Bring Back the Joy of Schooling - Start by Noticing!

09/17/21 • 44 min

Take time to notice.

Brendan O’Day shares an important message for educators - Start by noticing: Slow down and bring back the joy of schooling. He tells the story of preparing soon-to-be leaders, guiding them skillfully to seek curiosity rather than judgement. We realize this school year is unlike any other. Brendan writes that we should “Focus on bringing back the joy of schooling. Focus on this hard, with immense love and grace and compassion and rigorous expectations for academic achievement.” How? Start by noticing.

Brendan O’Day, Ed.D. is a Founding Partner of the Meristem Group, LLC. Follow him on Twitter @BrendanODay.

Bonus: For our Wit & Wisdom ELA educator listeners, we make explicit connections to the classroom and how this aligns with noticing and wondering about texts and students!

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Connect with Melissa & Lori:

Take time to notice.

Brendan O’Day, Ed.D. is a Founding Partner of the Meristem Group, LLC. Follow him on Twitter @BrendanODay.

Bonus: For our Wit & Wisdom ELA educator listeners, we make explicit connections to the classroom and how this aligns with noticing and wondering about texts and students!

Visit OUR WEBSITE to subscribe to our newsletter and podcast! https://www.literacypodcast.com/

Connect with Melissa & Lori:

Previous Episode

Rethinking and Unlearning What We Know about Literacy

Matt Hoganson, Assistant Principal in Aurora, CO, is committed to unthinking and thinking again… or in other words, "in a turbulent world, there's another set of cognitive skills that might matter more: the ability to rethink and unlearn.” In the book Think Again, author and psychologist Adam Grant discusses the ability to rethink and unlearn.

As literacy leaders (and lovers), how can we unthink what we think we know about literacy and become open, divergent learners to guide this work? Matt models a learning-first approach to leading literacy in his school. If you’re interested in learning more about how Clayton Elementary School made the shift to a content-focused curriculum, check out this blog. And, if you’d like to read about Matt’s Spartan kids foundation, read this.

Visit OUR WEBSITE to subscribe to our newsletter and podcast! https://www.literacypodcast.com/

Connect with Melissa & Lori:

Next Episode

Ep. 74: Dyslexia and Reading Science: A Parent Advocate's Perspective

“I just thought kids learned how to read... and my daughter didn’t. She could identify 4 letters by the end of kindergarten .” Katie Hickerson's daughter, Cora, went from a joyous little one to a child with lots of big feelings after starting school, saying she felt stupid.
Katie pulled Cora out of school to be homeschooled - providing structured literacy instruction alongside rigorous tutoring through the International Dyslexia Association. In less than two years, Cora went from meeting a 1% reading benchmark to 92% and was back to herself - full of joy, laughter, and confidence.
How can parents (and educators) support the reading science movement? Listen and learn!
Visit OUR WEBSITE to subscribe to our newsletter and podcast! https://www.literacypodcast.com/

Connect with Melissa & Lori:

We answer your questions about teaching reading in The Literacy 50-A Q&A Handbook for Teachers: Real-World Answers to Questions About Reading That Keep You Up at Night.
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