2010 was the inaugural year for the Molehills out of Mountains blog–at least the first year that I began writing with any consistency. While I enjoy sharing my writing with others, the primary purpose of Molehills out of Mountains is to serve as a reflective tool – a reminder about the purpose (and the responsibilities) of a profession I enjoy.
Below are several posts that I count as favorites for the year. Most were not widely read, but for me, each has meaning and purpose. If you have a few minutes, I hope you will look through them, comment, and share your favorites. Thanks for reading!
As an educational system, do we help students recognize and grow their talents/abilities? Creativity is part of the skill set our students will need to succeed in a “shrinking world.”
Grassroots School Reform: Keep it Local!
Individual districts, schools and communities need to be given the authority to make appropriate decisions to positively impact the individual needs of their students. This post outlines four keys to meaningful change.
Fostering Resilience: Convincing ALL Kids They Have a Future
Above all else, we need to foster a sense of hope for students…a belief that they can be successful.
A Sixty Second Investment
Sixty seconds to make an impression, set an expectation, form a connection and enhance a struggling student’s self-esteem.
Developing the “Courage to Care”
As educational leaders it is critical that we advocate for the development of the “courage to care” as a vital part of school reform.
Forget the Forest, See the Trees
Keep doing your job in a manner that shows you care because you can not predict the future impact your actions might have on kids–its often the little things that matter.
We need to pursue educational reform without restraints–examining every possible strategy/model that will benefit students.
A Soft Heart for Challenging Students
In order for kids to accept that someone cares for them, they have to drop their defenses–become vulnerable. Many challenging students have spent years putting up protective barriers, it will take time to bring them down.
5 Reasons I use Twitter–(and you should too)
The title says it all. Tweet on!
Do You Trust Your Students? Really?
If we are to move away from a “factory model” of education, we need to listen to our students, give them opportunities to pursue what is meaningful to them and allow them to provide us with feedback.
Are We Cultivating Giant Killers?
There are big problems in our world and our students will play a critical role in developing solutions. We need them to understand that they don’t have to wait to have an impact.
Breaking Habits: Rethinking Current Educational Practices
Those of us involved in public education must be willing to accept that we may not only need to change old habits, we may need to completely rethink our current practices.
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