Podcasts about regie routman

This episode previously aired in another season. Hello everyone! Literacy Essentials by Regie Routman is by far one of the most influential books I've read in my teaching career. It's a book I turn to weekly for advice, insight, and encouragement in my work to bring authentic literacy to my students.  So when I was given a chance to talk to Regie herself, I knew I couldn't pass up the opportunity. To my delight, Regie is just as honest and passionate in person as she is in her many books. She doesn't waste time in our talk About Regie: REGIE ROUTMAN has more than forty-five years of experience working in diverse, under-performing schools across the U.S. and Canada as an educational leader, mentor teacher, literacy coach, classroom teacher, and teacher of students with learning differences. Her current work involves on-site demonstrations of highly effective literacy and leadership practices and side-by-side mentoring and coaching of principals, administrators, and lead teachers in order to improve reading and writing engagement, achievement, and enjoyment—across the curriculum–for all learners. Her many research-based books and resources have supported hundreds of thousands of teachers, principals, and educators at all levels to create and sustain trusting, intellectual school cultures where hearing all the voices and ongoing, professional learning are priorities. Regie's most recent book is Literacy Essentials: Engagement, Excellence, and Equity for All Learners. (Stenhouse, 2018) For full information on Regie's publications including her Transforming Our Teaching video-based, online literacy series, her PD offerings, and blogs, see www. regieroutman.org  

@regieroutman bravely and loving shares many of her personal stories to help restore our sense of hope, joy, and possibility in uncertain times.   Free PDF of Chapter 5 (https://s3-eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/s3-euw1-ap-pe-ws4-cws-documents.ri-prod/9781032445502/Chapter%205.pdf)   Companion website for free resources (https://sites.google.com/view/theheartcenteredteacher/home)   Order the book (https://amzn.to/3RX2wat)

In this episode we discuss with author and educator Regie Routman's latest book: The Heart Centered Teacher - Restoring Hope, Joy, and Possibility in Uncertain Times. She has more than 50 years of experience teaching, coaching, and leading in diverse, underperforming schools and classrooms across the U.S.  and Canada. Her many research-based books and resources have supported hundreds of thousands of educators to create and sustain intellectual, joyful, and equitable school cultures where all learners can thrive. For full information on Regie's books, articles, podcasts, and videos, go to www.regieroutman.org  Want to learn more about our mentoring program? visit Teacher RockStar Academy Mentoring Program

Ever since the advent of the Internet, professional development for educators has become more prominent online. Teachers and school leaders found a home in Twitter. It's been a source of knowledge and a facilitator of long-lasting connections, even friendships. How can educators use this platform today for professional learning, especially with its current challenges?In my conversation with Dr. Mary Howard, author of RtI From All Sides and Good to Great Teaching (affiliate links), we talk about this social media platform, including:* The upcoming #g2great discussion on Twitter around Regie Routman's new book The Heart-Centered Teacher (affiliate link),* How to engage in a Twitter chat, and* What the future may hold for online professional learning.Listeners will walk away with a greater appreciation for continuous improvement as literacy leaders.Related #G2Great Resources* Our #G2Great Wakelet Collections (Regie's will be posted after the chat)* 10-20-22 Blast From the Past: Literacy Essentials (Blog post)* 1/11/18 Literacy Essentials (Blog post)Looking for more learning?Check out the video archive of my conversation with Mary. You will find a brief guide for how to engage in a Twitter chat. In addition, I provided an original article on how to apply a modern framework for digital learning in classrooms and school for full subscribers. Sign up today! Get full access to Read by Example at readbyexample.substack.com/subscribe

In this conversation with Regie Routman, we explore her writing process that led to her new book The Heart-Centered Teacher: Restoring Hope, Joy, and Possibility in Uncertain Times (Routledge, 2023).I was interested in learning more about her purpose and intentions around this important book. Below are three questions I asked Regie.* The cracked plate, beautifully depicted on your book cover in a painting by Toby Gordon, is a powerful metaphor for navigating uncertain times. What felt true to you as you connected this item to our lives?* In the conversation you had with Kelly Gallagher and Penny Kittle, they shared that your book is unlike any other professional learning resource they read. You appreciated that comment. Was it your intention from the start to make this book at least part memoir? * Another concept that you speak to often is the power of story. In schools, teachers and leaders are often having their stories told for them only through test scores and media reports, often incorrectly. What are some of your favorite, practical ways for educators and students to better control their narratives?Listeners will walk away with a greater understanding of the “why” behind this book. The ideas Regie shares with us can help any educator reclaim hope and joy in teaching and leading in uncertain times.In addition to this audio, full subscribers have access to the video recording archive, along with a downloadable three question reflection protocol Regie and I workshopped to help students “restory” their lives. This episode is also available on Apple and wherever else you listen to your podcasts. Let people know what you think with a rating and review. Get full access to Read by Example at readbyexample.substack.com/subscribe

Read by Example is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts each week in your inbox, become a free or paid subscriber.For this article club, colleagues and I explored the following questions and more as we discussed Paul Emerich France's article (ASCD Blog).* How can schools balance instructional transparency with teacher empowerment?* Is there a reasonable rationale for why principals can expect lesson plans to be submitted to them?* If teachers are expected to be leaders, what are the conditions in which they can thrive?The following guests joined me for this enlightening discussion:* Debra Crouch, Teaching Decisions* Mary Howard, Literacy Lenses (Twitter)* Don Marlett, Learning Focused (Twitter)Listeners will walk away with a more nuanced understanding of effective vs. ineffective lesson planning, the conditions for teacher agency, and how to build a school culture based on trust.(Go to the end of this post for the full transcript of our conversation.)Additional Benefits for Full SubscribersFull subscribers enjoy additional resources:* The ability to comment on all posts.* The opportunity to participate in these live conversations via Zoom.