Starr Sackstein is a secondary educator and school leader in New York. She is the author of several books on education, on topics such as going gradeless, peer feedback, and blogging. This blog is no longer being updated.
Teaching
Opinion
During Testing Season, a Nod to How the Other Side Lives
We must answer the call to action to make education tenable for all students, educators, and leaders. The world is changing and since we don't always know how we are all contributing, we must start a conversation to make it better for everyone.
Professional Development
Opinion
Make Co-Teaching a Part of Your Weekly Leadership Routine
This time in the classroom is more important than anything else I do. Interacting with my team and their students, getting to know the environment and seeing their willingness to take risks and build on their own professionalism and practice goes a long way. Trying new things may not always go smoothly, but I want them to know they have a partner in me; I'm invested in their success because it matters to our students.
Teaching
Opinion
Will Today Be the Day They Figure It Out?
Sometimes I continue to judge myself on some very unrealistic standards. A wise friend once told me to treat myself as I would treat a mentee and be kind to myself remembering what my beginning years as a teacher looked like (the Cliff Notes version is that it was bad... serious understatement, but you get the point). I'm new at this and I can only know what I know and keep learning
Standards & Accountability
Opinion
Nurture Each Child's 'Smart'
As we continue to keep ALL of our kids in mind, it is essential for us to provide continuous opportunities for students to see themselves as smart by their own definitions, not just in the traditional sense. No child should leave a day of school feeling stupid.
Teaching
Opinion
Success, What Exactly is it?
We are the moment, on the precipice of a need for real transformation. The system doesn't account for the different needs of students and still seeks to define success with a single pathway. This is a broken ideal and the sooner we move away from it, the better learning institutions will be for all students.
Teaching
Opinion
Offer a Safe Place to Challenge Beliefs
Change is hard for everyone and sometimes unless we are exposed to different options, we don't even know they exist. It's my job as a team leader to present ideas and offer a forum for discussion so that we can all hear and grow together.
Teaching
Opinion
Leaders, Trust Your Hunches
If you get a funny feeling in your gut that you can't explain, but it nags at you in a way that potentially can keep you up at night, don't ignore it. Believe that you know what is best, even if the path from the decision is not clearly delineated yet.
Teaching
Opinion
Turning Vision Into Reality
Guest blogger Dan Rehman shares how to make a vision a reality in a school district. What is your vision and how do you make it happen?
Professional Development
Opinion
Attentive: My #OneWord for 2018
Knowing that change continues to grow more imminent, I will watch, listen and respond to the needs of all the members of my team to the best of my abilities. It's hard to shift practices that we have all grown comfortable with wearing that skin. It's time to shed it and emerge stronger as a team.
New years are exciting. It's time to capitalize on the excitement and move forward in a sustainable and meaningful way.
Teaching
Opinion
2017: The Great Metamorphosis
Even though I sometimes feel like I'm not doing enough, when I put my learning down on paper and reread it to myself, I know I'm in the right place. I have a lot to learn, but that is truly exciting and the longer I'm here, the more the teachers and students are opening up to me. They are taking more risks. They are using social media and other technology. I'm proud to be a part of this team (even though I will always miss MY kids).
So it looks like never came a lot sooner than I expected and it turns out that this really was the right move for me. We'll see what happens as more time goes on, but I walk forward with an open heart and mind and bravely endeavor to bring awesome learning experiences to us all.
Teaching
Opinion
Awesome Books and Their Tragic Movie Counterparts
One of the beautiful things about reading is what our imaginations do while we do it. We deeply engage in the world, imagining what it would be like and as soon as a director makes it concrete, that world is suddenly tainted unless it is aligned with our own thought process. It seems that when the author is involved in the making of the movie, it is almost always better than if they aren't.
Student Well-Being & Movement
Opinion
A Few of My Favorite Things... to Read
Being able to share conversations with students about literature they are drawn is a great passion of mine. Teenagers still love to read, they just haven't been given enough permission or choice in school usually to go after the genres or content that appeals to them. We need to find ways to allow students to read what interests them and teach them the skills they need through that content. This is how we will develop a real love and passion for reading that will grow as students grow.
Teaching
Opinion
Tragic Teaching Practices in the Harry Potter Series
There are many things we can learn from the magical world from the bravery and tenacity of the students at Hogwarts, I fear that the classroom learning is a bit unbalanced. It breaks my heart to write any kind of negative critique of novels I love so much, but the characterization of the educational system is definitely not one we should emulate.
Curriculum
Opinion
Holiday Movies That Will Spark Fun Class Discussion
Holiday movies offer opportunities to talk about family traditions, charity, and treating other people the way we wish to be treated.