Showing Students What Is Possible The language we use with students every day influences how they see themselves. Our words can shape students’ views of themselves years after our direct influence. Envisioning language gives children a vision of what is possible. Many of us can remember someone from our past who created a vision of Read More »
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SEP
03
2019
Setting Goals, Hopes, and Dreams: Connecting Students to the Community
Watching a student show up to school each day excited to learn is one of the great joys of teaching. We give our students that spark when we help them figure out…
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MAR
07
2019
Clearing the Way for New Growth
Recently I was in a school conducting observations, and I noticed that all of the classrooms were picture-perfect. The decorations on the walls looked like an advertisement for a teacher store, and…
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DEC
06
2018
Responding to Misbehavior with Empathy
Taking proactive steps to build a strong learning community, with practices like positive teacher language, interactive modeling, and investing students in rules through Hopes and Dreams, does a lot to prevent misbehavior…
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JUL
26
2018
What Are Your Hopes?
As we prepare for our upcoming Teachers and Leadership Conferences, we’ve been thinking a lot about hope. Students’ hopes and dreams are, of course, an integral part of the beginning of the…
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JUL
29
2015
Our Hopes and Dreams for School
Inviting students to name learning goals (hopes and dreams) right away shows them that school is a safe place, that they’re important members of the classroom, and that they can look forward…
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JUL
28
2014
“It All Begins With Hopes and Dreams”
Six months ago, a second grader at Roundtown Elementary, a K–3 school in York, Pennsylvania, brought a simple idea to a whole-school assembly—to place a bench on the playground for students who…
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AUG
15
2012
Books for Hopes and Dreams (2012)
Recommending children's books that teachers can use to begin talking about goal-setting and with their students has become an annual ritual for me. (Here are my picks for 2011 and 2010.) This…
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APR
09
2012
Helping Students Maintain Positive Mindsets
Recently, I ran the Rock 'n' Roll USA 2012 Marathon in Washington, DC. At about mile 19 of the 26.2 mile run, I realized that the goal time I'd set for myself…
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SEP
09
2011
More Books for Hopes and Dreams
A recent post on Facebook for more ideas about books to use with hopes and dreams made me think about why some stories work so well to inspire children to think about…
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JUL
19
2011
The First Six Weeks of School
The early weeks of each new school year offer teachers distinct opportunities and challenges. It is during this time—when expectations and routines are established, rules generated, and goals articulated—that the foundation is…
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DEC
28
2010
Setting Good Goals
"My goal is to get into shape this year.""My resolution for this year is to get to know my students better.""I want to do more professional reading this year.""My goal is to…
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SEP
21
2010
Teachers’ Hopes and Goals
In the hustle and bustle of the beginning of back-to-school time, have you thought about your goals for learning and growth for this year? I recently talked with a principal who was planning…
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SEP
03
2010
I Want to Be a Dentist!
For teachers who use the Responsive Classroom approach, talking with students about hopes and dreams (or hopes and goals) is a key activity during the first weeks of school. This discussion launches…
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AUG
25
2010
Read-Alouds to Inspire Hopes and Dreams
By now you probably know how much I love children's books! Here are some that would be perfect for launching a discussion of hopes and dreams—the first step in the Responsive Classroom…
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DEC
31
2009
Revisiting Hopes and Dreams in the New Year
Reflection and goal-setting are often a focus for adults in January, when the beginning of a new calendar year prompts us to think about what we've accomplished and what we hope to…
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APR
01
2009
My Hope and Dream for You
A few weeks before school ended last year, I wrote my fourth grade students notes stating a “hope and dream” for each of them as they moved on to fifth grade. My…
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AUG
01
2008
Hopes Make Goals Come Alive in a Speech & Language Classroom
Setting and working toward goals with students is a key element of my work as a speech/language pathologist. Each student I work with has an Individualized Education Plan (IEP) which names goals…
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FEB
01
2006
Hopes, Goals, and Classroom Rules
On a winter afternoon, a group of third graders has settled down for a class discussion. Their teacher, Nancy Kovacic, holds the book the children made last fall—pictures and words embodying their…
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AUG
01
2001
Hopes and Dreams in a Primary Classroom
I love the beginning of each school year with the coming of fresh new faces to excited to learn. Most of my students have been to kindergarten and come to first grade…
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