* Access to the video recording archive of professional conversations, as well as a copy of the discussion guide which can be used to support similar continuous improvement efforts in your context.Become a paid subscriber today to enjoy all of these community benefits.Coming Up:October & November Book Club, The Heart-Centered Teacher by Regie Routman“How do we find hope and possibility in challenging times?”In her latest book, Regie Routman offers all educators “a refreshing chance to pause, take a breath, and reflect on how you and your students can live more compassionate, generous, and authentic lives.” The Heart-Centered Teacher is about more than literacy; it's about “developing, nurturing, and sustaining caring relationships - in our teaching lives, our home lives, and in the happy intersection of both.”You are invited to join us this fall in an eight-week book club around this text. You can purchase Regie's book at one of the links below.Full subscribers can participate in two monthly conversations via Zoom around the book on the following dates:RSVP here.All subscribers will be able to post comments on discussion threads related to the book on the following dates:* October 10th: Chapters 1-2* October 24th: Chapters 3-5* November 7th: Chapters 5-7* November 21st: Chapters 8-10We will be using the study guide and additional chapter resources to help support the discussion, found at the book's companion site.All of this is made possible through the generous support of full subscribers - thank you!Full Transcript (generated by Rev.com; the AI is to blame for all grammatical errors. :-)Matt Renwick (00:02):Welcome to Read by Example, where teachers are leaders and leaders know literacy. And I'm welcoming here again, Mary Howard, Debra Crouch, and Don Marlett. Mary, if you want to start, just share a little bit real quickly about yourself, what you do.Mary Howard (00:18):Sure. I'm a literacy consultant, still heavily engaged in education, living in Honolulu, Hawaii, and have been a teacher for 51 going on 52 years now.Matt Renwick (00:33):Deborah,Debra Crouch (00:35):I'm Debra Crouch. I, I'm also working as a literacy consultant these days and just was with second and fourth grade teachers today talking about the practices in their classrooms, and this was very applicable to some of the work that we were doing. So I'm excited about this conversation.Matt Renwick (00:55):Awesome. Yeah.Don Marlett (00:58):Hi, I am Don Marlett with Learning Focused. So I thought this would be a fun one to join. Alright. Specifically within an instructional framework is one of our focus areas,Matt Renwick (01:15):And I'm familiar with all of your work, either through reading or presenting. So this is a very knowledgeable group. I'm honored to be here. So today's topic, and again, the intention here is to just engage around a topic of interest that people are talking about. And this was something that was getting debated on Twitter, whether or not teachers should have to submit lesson plans and looking at the bigger topics of school-wide expectations, balancing that with teacher empowerment and the articles by Paul Emrich, France for ASCD blog. So the question I had just in mind was, should teachers be required to submit lesson plans or do we need to ask a better question? I get a sense there's more to the issue here at a deeper level than just lesson plans, but we can get into that. And the other purpose we record these conversations is just to demonstrate how to facilitate a professional conversation.(02:14):And this is the heart of professional learning. We don't talk about some of these big topics in schools because they could be too contentious. You're afraid it might spiral into an argument debate. And so hopefully through this process, through professionals such as ourselves that we can demonstrate that for our colleagues. So everyone gets this guide who is a full subscriber to the newsletter. So thank you to everyone who is a full subscriber, really important to have norms with some of these conversations. Working norms, agreements, I just use some from the Peloton group. A dialect should be a basic attitude. Create safe spaces, include all relevant parties in a dialogue. You listen, let everyone share their experiences, ask questions, talk about difficult topics and contribute to forgiveness and reconciliation. And one thing I've seen presenters do is to ask the audience each person to like, which one are you going to focus on to add during this time together? Which one do you want to really work on? So that's a strategy you might want to try. So just to kind kick things off, but what are you listening to right now? Just more of an inclusion activity. It doesn't have to be music, it could be a podcast, it could be anything nature.(03:36):I'll go first.Don Marlett (03:38):Go ahead Matt.Matt Renwick (03:41):I'll be the first to go here. I've been listening to a huberman Lab podcast. Andrew Huberman is a neurobiologist in California and he's a podcast and just talking to a psychiatrist in the East Coast, Paul Conti at Harvard Medical School about mental health and talks about the framework for mental health. So I found it very illuminating and I want to share it out at some point for all schools. I think the framework's very helpful in terms of how we can help kids and even adults. So that's what I'm listening to.Don Marlett (04:18):I just started listening to writing for Busy readers. I saw it, I follow Angela Duckworth and she posted it. And so it was a good book, but also because whenever we send emails from our company and all that stuff that everybody is busy. So how can we make it so that they can actually read them? Since we all know it's hard to read our own emails. It's very good so far.Matt Renwick (04:47):And it was a book or it was a podcast?Don Marlett (04:50):It's a book. So I'm just using reading the audible version, listening to the audible version of it. Cool.Mary Howard (05:01):Okay. Well, I'll go. I just finished listening to, I'm a big fan of Dr. Andy Johnson's the reading instruction show. What I love about Andy is how clear and strong he is in talking about some of the issues. And so I enjoy listening to that and I enjoy taking notes and just kind of thinking it through. He usually has a podcast maybe once every couple of weeks or so, and it's really very well done.Matt Renwick (05:37):Nice.Debra Crouch (05:38):Well, I'm going to fess up and be the one who says I am not good with podcasts because the podcasts that are professional, I want to be sitting and taking notes on. People will say, oh, listen to it while you walk. Doesn't work for me. I want to take notes. And I can't do that while I'm walking. So I haven't figured out really how to put podcasts. My life very well. I can listen to the Fluffy. I absolutely loved my brain. Just went absolutely did. On her name, Julia Louis Drive's podcast series. I don't know if you saw that, where she's talking to women older than her and she's like, what can I learn from you? So I listened to that podcast, but I was thinking about what am I listening to? And I was just listening in the car to this brilliant artist called Rianna Giddens. Do you know Rianna in her work?