Was Kendrick Johnson’s death a tragic accident or a murder cover-up?

Naomi Seibt, who tells YouTube followers that Thunberg and other climate activists are whipping up hysteria, to speak at CPAC

Sage advice from badass women (and a few men, too).

by Stephanie Morrill If you attended the NextGen conference last Thursday/Friday, you probably already saw this post over there, but...

The Fashion Industry is highly competitive, but there are also great opportunities. Do you know that H&M created…

Do you have parents of students in your classroom asking, "How can I help my child?" I will be sending these printables home at the beginning of the school year. Head on over to my blog to find out how you can downloaded these for FREE! 

Create and build a business at the NSLC on Business & Entrepreneurship.

Directly, honestly, compassionately, and transparently. There is no easy way to communicate difficult news so respecting your team members…

An annual tuneup for your parenting toolkit! Raise happy, well-adjusted kids using Positive Parenting. 20 amazing experts show you how! FREE and online.

This 2-page file (printable PDF & Google Drive version) includes a blank form and a completed sample to serve as a model for students. The sample is from my students' study of Edgar Allan Poe's short story "The Cask of Amontillado," but you could use the blank worksheet with ANY book or short st...

In a speech given today at the COP25 talks in Madrid, Spain, the Swedish teenager said: 'Our leaders are not behaving as if we are in an emergency.'

One of your neighbors posted in Neighbor News. Click through to read what they have to say. (The views expressed in this post are the author’s own.)

Use this worksheet to help set a goal to improve your grades! ***This download is a fillable worksheet that allows the option to type or click directly into the document using an electronic device. A PDF Reader (Adobe, Foxit, etc.) is required in order to use fillable features. The worksheet can be saved on the device or sent electronically without the need to print. Learn more about fillable worksheets here! The worksheet can also be printed for in-person use with clients.

There are six levels of validation in Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT), which promote an environment where people feel accepted and understood. As much as possible, we should use the highest level of validation in any given situation. The first level is about showing interest and being present while the sixth level is radical genuineness. The DBT 6 Levels Of Validation worksheet asks clients to engage in reflection and describe a scenario where validation would be helpful. For each level of validation, they can brainstorm ways to show support to a friend or loved one going through a difficult experience. Kids and teens answering the worksheet can practice articulating their responses, which helps them develop their communication skills and have healthier relationships. Feel free to pair this worksheet with our DBT 6 Levels of Validation handout which serves as a practical resource on the topic. *This item is an instant digital download. A link to download your files will be emailed to you once payment is confirmed. Want more resources like this? Check out our full catalog of DBT worksheets and handouts. References: Kuo, J. R., Fitzpatrick, S., Ip, J., & Uliaszek, A. A. (2022e). The who and what of validation: an experimental examination of validation and invalidation of specific emotions and the moderating effect of emotion dysregulation. Borderline Personality Disorder and Emotion Dysregulation, 9(1). https://doi.org/10.1186/s40479-022-00185-x Wu, S., Liu, S., Wu, Y., Huang, L., Liu, T., Kao, K., & Lee, Y. (2023). The efficacy of applying the Interpersonal Effectiveness skills of dialectical behavior therapy into communication skills workshop for clinical nurses. Heliyon, 9(3), e14066. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.heliyon.2023.e14066

Students are expected to come to every art class with a PENCIL & ERASER. EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT OUR ART PROGRAM Even though we do not have an art studio this claymation…

