Series: This post is part of Policy in the Classroom. See the full series → There’s a particular kind of quiet that settles into a classroom long after the buses have pulled away. The chairs are crooked. The board is half-erased. The clock keeps moving. And somewhere, a teacher is still working. Not […]
What Policy Doesn’t Understand About Teacher Time Read More »
Series: This post is part of Policy in the Classroom. See the full series → Where instructional urgency meets human limits By late January, the building always carried a different weight. I’m remembering this from thirteen years out now, long retired, but the feel of it is still vivid. The halls were stripped
The Policy–Practice Chasm in Late January Read More »
Series: This post is part of Policy in the Classroom. See the full series → A Policy & the Classroom reflection This and the following two policy posts summarize the themes woven through the earlier pieces in this series. The Question That Changes Everything It was a gray Tuesday morning — the kind where
The Trust Gap: Why Teachers Feel Scrutinized but Not Supported Read More »
Series: This post is part of Policy in the Classroom. See the full series → ☕️ Read my new book: Beyond the Grade Short, practical reflections for real classrooms—stories, psychology, and what actually helps. Read on Amazon I was recently interviewed for an article for the DSEA. The interviewer, David White, was very skilled in
Beyond Compliance: Finding Your Quiet Center in a Policy-Driven World Read More »
Series: This post is part of Policy in the Classroom. See the full series → One Halloween years ago, my students were cutting out paper bats for the psychology club bulletin board. The room smelled faintly of construction paper and pumpkin-spice candles someone had snuck in. It was one of those rare fall afternoons when
The Hidden Curriculum of Policy: What Students Learn in the Shadows Read More »
Series: This post is part of Policy in the Classroom. See the full series → Two Lessons, Years Apart One afternoon at Delaware Technical Community College, I sat across from a colleague in our shared office, papers spread everywhere. We were filling out end-of-semester reports — the kind that tried to translate our teaching into
The Metrics of Trust: How Teacher Evaluation Reshaped the Classroom Read More »
Series: This post is part of Policy in the Classroom. See the full series → Years ago, I was president of the Brandywine Education Association. That role meant regular meetings with the superintendent about how new policies would affect teachers. I still remember one presentation where he clicked through PowerPoint slides explaining our “new equity
Equity on Paper, Equity in Practice Read More »
Series: This post is part of Policy in the Classroom. See the full series → I still remember the knot in my stomach one Tuesday morning when the assistant principal slid into the back row of my classroom, clipboard in hand. It wasn’t the first time I’d been observed, but that day I knew
Testing, Trust, and the Teacher’s Voice Read More »
Series: This post is part of Policy in the Classroom. See the full series → There’s a rhythm to August that teachers know well. The school building hums with fresh paint and polished floors, bulletin boards bloom with new colors, and we sit down with our lesson plans — hopeful, a little nervous, and always
The Weather of Policy Read More »
We are just leaving Germany for Scotland after a full week with our exchange student, Sabrina, and her family — celebrating a beautiful wedding for her younger sister and enjoying long conversations with her parents and extended family. As usual, education found its way into our discussions, especially how politics and policy shape what happens
When Policy Meets the Classroom: What We’ve Learned Over 25 Years Read More »