(06:32):How do you spell her name? Rianna? I don't know if I'm pronouncing it correctly. Nan like the Fleetwood Max song, Giddens, G I D D E N S. And saw Americana music. And I learned about her through a book that I was reading on creativity and they profiled her in this book. She's won a number of awards, but she decided that she didn't want to be on that I'm into the popular music and going on the tours and doing that sort of continuing to grow and be popular in that way. She decided to focus inward in her writing and in her songs and in her musical choices. She's one of the most glorious voices, I think. And that's the word I would use. It's a glorious voice. So that's who I've been listening to. But when you say that, I'm like, okay, I listen to music, not a podcast listener, really. So anyway, so that's what I've been listening to right now.Matt Renwick (07:38):Nice. I like Fluffy.Don Marlett (07:42):And Debra, I feel your pain. I never last very long. When I'm listening to audible books, my mind starts racing, so that's why it takes me. I go back and forth between that and Fluffy, so I'm like you, I can't just sit there and listen for the whole thing, which doesnt work when you're driving. So I can't listen to her for very long.Mary Howard (08:04):And sometimes when I'm walking and I'm starting to listen to a podcast, it's bad because I pull out a pen and I end up taking notes all the way down my arm and now sit at the, I try to just put a marker and then like you said, I need to write it down so I listen to the podcast at home and type out the important things. I like it, but yeah, it was bad on my skin.Matt Renwick (08:30):I heard that's the best way to do it, is to listen and then go home and then write down what you remember paraphrase. And that actually is the best way to synthesize, which I don't do. Of course I do it. I'll bring up Google keep notes and I will record myself and it will transcribe what I say. But yeah, I think that's the best way is just to listen and then write it later. Alright, so the article, thanks for sharing, I'll put those in the notes. The article again is why teachers shouldn't have to submit lesson plans. And this piqued my interest was posted on Twitter, and another pretty well-known educator, former principal had said, I just disagree with this whole thing. And I like that when there's disagreement, I think that's good. The principals, we can require to have lesson plans submitted to us, and I think that's important, and I think he would probably have some very good reasons.(09:32):But the reasons that Paul Emerich France listed were to not submit them is he started his first two weeks teaching and he's like, I wrote them all at length and after two weeks I was exhausted and I was constantly changing them because I was paying attention to my kids. I wasn't able to be responsive because my lesson plans were all planned out literally. So he just noted that first administrators don't have time, so they're not going to read hundreds of lessons every week, creates more paperwork. The second reason is traditional lesson planning is unsustainable. He likes five questions, which I thought were good, which is what should students know and be able to do by the end of the lesson? How will I know if they've learned? So it sounds like PLCs, how will I provoke curiosity and discussion? How will I orchestrate instruction? How will learners reflect on that lesson? So that's his framework he uses for lessons, a much abbreviated version. And the third reason is teachers feel micromanaged. So just thinking about those three reasons that France lists, what are just your initial thoughts on that?Mary Howard (10:44):Well, I'll just start by something that he said early on, and I thought it really kind of was a crux of the whole article. He said, plans change, they have to, teaching is unpredictable and uncertain, especially when 20 or more human beings are along or this ride we call learning, steering the ship with their questions, emotions and thoughts. Teaching cannot follow a script. And that's one of the problems that we're seeing right now with scripts and very controlled plans because it's in the moment teaching in my mind, there's nothing more important than that in the moment teaching. So having a plan is really important. I thought it would be very difficult to write plans with all five of those questions, but I was certainly really intrigued by them. But I think that really is the crux of the article for me, that if we don't leave room for that in the moment decision-making, that there's no way we could plan for it, then how are we really being responsive to children as opposed to being responsive to whatever it is that we're turning in.Debra Crouch (12:05):It was interesting because when I read this for the first time, I had a lot of different ways of thinking about this because I do a lot of this with teachers in my work where I'm planning with teachers and this work. And so one of the things that I wrote as a note was what does a lesson plan look like for this author? One of the questions that I had, because I've been in situations with teachers where I've gone in thinking, okay, we're going to do some planning, and I'm thinking bigger planning, like unit kind of planning or a series of lessons kind of planning, but the teachers think we're planning a lesson and that we're walking away with it. So we had to do a lot of clarifying of what we mean when we talk about planning. There's that the unit plan, the weekly plan, the daily plan.(12:59):And then one of the other layers that started popping in was the prep. What does it mean to prep a lesson, right? You have your lesson plan, but you still have preparation. You have to do kind of in that moment kind of thing. So I think that was a question that I had within this was like, okay, what exactly are you talking about when you talk about lesson plans and turning them in? Because I know when I was a teacher, we did turn in weekly lesson plans, and one of the things that I thought so much about was that as a new teacher, I didn't like doing it. So I could totally relate to his thing about teachers feeling controlled and micromanaged. But in hindsight now I can see that it forced me and pushed me to be prepared in a way that I probably would not have been had I not had to make sure at eight o'clock on Monday morning.(13:51):Those were in my box and I knew it was just more of they just wanted to make sure we were planned and they could come in at any moment. I may understood how they were working with it, but once I learned how to, in a way they didn't care how we turned it in, it didn't matter what it looked like, it was just that you had it in there. Everybody looked at different, everybody's looked different. But I felt like once I learned how to put it onto paper, then I felt like I actually knew what I was doing. It was more like a to-do list for myself, just with the notes and excel. Anyways, it was just an interesting, I'm talking too much, but it was an interesting way of looking because my first question was like, okay, what's he talking about when he talks about a lesson plan? What exactly would that look like?Matt Renwick (14:36):And Debra, you make a point here that France recommends in the end of the article that for new teachers, but I think any teachers would benefit from having their coach learn the art of planning and prepping and what's the difference in what you're talking about? I would just be really good practice for any teacher PLCs, but working with coaches like you, Deborah or Mary or Don, I think that would be just powerful professional learning for anyone. Don, what are your initial thoughts here?Don Marlett (15:06):Yeah, it's funny because that I follow a couple of Facebook principal groups and this always seems to be divided down the line. When a new administrator asked that question, I think I went back to what Mary and Debra were saying is depends on how you define the word plan. If you define it as a script, a hundred percent agree, scripts are not in my mind a plan. So one of the things that we do sometimes is just what do you define a plan? How do you define that? We do that in one of our trainings and the whole point of it is when we get to the end of that with teachers is that nobody ever says it's rigid or it's a script. It's always flexible, but having an outline, like writing an outline for an article or a book or anything like that without having an outline, it makes it harder to be more flexible in our view.