Every year we have a "county wide institute day", where teachers get to go and learn about something (of their choosing, usually) at various places in the district. This year, I decided to go see Rick Wormeli, and not just go to the one that was 1/4 mile from my house, and I'm so glad I did! I decided to go because my best friend was also going, and we wanted an excuse to spend the day together :) In seven years we have never gone to the same institute day together, and I don't know why, it was so much fun!! On to the presentation. If you haven't seen Rick Wormeli I highly recommend you go and see him if you get the chance! I had heard about differentiated grading practices at a few conferences in the past, specifically the PLC conference, Effective Grading Conference, and the Gifted Education Conference, but he explained it differently and very well. Bonus, he is incredibly funny and entertaining! I did not bring my laptop today, so I had my colored pens and my teacher planner, and I finally made use of my notes section! I'm sure the two guys behind me thought I was a total dork, but I don't care! Thank goodness I know Jess wouldn't judge me for my ridiculous obsession with color coding things :) Nothing can replace actually going and listening to him, but I figured I'd cover some of the key points from today for you: Basically, grades should not be like a financial transaction i.e. You give me this, and I give you this. Grading should show what the students know and I firmly believe this! Their grade should not reflect their ability to turn things in on time, keep things neat, etc... It takes 2-3 years to effectively unwrap standards. *This was an eye opener, as we were asked to determine which standards are "priority" for our next inservice. This made me realize that maybe we need to come up with a formula or plan as to how we will determine what is "priority" CCSS. If we don't, I worry the meeting could become, "Well, we have always taught X in X grade, so I think X standard is a "priority" in that grade level." I LOVED the idea that we should determine the following when developing a CFA: What do we need to see? How can they demonstrate it? CFA's do not have to be the same in order to be common. This was AWESOME! I'm not sure if it's a utopian idea, but I love it :) We have to not think of tests and assessments as being negative, Rick discussed it as tests being autopsies vs. health reports (Great analogy!) This was some great information on different types of assessments, and I felt affirmed that we do our grading the same way! I also really enjoyed the idea of using pre-assessments to "prime the brain" and put information in their head. It reminds me of when I learn a new idea or word, and then I feel like I start seeing/hearing it everywhere. In reality, I probably was seeing it the same amount of time, but I wasn't picking up on it because it wasn't "on my radar"! My favorite idea of the day came from here: The Here's What, So What, Now What for effective feedback, and the Point and Describe method. *This was also a reminder for me that I can point out and acknowledge what each student says during a class discussion verbally using the point and describe method, and then they are acknowledged and affirmed. I added in there (in magenta in the middle) that I always feel compelled to have multiple grades in my grade book, but not because I think they are valuable. I worry that parents will wonder, "what are they doing in there?" if there aren't multitudes of grades. Here are my grade book assignments just for assessments for my 8th grade Language Arts ET class through the quarters so far: Quarter 1: WWTW, Learning Strategy Assessments, Shared Inquiry Quarter 2: Shared Inquiry, CFA's, Narrative Writing Assessment, Close Reading Assessment, Writer's Workshop Quarter 3: CFA's, Close Reading, WWTW, Shared Inquiry. Notice how I've gotten more and more specific with my descriptions? I should leave it at this, but because I want a record for my effort grades, I also put in assignments that fall into the zero weight "Notes" category. Here's an example with BOTH from my 7th grade class: I think I need to stop this, and let my classroom calendar on eChalk speak for itself :) Here is a pic of the grading handout I give to parents at the beginning of the year: The self-assessment was right up my alley, especially since I am gearing up for our second Writer's Workshop *this time with poetry in a few weeks! I also love his reasoning and rationale for re-do's: If it's worth assigning, it's worth getting done If you don't let them do it, you are saying it's not important He talked about putting a NTY (Not There Yet), which reminded me of my "P" in the gradebook and Resubmit stamp. I completely agree with him that at first students will complain, but ultimately they will understand that you have their best interests in mind. The first year I learned about "resubmitting" at the effective grading conference, I came back and began immediately with my 8th grade ET students, in 4th quarter. They were SO mad that I was expecting them to do something AGAIN and do it BETTER, they were almost high schoolers, who did I think I was?? I will never forget the day I overheard a kid saying, I can't believe she *BLEEPING* wants me to do this again, what a *BEEP*. Although at first what he had said really stung, I realized I needed to get over my feelings and talk to him about it. When I took him in the hallway he knew what he had said was inappropriate, and then said, "I know you just want me to do well." I couldn't even be mad at him for swearing, he knew I wasn't doing it to be mean, but he was frustrated, he now had homework when he thought he was just finished. The best part is, I leave it in the grade book as a "P" for pass until they have 100%, so it couldn't just sit there not done. To paraphrase Dr. Tae, failure is not fun, but success is! This mindset also leads to more self-directed learning, because students take control of their learning, and their growth! Finally, he has a great list of procedures and policies for students wanting to retake an assessment. I use a "Request to Retest" that a colleague of mine made, and I think I'll make a few tweaks to it to use next year. This ended up being a page with some great "Top 10" lists for Gradebooks and things to avoid. He also discussed how to set up a standard based gradebook, but I'm still processing in my brain with that one :) My Goal: Take this professional development, reflect on it, and actually IMPLEMENT it into my classroom. I hope you enjoyed my recap! I had an excellent day, and I will definitely be using these ideas in the future. Have you gone to a professional development through your district recently and have some ideas to share? Do you want to guest blog on here? Send me a message or an e-mail if you are interested in the contact me button on the sidebar. Enjoy the weekend, everyone! We are looking at more snow here unfortunately, but I'm looking forward to the Oscars on Sunday! We plan to watch Gravity tonight, as we've only seen American Hustle (and LOVED it). Who are you rooting for?

In classrooms and at home, kids are reading a new genre of books about a timely topic: refugees. They're selling well and providing a sympathetic view of people often portrayed as threats.

Ryan Jensen, managing editor of the New Era compiled this PDF. These kinds of details really help my kids relate with the Apostles and Prophets. Thanks Ryan and New Era team!

Here are all my posts from the past three years related to the topic of student motivation....

2. At the end of your term as Governor, what should be your greatest accomplishment?

Check out this cumbersome discipline cheat sheet and imagine trying to use it in the heat of a kid meltdown. Not gonna happen.

The 14-year-old singer and First Nations activist has been invited to sing and speak for, among other things, a UN panel and the Paris climate talks

I see where Cardinal Cupich is planning a series of seminars on Amoris Laetitia. According to a letter obtained by the Catholic News Agency, the “New Momentum Conferences on Amoris Laetitia…

These Girl Up leaders know that it's hard being a girl anywhere in the world — whether you're fighting to go to school or convincing boys that yes, girls can run for student council, too!

What started as a profile piece by the school newspaper quickly morphed into an expose.

Andrew Lester has been charged with armed assault in the shooting of unarmed teen Ralph Yarl, who went to the wrong home to pick up his siblings.

Malizia II, a high-speed yacht built to race around the world, will take the teen activist to the US.

Download this Premium Vector about Online education or business training isometric vector concept illustration, and discover more than 142 Million Professional Graphic Resources on Freepik. #freepik #vector #digitallearning #computerlearning #onlinelecture

I've been having so much fun creating for friends. It's one of those things that I find so enjoyable to be able to use my creativity to make beautiful things. The weather has been beautiful here and makes it even more fun to be in the garage creating and having this little cutie out as my helper... Finishing up this week will be Life Simplified with Lori and my 21 day Vision Statement Challenge. I found this really fun road map that correlates with Monday's blog post. I love how simply it's laid out. It was found on Pinterest. Pin It