Perfecting the Practice

By Dr. Sandy Mercier
Posted on 8/17/2023 - 4 minute read

Yet there is more good news for educators who are struggling, and it entails realizing the power of self-compassion. According to Neff (2023), “self-compassion involves acting the same way towards yourself when you are having a difficult time, fail, or notice something you don’t like about yourself” (para. 2). Self-compassion demonstrates the notion that one is kind and gracious to themselves, even when faced with hard feelings and personal failings. It is the realization that we are not perfect as we honor and accept our humanness. Life is full of frustrations, losses, mistakes, and tragedy. This is the human condition. However, the more we open our hearts to this reality instead of fighting against it, the more we can truly feel compassion for ourselves and all fellow humans we encounter in this gift called life (Neff, 2023).

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By Dr. Gómez de Cervantes
Posted on 7/11/2023 - 6 minute read

For nearly four decades, research has documented the importance of metacognition in the learning process, however little attention has been devoted to providing a means for students and teachers to access tools that explicitly teach metacognitive skills. “Metacognition is an essential, but often neglected, component of a 21st-century education that teaches students how to learn” (Wilson & Conyers, 2016, p. 7). Coined by Flavell (1979), metacognition can be defined as “one’s knowledge concerning one’s own cognitive processes or anything related to them” (p. 232).  Put more simply, it involves thinking about thinking as one plans, monitors, and evaluates their learning (Baker, 2002; Schraw & Moshman, 1995).  As a lifelong learner and passionate educator, I believe metacognition is the greatest gift you can give your students; it allows them to take ownership of their learning journey.

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By Dr. MaryAnn Seng, Professor, School of Education
Posted on 2/13/2023 - 6 minute read

The devastating images of the Russian invasion of Ukraine may appear distant as one watches the tragic scenes of war and hears the number of deaths on the news.  The consequences of this war may not be felt by the average American in their daily lives.  However, international strife is quite often felt by American educators as the innocent, young victims of international conflict enter their schools as students.  While this article focuses on the Ukrainian refugees, it is not my intent to ignore refugees from other nations who are suffering from comparable hardships.  My hope is that the recommendations offered in this article will be used to support all K-12 refugee students.

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By Heather Vezner, Dean of the School of Education
Posted on 2/7/2023 - 5 minute read

The student teaching experience has been noted as one of the most stressful experiences for a pre-service teacher (Izadina, 2017). They have invested significant time, money, and effort into their dream of becoming a teacher. Now in student teaching, their proficiency as a teacher is tested.

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By Blanca Quiroz, Ed.D.
Posted on 2/1/2023 - 6 minute read

"Silence in the face of evil is itself evil: God will not hold us guiltless. Not to speak is to speak. Not to act is to act."
― Dietrich Bonhoeffer

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Posted on 1/30/2023 - 7 minute read

An at-risk student is a student who is at risk of not meeting academic or social expectations or of not graduating from high school. At-risk students may require extra support and resources to succeed in school and reach their full potential. Several factors can contribute to a student being at risk of not meeting academic or social expectations or not graduating from high school (Baum & McPherson, 2019; Watson & Gemin, 2008).

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By Kent Schlichtemeier, Ed.D.
Posted on 1/20/2023 - 4 minute read

I will never forget the first day of my teaching career.  School began promptly at 8:00 a.m.  I began to position myself towards the front of the room after the first bell brought students to their seats at 7:55.  To this day, I clearly remember standing for the first time in front of my inaugural class of sixth grade students as a nervous neophyte teacher.  At the sound of the second bell with the entire room eerily quiet, all students’ eyes were firmly fixed on me waiting to hear my opening words and watch my first moves.  It was at that moment I came to the humbling realization that leaders, such as teachers, have an enormous capacity to transform lives for the positive or negative. 

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By Darlene Messinger
Posted on 12/20/2022 - 4 minute read

I had to learn this the hard way. I used to fancy myself as a great debater, someone who loved to finish others' sentences to show I was right there with them. Didn't this demonstrate that I was actively engaged in the conversation? 

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By Dr. Lori B. Doyle
Posted on 10/24/2022 - 4 minute read

The past twenty years is an approximate time frame during which the phenomenon of burnout has been the focus of ongoing scientific and empirical research for effects on those working in the field of education (Hall et al., 2019). No longer a problem only or primarily discussed for effects on those in medical fields, burnout has been determined a challenge that can affect any professional working in any field (Beatrice, 2020; Marcionetti & Castelli, 2022). One contributing factor for the previous concentration on burnout specific to the helping fields was a description of doctors, nurses, or clinical professionals as those who serve a suffering population (Raimondi, 2019).

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By Heather Churney
Posted on 9/2/2022 - 3 minute read

When students decide to pursue a graduate degree, it is life changing. Time and money are poured into their education and that comes with a lot of sacrifice. This was no different for a cohort of students in their fieldwork in early 2020. Each student had made progress toward their 600-hour requirement to obtain their Master’s degree and PPS Credential. As their supervisor, we met weekly to discuss their experiences, support one another, and troubleshoot any problems that they may be facing. This group of 12 students was dedicated to their practice and to their students. Then March 2020 hit and everything changed!

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