(16:00):So that was one of my thoughts with that. And also the other half of that was the admin piece of it. And again, it depends on if you define admins, reviewing every single component of every single lesson plan versus pieces. This week I'm just going to look for how I'm going to launch my curiosity and discussion, and then next week or two weeks down the road, what does that look like? And the way that he defined it of every single teacher or every single week is not sustainable. Absolutely. It's not sustainable for admins to be able to do that. And if that's how you define it, then I could see why you would vote against it.Matt Renwick (16:42):And just coming out of 16 years as a building principal, I can vouch for there's zero time to viewing everyone's lessons. The only time where I would really find I would find the most valuable when I'm doing unannounced mini observations that were required to do, I would go when I would read the lesson and then observe just to see are their intentions, their actions aligned with their goals and what are the standards? And I always found that helpful to have the context, but oftentimes as many times it's not. I could figure that out just by observing the lesson. I didn't need to look at the lesson plan, especially if it was a very good lesson, it was very explicit. I would never even need to look. So good instruction.(17:30):The lesson plan is very visible, right? In the classroom, I guess I think of lessons kind of as a map. It's a set of directions. You don't necessarily have to go the route you necessarily plan for. You might go on a diversion. So I think France's ideas here of provoking curiosity, orchestrating instruction, like the term verb, orchestrate versus mandate or direct, I think you're orchestrating kids is learning, but you're trying to empower them at the same time. So the compass is the kids, right? And the learning that you're trying to accomplish and the lessons are more of the map. So Deborah kind of hinted at this, but the second question I was wondering, and feel free to pose your own questions, but just playing devil's advocate, what were some other reasons why you would require these and lessons?Debra Crouch (18:26):So I work in a school where the teacher teams plan certain parts of their days for each other, their dual language school. So someone's the planning, the s l A part, someone's planning the e l a part, someone's planning the science, the social studies, and they do a lot of sharing of that. And so one of the conversations that we're talking about is what would a teacher, how detailed do your plans need to be when you share them out with your team members, team members so that they're able to understand the focus of the work and what you're hoping to accomplish. So one of the things I'm planning to do is to share these five questions with them because I think that would be really a strong part of the conversation when you think about someone else taking your plan, which is always a little awkward for me, just that whole concept of trying to take someone's plan. So when he was talking about can you pull off a lesson plan? I was like, that whole in the moment, pull a lesson plan when you're in a pinch, you need a last minute lesson. And I was like, okay, what's that about?(19:42):But if you are sharing those things, that might be a reason why you're putting more information together on a plan. So that's not necessarily for an administrator, although administrators would maybe look at that, but if you're sharing with your colleagues on your grade teams and things, I was thinking about that in terms of when you might need to do more lesson planning inMatt Renwick (20:05):That way. We facilitate collaboration and communication, I think too, a grade level teachers, but also classroom and special education teachers, classroom and interventionists technically powerful. Yeah, that's a good point.Mary Howard (20:21):Yeah. And, you said at one point when you were talking earlier that teachers were encouraged to come up with lesson plans that work for them. And I think that's what gave me a little bit of pause when I looked at the five questions, which are perfect, but it's so easy to turn something into rigid by saying it has to look like this. The one that I've always used is just three columns, and the first one was what I know, meaning what do I know about these children? What do I know about this child? What do I know about this small group? So just what do I know? And that's the piece I think we often don't do. The second is what I think what I see is the lesson, but the third one for me was the most important at all. What did I change in the moment?(21:11):And I use different colors and I say to teachers, we have to understand that a really good lesson plan is going to change based on you can't anticipate what children say or do. And I think sometimes we dishonor that. So I always would have teachers put in a different color, these are the things that changed and that became the professional conversation. Why did I take more time here? Or why did I have children generate their own? What are you thinking about or what are you wondering? And it's really important to me not just to have, here's the plan, even though those are five great things. Here's the plan and here's five things. I want them to create their own structure. But I also want to, even if you don't have a column, say now go back at your lesson plan after the fact and just jot down in color, these are some things that I changed or I added a question, or children generated this question and we spent a little time there.Matt Renwick (22:21):Mary, is that resource you mentioned, is that available anywhere? Is it in one of your books or,Mary Howard (22:28):I feel like I talked about it in good to great teaching because good to Great teaching was a lot of different forms that teachers would teach and look at. And that probably would be the book where we talked about it the most. And one of the things I actually did in that book is that I would come in and observe a lesson of their whatever they wanted. We'd have a conversation about it. We talked about what might they have done differently, and then either with that group or another group, they redid that lesson with the changes based on our conversation. So it probably would come from good to great teaching.Matt Renwick (23:08):I think that'd be, if you find time, I think that'd be a powerful article somewhere with a template LinkedIn, like Paul has in his article, he has that link in the article. But I think that would be really helpful resource.Debra Crouch (23:22):I always try and think about that. The purpose of the plan is to help you envision, to me, I always say to teachers, the reason that I even craft this detailed plan is that I'm envisioning what happens or possibly could happen. Because when you think about sitting in front of kids and being responsive to kids and knowing your learners and how you put that into practice is I've got to think about, okay, we might go here, we might go here. I know this kid, I know we're probably going to go here and you're envisioning. And for me, it's thinking about, okay, what might I say in the moment? Because I think sometimes we think responsive means off the cuff, and to me, being responsive means I've anticipated some of the kinds of things that could happen based on the kids and based on the text and what I know.