In the Middle of It with Amy Kelly, The Ish Girl

I talk a lot about what’s developmentally appropriate in teens. I’ve done a couple of Episodes on it, I did a 5-part series on it for middle school teachers, I have …

Last week, we talked about how oftentimes, the dynamic between teachers and parents is very cautious sometimes, if not contentious. If you’re on the teacher si…

One of the things that has struck me in this coronavirus-affected world, is that parent-teacher communication has shifted drastically in the past month and a half. It’s…

This week, I’ve found it super-difficult to concentrate on anything for any length of time. Over the past few days, I’ve felt like crawling back into bed – and to be completely frank,…

MENTORS RATHER THAN TEACHERS

Truly impactful teachers transcend instruction and become mentors. All it takes is building connections with students.

Track with me here. Because I know from first-hand …

As an educator and a Mom, one thing I know for sure is that I want to equip my teens with everything they need to manage their own learning. Understanding how I l…

This is my son’s senior year. So far, classes have been canceled. Prom has been canceled. We’re anticipating that his Baccalaureate ceremony and graduation ceremony will proba…

I don’t know about you guys, but one of the things that’s been hard in our family during the coronavirus quarantine is feeling like we’ve seen it all and r…

One of my all-time favorite podcasts is Episode 16, where my good friend Tami Schow and I talk about healthy boundaries.

Given the COVID-19 self-quarantine that we're all experienc…

YA BOOKS IN CLASSROOMS

In part 2 of a conversation I had with Emily Roberson (Episode 69 was part 1), we talk about her young adult book, Lifestyles of Gods and Monsters, which was released in Octobe…

Today is the last day of scheduled spring break for my own teens, a senior and a sophomore. But our school district has canceled classes next week, and plan to reevaluate the sit…

Emily Roberson’s Lifestyles of Gods and Monsters is a Kardashian-inspired retelling of the Minotaur and the Labyrinth. Set in a modern-day version of Crete, this story…

What to Read Next in Your Middle School Classroom – and Why It’s So Important

How do you create connection with your students? What strategies do you use to get to know them as individuals, figure ou…

One of the hardest thing about teaching and parenting teens is the fact that you never know which kid is going to show up on any given day. You know what I’m talking about. The p…

One of the greatest things about teens? Things change faster than a revolving door most of the time. So whether you’re in a season of solving problems with your teen or everything is…

What to read next?

Life has been incredibly busy over the past couple of months, and I can’t wait for the holidays to arrive – so I can tackle my “What to Read Next” list – aka my TBR stack (To-Be-Re…

This is especially true in the teen years when kids tend to want to belong and fit it somewhere. It’s a healthy part of their development, this drive to figure o…

I don’t know about you, but I really hate confrontation. Whether it’s with Philip, my husband, or with one of my teens, it is not something I enjoy…

Why Use Connection Questions?

What would it look like if you could meaningfully connect with your teens whenever you wanted to?

It’s an intriguing question isn’t it, whether you’re a teacher or a par…

THE CHALLENGE TO LIVE LOVE

It’s easy to feel swallowed up by the despair, depression, and grit of this broken world we live in. The lack of humanity we witness, the level of disconnect we see among d…