Blog Archive

Tracy Chapman entered my life on a cool spring day in 1988 when, ironically enough, I was behind the wheel of my grey Toyota, sitting in rush hour traffic.

Beyond our intuitive understanding of the importance of teams, there is plenty of evidence across the physical and social sciences pointing to what we gain from working together.

Remodeling often requires breaking something. Remodeling also - usually - requires reflection. Here’s my point: We are all in the midst of remodeling our education system to accommodate an ever-changing world.

Our commitment to adult learning drives our annual ECLC Learning Agenda, and this year has inspired us to pursue more in-district, customized engagement with our communities. The most recent examples started in Lynnfield and Andover.

Hidden potential exists at all levels of the education workforce. Like students, educators need opportunities for growth and development in order to engage in ongoing learning and reflection. Educators also need space to stretch beyond your comfort zone.

Reimagining Middle School: Collins Middle School Pilot Site Visit (Salem)

ECLC Fall Gathering: Windows and Mirrors: Teaching, Learning, and Leading Across Difference. Last year ECLC Superintendents asked us to host a day of learning on Election Day for all district staff.

Social connection is good medicine. That was the conclusion of Dr. Vivek Murthy, U.S. Surgeon General, who spoke recently at “Building Connected Communities,” a national conference at Harvard University.

What’s your story, and how does it define you? This was the question Gloucester Spanish teacher Heidi Wakeman posed to her peers at a recent training she led during a professional development day.

For me and my extended family, the past several days have been gut-wrenching. We could only watch in disbelief as Hamas terrorists violently attacked Israel. I lived in Israel briefly and have dozens of friends and relatives who have made Israel their home.

The media and trade press is filled lately with stories about today’s realities of adolescence—from the Learning Policy Institute’s “What Adolescents Are Teaching Us Post-Pandemic and Why We Should Listen” to The 74’s “How Are Kids Really Doing after COVID-19?”

What metaphor would you use to describe middle school? Is it a roller coaster ride, with a lot of ups and downs, and plenty of screaming! A foundation upon which the house (high school and beyond) can be built?

“Use your head” is the typical mantra of parents, educators and grown ups everywhere as they encourage young people to think for themselves and make smart decisions. But how can the rest of our bodies and the world around us help?  

We often say that when educators are able to connect meaningfully with one another they come to feel a renewed sense of purpose, energy, and confidence. But what happens when you add students to the mix?

On Sunday, we celebrated our daughter Chenda’s graduation from college. From the beginning of the ceremony and throughout the weekend, I reflected on her extraordinary journey – from an orphanage just outside of Phnom Penh, Cambodia to an inner ring Boston suburb.

Asset-based storytelling is a powerful way to build empathy, equity, and meaning, either as a teacher of students, a colleague among teachers, a leader, or … well … any human.

On November 3 rd , about 70 participants, presenters, and facilitators got together at the Wylie Center in Beverly, MA, for the Fall Gathering of the Essex County Learning Community.

This past August, my colleague, ECLC member Craig Harris, and I had the opportunity to lead a short session called “Doing Diversity”. It was a powerful experience for me in a way that I hadn’t anticipated, but that I deeply treasured.