(24:14):So his question about facilitation I think is really an important piece, but it's like if you get to the place where you think that planning just means I'm envisioning it happening, and then I can reflect back on it afterwards and say, okay, well this part, ooh, didn't see that one coming. You always have those moments where you think this was going to happen or this is going to be the word that the kids are going to get stuck on. And then there's like, they didn't have that problem, but it was this problem and you didn't see that. I said, children always teach you about teaching. They'll always teach you about what the issues are in the book if you just are a good listener, what they talk about.Matt Renwick (24:51):I like that. Don, any thoughts here?Don Marlett (24:53):Yeah, I think in our experience, we work with a lot of schools that want to increase the use of specific high yield strategies, maybe collaborative pairs, something like that. And so a lot of times the teachers will be given the professional development. And what we all know now is that professional development doesn't really change necessarily behavior of teachers in a large quantity. So you have to of course monitor that in a couple of different ways. And so in our experience, the more that they've planned them and put them into their lesson plans, the more likely they are to incorporate them into their classrooms. So that would be something if I want a higher percentage of collaborative pairs and specific type of collaborative pairs within my school, and that's what my goal is for increasing student engagement, that would be something that I would monitor inside of a lesson plan that at least they're planning them out to see if when they're going to use them. And our experience is that similar to what you just said, Deborah, which is the higher level of collaboration, requires quite a bit of planning, a simple collaboration of just simply talk to somebody in your group doesn't really require any planning. And so that's why we see, at least in my experience, a large percentage of that version of collaboration, which is not necessarily the biggest impact. It just happens better than of course, no collaboration. But there's different levels that just seem to have require more planning with inside of that.Matt Renwick (26:28):Don. That's where my brain was going too, is to use that information in the lesson plans as an administrator or an instructional coach to see how our teacher's doing with, like you said, high yield strategies, or are they just go to page 1 29 and answer these questions, which isn't a lesson plan, it's just a to-do list, or are they more so to where Francis' questions are around is what do they want them to know, be able to learn? I appreciate Mary and Deborah's point of looking at the kids first and then thinking about the content. So think these all make sense. The third question I had is could we be asking a better question, not why teachers should or shouldn't have to submit lesson plans? What is this really about? And I'll just note that I circled the third reason why we shouldn't require lesson plans submitted is micromanaged and to the point of where teachers are feeling disempowered.(27:30):And what that leads to is a lack of agency in teachers feeling like they're not trusted, feeling like they can't be trusted to deliver the curriculum. And there might be situations where there's a teacher to where they aren't doing what they should be doing, they're not even writing lessons for not requiring, they're just flipping to the next page. And there's no reflection. There's no using a formative assessments to guide the day-to-day instruction. So I understand why it's much easier just to say everyone, you're doing lesson plans and then you can use that, like Don was saying, and you all were saying is really just looking at teachers thinking their decision making and from a day-to-day perspective. But yeah, what is this really about? Is power or what are your thoughts on that?Debra Crouch (28:23):Well, I always think if your teachers are asking or saying things like, am I doing this right? That's when you see you've created that. They're thinking about how do I please or how do I perform in a certain way in that micromanaged kind of way. So I always think those are signals for us as leaders, if we're relying too heavily on maybe templates or here's a lesson plan format we want you to follow things like that. But I hear what you're saying. It's at some point we do need to know as leaders, okay, where are you going with that? What were your intentions? So it's like how do you balance that out? So I don't know. I was thinking, I was jotting down, I think you actually said this a minute ago, how do we support our teachers to be planned and prepared? So it's kind of that question, how can we do that? And does it have to be the same for everybody?Matt Renwick (29:23):Yeah, you don't want it to be compliance. And I've fallen into that trap myself as a leader. I've required things just because it's easier for me, but not necessarily responsive for them. So guilty as charged for sure.Mary Howard (29:37):And I wonder if we make teachers a part of that discussion more at the end. He said, when kids have teachers who feel heard and valued, those teachers will be more likely to exercise their agency to reach as many kids as possible in creative and innovative ways, whether that's a coach like you all of you are doing, or whether that's coming together and talking about what that might look like, not what that will look like, but what that might look like and bringing yourself to the table. And I think that when teachers feel agency, they pass that agency along to their children and they recognize that none of us want to feel micromanaged. And hopefully that's going to be a trickle down effect to children.Don Marlett (30:29):And for me, I think the micromanaged gets into feedback, get our given to principal, I mean by principals on lesson plans with that. If I might give feedback on a specific activity that they've chosen and say, oh, I think here this is a better activity, I think that's where they get lost in the micromanaging pieces versus giving feedback on high strategy or even the standard levels because everyone in that same state has the same expectations. And if I'm not using those to develop my plan, then that might be an area where you have to address inside of feedback. And to me, that's good micromanaging because a fantastic level, that's a fantastic lesson that's not on grade level is great lesson, but it also is not going to get the kids where they need to be. So that's part of it. Again, the micromanage, I think goes into the communication and how lesson planning, turning in lesson plans is communicated to the purpose of what they're doing. If it's never communicated, then I'm just going to fill in my own story and just call it micromanage. Yeah,Mary Howard (31:39):That's fair. Good point. Yeah,Matt Renwick (31:43):It could be as simple as just a thoughtful question in your lesson, this was your objective. How do you feel like the students met that objective and why do you think that happened? And just be very open-ended and not judgmental or trying to control the situation, but really trying to be more reflective, which can then be an entry point to what you're saying, Don, we're all saying here is having a conversation around is this at a high expectation level or not? And well, this has been a great conversation and I appreciate everyone being here. Any key takeaways? Again, I think in professional conversations it's good too. If I had a, we were in person, I'd have some kind of anchor