Every teacher has two versions of their teaching. The observed one, and the default one.
The observed lesson is intentional. Planned carefully. Activities are selected in advance, timing is tighter, questions are clearer, engagement is more visible. We think more about differentiation, participation, outcomes. The default lesson is different. Not because teachers stop caring, but because everyday teaching runs on habit, pressure, time, curriculum demands, energy, survival. Over time, we all fall back on a dominant way of teaching - the version that feels most man
May 64 min read
What if WHAT support we give children matters just as much as HOW we support them?
We all want children to succeed. So we help. We explain, demonstrate, simplify, encourage, adapt, intervene... But have you ever wondered whether the way we offer help might sometimes make children feel less capable? Not because the help is wrong. Not because they don't need it. Simply because we've made it so obvious that they need someone else's help to succeed. Think about a child packing their schoolbag. They're doing it themselves, but it's taking forever. A parent stand
Oct 94 min read
The first week of school teaches more than any lesson
We spend a lot of time worrying about whether we'll cover the curriculum. But the interesting thing is... most of the curriculum can be caught up later. The first week can't. The first week of school is different. It is much harder to go back and rebuild what students learned about your classroom during those first few days. Because before they begin learning mathematics, science or literature, they are already learning something else - They are learning what kind of classroo
Sep 23 min read