What Work Energizes You?

I try lots and lots of varying education-related ventures, and the more I try, the more I realize that what energizes me most in education is working to teach every child well. I love the challenge, creativity, and research that this goal awakens in me.

Meeting the goal of teaching children well includes the following efforts:

• Optimal collegial collaboration
• Lots of good reading and research
• Attention to pedagogy, pacing, observation, listening, and parent-student collaboration
• Creating an optimal teaching/learning environment
• Advocacy with regard to what students and teachers need for optimal teaching and learning

With this in mind, I said no to a number of invitations recently--wonderful professional invitations, but invitations that would take me away from this valued goal.

Instead, as noted before, I want to spend my summer reading a lot and working towards my development as an energized, committed, knowledgeable,and successful teacher of young children. This has been my life's work and it is work I continue to be dedicated to.