chart in the back, everyone's key takeaways, but I think we got it recorded here. So anything you wanted to pull, what value was added to your practice after today's conversation?Mary Howard (32:44):Well, I think you said it in the beginning, the importance of conversations. And we never seem to have time to do that in schools. I mean, to be able to sit with the three of you to, hard to say the four of you, but I'm one of them to be able to sit with the three of you and just no agenda, but just have a conversation about what we're thinking, a really good, respectful, important conversation. That's what we don't leave room for in school. And that's why coaches and all of the things that you're doing are so incrediblyMatt Renwick (33:19):Important. Thanks, Mary.Debra Crouch (33:21):I think for me, just thinking about how important those conversations are to help us clarify that what we mean by a lot of these terms that we use in education, like what we said, a lesson plan, because I think everybody sitting at the table will have a different vision of what that is. And as I was going into Coach with a Grade team, and it took me a couple times to really come back to that at the beginning of the year with them last year, and that I needed to make sure that we were all talking about the same thing of what we were going to walk away with. Because just as these questions can be used for lesson planning, they can also be used when you think about your professional development, what do I hope if I'm leading in professional development, what do I hope the teachers will leave knowing and being able to do? And how will I know if they're feeling confident and comfortable with that? And those same questions apply when we put that up to the adults that we support as well. So I think that's just a great way of thinking about that. This is not just about the kids, but it's also about our adults as well in the building.Don Marlett (34:39):I think my big takeaway is around the definition piece, even in when we're working with teachers of what those expectations are, but primarily because I do most of my individual work with principals and school leaders of making sure that they have clearly communicated what they define as a lesson plan and some of these questions that he's bringing up, and making sure that the leaders have an answer for those one way or the other of why they're not doing it or why they are doing it.Matt Renwick (35:16):I'll just say my takeaway is hopefully this is a model, especially for new leaders, whether principals, instructional coaches that are in charge of pd. You don't have to plan a lot. Mary said there wasn't much of an agenda, which is I think, a good thing. You can just come in with a provocative article or around a topic that's relevant to your school and provide a couple questions and just give teachers a safe space to talk and that's what they crave. And then just pulling a few outcomes out of it like we are now and thinking about maybe a few actions if we were a faculty in school, like, okay, we're going to have some intentions around some PD related to lesson planning, and we're not going to dictate one thing. We're going to include you. But that's all there is to this. I don't have to be a lesson plan expert as a new school leader to facilitate professional learning. That's powerful. So hopefully this is a model that can work you for anyone. Well, thanks again everyone for being here, and I enjoyed it. As always,Mary Howard (36:19):Thanks for hosting us, Matt. Yeah, thanksMatt Renwick (36:21):For hosting Matt. Yeah, my pleasure. Have a great night.Mary Howard (36:25):Okay, you too. Thank you. Good to meet you, Don. Nice to meet you too. Bye-bye. Bye. Get full access to Read by Example at readbyexample.substack.com/subscribe

What book would you consider to be essential reading for new school leaders?In this episode, Mary Howard (@DrMaryHoward), Debra Crouch (teachingdecisions.com) and I share some of our favorite books for principals, literacy specialists, and any teacher leader in a position of authority.Debra's Recommendations* Opening Minds by Peter Johnston (also Choice Words by the same author)* To Sell is Human by Daniel Pink* The Best Strangers in the World by Ari ShapiroMary's Recommendations* How Education Policy Shapes Literacy Instruction by Rachael Gabriel* The Heart-Centered Teacher by Regie Routman (also Literacy Essentials by the same author)Matt's Recommendations* Having Hard Conversations by Jennifer Abrams* Getting Things Done by David AllenIn the previous discussion thread, Ellie Olson (LinkedIn) recommended Leader Credibility: The Essential Traits of Those Who Engage, Inspire, and Transform by Douglas Fisher, Nancy Frey, Cathy Lassiter, and Dominique Smith.Know any new school leaders? You now have a short list of recommended resources to give them a head start on their new career!Take care,MattFull subscribers have access to all resources on this site, include video archives of our exclusive monthly conversations.Give the gift of becoming a literacy leader! Get full access to Read by Example at readbyexample.substack.com/subscribe

“What is the goal of independent reading, and why does this goal so often get lost in instruction?”We asked this and other questions of Hannah Schneewind. She is the author along with Jennifer Scoggin of Trusting Readers: Powerful Practices for Independent Reading (Heinemann, 2021). We explored how to best use our limited classroom time, as well as how leaders can support this critical element of the literacy block.You can purchase Hannah's book here. For a full transcript of this conversation, see below or click here. Full subscribers also have access to the video recording of this conversation, as well as the professional discussion guide for this conversation.Read by Example is a reader-supported publication. Thank you to our full subscribers for making transcripts and other benefits available to everyone. Full TranscriptMatt Renwick (00:03):Welcome to Read by Example, where teachers are leaders and leaders know literacy. That tagline is from Regie Routman's book, Read, Write, Lead, and I find that line especially appropriate for our conversation today. Our special guest is Hannah Schneewind, and she is the co-author, along with Jennifer Scoggin, of Trusting Readers: Powerful Practices for Independent Reading through Heinemann. Reading the bio in the back of the book, which is right here: Hannah Schneewind has been a teacher, staff developer, curriculum writer, keynote speaker, and national literacy consultant. Hannah's interest in student and teacher agency, and her belief in the power of books informs her work with schools. Together, Jen and Hannah are the co-creators of Trusting Readers, a group dedicated to collaborating with teachers to design literacy opportunities that invite all students to be engaged and thrive as readers and writers. Welcome, Hannah.Hannah Schneewind (01:07):Great. Thank you so much for having me. And I know that Jen is sorry that she's not here. She's traveling at the moment, so you'll have just me, I'm afraid.Matt Renwick (01:17):We are delighted to have you. And we have another guest with us, Mary Beth Nicholas, a Wisconsinite now living in Minnesota, working at an alternative school secondary level. She had been working with intervention students at the secondary level and brings a neat perspective as well to trusting readers, especially after that elementary experience. So, with that I have three questions I was going to pose to Hannah, but take the direction wherever you want it to go. And again, our intentions for this