The Art of Letting Go (but only just enough) This fall, my classroom became an ongoing experiment in trust, growth, and self-discovery with the development of a self-directed learning environment. My central goal was to nurture metacognition and self-determination by helping children learn how to think about their own thinking , manage their time, and navigate the emotions that accompany learning. At an arts-based school that celebrates creativity and reflection, the shift fr

Every educator wants to nurture "lifelong readers". This often means developing students who not only can  read but choose  to read in...

When a third grader says, “I can’t do it!”  the words may sound simple and you might want to respond with care and patience, but...

Today was the first day my students truly experienced what a self-directed classroom can feel like. For the past two months, I’ve been...