, 20194 min read
Reimagined Relationships as Guideposts
Several stories about school districts grappling with unpaid lunch balances have come through my news feed over the past few weeks. There...
Kristin Blais
Jun 19, 20193 min read
Ending the Year Well
Last week we released our report, Radically Reimagined Relationships: The Foundation of Engagement, which asserted the primary role of...
Sara Bailey
May 29, 20193 min read
Nurturing forward movement
Way back in January, as I was setting some intentions for the upcoming year, I added yoga to my list. The truth is, I always add yoga to...
Kristin Blais
May 15, 20194 min read
Seen, Heard, and Valued
Call me a curmudgeon, but I’ve never been a huge fan of Valentine’s Day. I do think it’s important to celebrate and honor relationships,...
Sara Bailey
Feb 13, 20193 min read
Literacy for Democracy
Twitter is an interesting place. Kris and I have been using it to connect Astra with other like-minded folks in the education world...
Sara Bailey
Jan 9, 20194 min read
What impact do mindfulness programs have on students?
In the beginning of September, I set out to be helpful, asking folks who had education questions to send them my way. Dalton’s curiosity...
Sara Bailey
Oct 10, 20183 min read
Reflection & Care: Essential Elements in Teaching & Learning
The beginning of September always fills me with promise (go back & read my blog post, “Why are we still using letter grades?” from 9/5/18...
Sara Bailey
Oct 3, 20184 min read
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