conversation are just to build knowledge and awareness around this topic, and to practice coaching skills while engaging in conversation around professional topics. So, really trying to serve as a model for any leader of any position, how you might, co-create knowledge together instead of living in sometimes these echo chambers we see in education. My first question is for Hannah: what is the goal of independent reading and why does this goal so often get lost in instruction?Hannah Schneewind (02:26):So the first thing I would say is that the goal of independent reading is for students to become really skilled and proficient readers. And being proficient includes being skillful with decoding, fluency, and comprehension. So the reason I think it's really important to start with that is that too often independent reading is seen as this kind of fluffy thing, or it's an add-on, or it's a thing that you do for 10 minutes at the end of the day if you have time. And so I just want to start by saying, no, this is a serious teaching and learning time. So I would say that's the big goal. And then within that goal, of course, we have lots of other things, right? We want kids to find joy in reading. We want them to have books that they connect with. We want them to find books where they can make meaning and then really are motivated to take some kind of action after they're reading.(03:28):I'll tell you though, I won't say that the goal of independent reading is to make students love reading, because I think when we say that, number one, we do ourselves a disservice as professionals because that seems kind of fluffy. And number two, I actually can't do that. That is to say, I can set up the condition, you know, I can give you lots of choice and I can give you the right feedback at the right time, and I can give you lots of time to read. I can set up the conditions for you to love reading, but I can't actually make you love reading. So I think, that's something I have thought a lot about. So I no longer say, the goal is for all them to love reading. They might or they might not. So, then in terms of why does it get lost?(04:16):I think it gets lost for a few reasons. I think it gets lost, number one, when it is not in fact the focus of reading instruction. When it becomes something to do at the end of the day or it sometimes gets lost because the teacher is trying to also work with small groups, let's say, and independent reading is something that the students can in fact do independently that she knows it's going to be really impactful. And so she ends up doing small group instruction during that time and does not confer with kids. And independent reading without conferring is not actually independent reading, such as giving kids books and letting them read. So I think those are two very different things.Matt Renwick (05:03):That's very helpful for me. Especially the comment about you cannot make kids love reading. It almost seems kind of refreshing that I can kind of take that part off of my responsibility, and not that I'm not responsible for the conditions, but puts more of the onus on that part of a reading right on the kids. And I think kids would rise to that trust, which comes back to your book title, Trusting Readers.Hannah Schneewind (05:38):Yeah, absolutely. I mean, for example, in high school, I became skillful at biology, right? I had a very good teacher. I did all my homework. I never loved biology. I did not decide to become a scientist. You know, so much as we hope that kids will love reading, I do think that we can separate,  being skilled at reading from necessarily the love of it. With one important caveat, which is, and Mary Beth, maybe you've seen this with older students, I have talked to older readers who are very proficient readers and actively hate reading. You know, there are kids who think reading is boring, I have to do it, my teacher makes me write a certain number of post-its, or I have to write in this reading log. So when I say we can't make kids love it, that's true. However, , we don't want to be setting them up to hate it either, which sometimes people inadvertently do.Matt Renwick (06:46):Well, that comes into the next question I had. You noted on page one, Hannah, that the number one obstacle for teachers trying to increase independent reading time to be able to confer with students to support them in being independent is the demands of the literacy curriculum. But then at the same time, you do share ways to prioritize independent reading that can exist alongside a curriculum resource. So, I guess the connection here is I've heard teachers say, I just don't have time to meet with all my kids, you know? And because of the resource, because of this, or because I can't meet with small groups, there's just too many things to do. What have you found that teachers have done to make better use of their time to increase independent reading? Because I do think there are opportunities that teachers don't always see, to be able to support kids at that level of independence.Hannah Schneewind (07:50):Absolutely. So I think there are two different scenarios. So I think one scenario is that I have a program that I have to follow and I'm not sure how to follow this program and still make time for independent reading. And then there's a second scenario, which is I have independent reading up and going, I have devoted time for it. My administrator's completely behind it. I have the books, I'm just not sure how to make it incredibly impactful. So I think those are two different scenarios. So I am actually currently working with some schools in Connecticut who, because of state legislation, will be using a reading program next year. And the district actually asked me to come in specifically to make sure that they can hold on to independent reading. It will be interesting, so I'll be able to tell you more about it in a few months.(08:50):We're just at the beginning of it. But one thing that we have thought is, even if you're within a reading program, right? Kids are reading, and once they are done doing whatever that kind of whole class basal type text is for the day, you're always going to have kids who are finishing at different times, and what better time for them to then go do that independent reading, and then you segue from that kind of whatever the whole class activity is into independent reading, and then you do your conferring. So that's one way that we're thinking about it is just kind of tucking it in to that. Another thing you can do, if you have to do this program for "x" number of minutes a day, I also go back to what Kelly Gallagher says in high school.(09:45):He teaches high school, he has kids for 50 minutes, and so the first 10 minutes of every single day is independent reading, and he can do two conferences in 10 minutes. So that means as an elementary teacher, my kids have gotten 50 minutes of independent reading over the week, and I've conferred over the course of two weeks, I've conferred with almost everyone in my class. So I think it's that when you talk about finding time, when you talk about finding time, the time is there. It's tricky. So as I said, that's kind of one scenario. The other scenario though is that I have independent reading up and running, but I don't feel as if it's going really well and I'm not sure what to do. So that's the work that Jen and I do a lot.