Bring Back the Joy of Schooling - Start by Noticing!

September 17, 2021
Bring Back the Joy of Schooling - Start by Noticing!

Hi Literacy Lovers, 

In education, leadership is often a term reserved for those who hold big decision-making power… like district and school leaders. We’re wondering… don’t we all have the power within us to effect change? Does that make us all leaders? We think so. With that in mind, let’s lead from our seat and encourage our students to do the same. 

LISTEN TO THIS

  • Brendan O’Day

    BONUS EPISODE! Brendan O’Day shares an important message for educators: start by noticing. In our recent bonus release podcast, he tells the story of preparing leaders, guiding them to seek curiosity rather than judgement. We discuss his first blog post, Start by noticing: Slow down and bring back the joy of schooling,” where Brendan advocates to “focus on bringing back the joy of schooling. Focus on this hard, with immense love and grace and compassion and rigorous expectations for academic achievement.” How? Start by noticing.

  • Matt Hoganson

    Friday’s Episode: In the spirit of noticing, Matt Hoganson, assistant principal, shares how he supports ELA teachers in this episode titled: Rethinking and Unlearning What We Know about Literacy. A previous self-proclaimed literacy novice, he was tasked with supporting implementation of Wit & Wisdom ELA in his school. As literacy leaders (and lovers), how can we unthink what we think we know about literacy and become open, divergent learners to guide this work? Matt models a learning-first approach to leading literacy in his school, and he shares how Clayton Elementary brought JOY into the classroom! If you’re interested in learning more about how Clayton made the shift to a content-focused curriculum, check out this blog.


Write this

Download these free lunchbox notes (thanks, Reading Rockets!) and jot a note to your students or kiddos. Share what you notice to build connections around safety, love, and joy. 



Thanks for reading, Literacy Lovers! 

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