(10:38):I will say the question that I get asked the most is, what do I confer about? Like, how's the conference supposed to go? You know? So I think that number one, just don't be afraid to confer, because people will often say, "Well, I walk around, I kind of check in with the kids." and I'll say, "You're already conferring, right?" And now what you have to do is take that kind of checking in and make it really intentional, because if you're already checking in, you could take that five minutes of a check-in and make it five really, really impactful minutes if you kind of follow this structure. And then that's life changing. You know, when teachers realize the importance of being really intentional in that how they spend their time during independent reading.Matt Renwick (11:31):So it sounds like just look for pockets and opportunities within your current schedule. Try not to fight it too much, but start really small, make it easy, make it really hard to not do it. Like the example of Kelly Gallagher and just, "Guys, we get 10 minutes to read when you come in." What a neat way to start the class. Just a nice soft landing to whatever chaos is happen in the hallways. You always know you have a quiet, safe spot, coming into Kelly's class.Hannah Schneewind (12:03):Yeah, absolutely. So I work with some teachers who also as a way of increasing the number of minute students are reading, we'll do that for like 10 minutes in the morning and then 10 minutes after lunch, because we all know, the beginning of kindergarten, first grade, five minutes is really all you might get, but if you do five minutes in the morning and five minutes in the afternoon and that turns to 10 and 10, then you have 20 minutes. So I also have learned myself to be really flexible in thinking about time. That is to say, ideally, yes, we have this beautiful hour block where we are all sitting there and kids are hunched over their books and working with partners. I mean, that's what I had the liberty to do in my own classroom. And that's the vision. However, you know, as I said, 10 minutes in the morning, 10 minutes in the afternoon adds up to 20 minutes every day. So yeah, whatever ways you can work it in, I think it's really important.Matt Renwick (13:06):And I have a third question. This kind of transitions to more of a leadership perspective, and you did say in there in one example, you had leaders have you come in to preserve independent reading as they transition to a more commercialized resource. So that's one way as leaders is to make decisions about how resources are spent. But you make the point that teachers need to be trusted as well.Hannah Schneewind (13:37):Mm-hmm.Matt Renwick (13:39):What specific actions can leaders take to convey their trust, as well as to ensure every kid, every student's being trusted as readers in every classroom? Because not every teacher believes independent reading is important, even though that's the ultimate goal is we want them to transfer, we want them to pick up those identities as readers. So as leaders like myself - we're all leaders here- what can we do to trust teachers so they can trust students and ensure full school accountability?Hannah Schneewind (14:10):Absolutely. So I am not a principal and I've never been a principal, so, I would never say, "Well, let me give you some advice." But what I can tell you is what I have noticed or what has worked in the buildings where I work. So I think the first thing is that leaders do need to trust teachers to make their own schedules. And I know that might sound small, but that's actually pretty huge, because if teachers feel as if I must be doing reading from 10:02 to 10:31, and then I'm somehow going to be reprimanded if I'm not doing reading at 10:31, you know. That is not really setting up really great conditions for the teacher. Now, I understand that there have to be parameters, right? Everyone in first grade pretty much has to be doing reading at essentially the same time because we have pullout and we have all these other things.(15:07):So I totally get that. It doesn't need to be down to, you know, the minute. So I think that where you can, giving teachers some wiggle room in their schedules is really important. The other thing I would say that goes along with that is giving them flexibility to switch things around. That is to say, sometimes people will have a schedule where they always do reading in the morning and they always do writing in the afternoon, right? And what happens in the afternoon, we all know, right? Especially with the young kids. Afternoon, may not be so great at time. And then I'll have teachers say, "Oh, but I can't switch it. You know, the schedule is that way. I have to follow that." "Well, why?" you know, "why can't you switch it? You're getting to everything." So why not have writing in the morning some days and reading in the afternoon some days?(16:01):So I think that if leaders give teachers that kind of flexibility, I think that goes a long way. Then the other thing that I think is very difficult about being a principal, and even in my role, is that I think it's very tricky to balance curricular consistency with teacher autonomy. That is to say, yes, we need to have a consistent curriculum, right? We, our school has to have consistent values. We all think that kids need a long time to read. That has to be consistent. And at the same time, you can recognize that some teachers are going to do it differently, and it's not going to look exactly the same. So this is a silly example, but I love to sing. And so in first grade, independent reading was always preceded by shared singing of songs that were shared reading. That was me. My colleague next door is like, "I am not singing." She did lots of shared reading of big books, but we were both doing the same thing. We were both getting to all those skills and strategies. So I think that balance as yes, we need to be consistent and yes, where are places where we can give teachers autonomy.Matt Renwick (17:22):Yeah. I think you nailed it, Hannah, that's one of the biggest challenges of leadership, is balancing the curriculum coherence and teacher autonomy. And I'm glad you brought that up. I would hand the mic over, so to speak, to Mary Beth or Debra, if you have any thoughts on what Hannah shared here. I've been taking notes. This has been great.Mary Beth Nicklaus (18:01):I was thinking about what you were saying about teacher autonomy and letting teachers create their own schedules. Because when you're dealing, like with middle school, high school, and you have that 50 minute or 40 minute block or regular class period, skinny class period, depending on the chemistry of your class, this whole working with reading is not linear. You have your routine and you have your stations where I work on this, then I work on this, then I work on this. But when you're dealing with a certain chemistry of those older kids, especially if you're dealing with students who are maybe not your regular mainstream students, nothing is linear.(19:07):You plug them into those routines, but then you might suddenly break off into somebody has an idea that they want to write, like say a story based on...I had a student who really got into Gary Paulson and he was actually a foster student and he said, "You know, Gary Paulson writes about his life, and I have interesting life stories, so I would like to..." (He had already completed two or three books.) "I would like to write about some of my life stories." So he'd read some of the time, then he'd go off and start writing a story, and then other students started joining. Well, I have something I can write too. And you know what's really interesting? That year I got a grant through Encourage Foundation, and we put all our stories together in a book that's towards the end of the year.(20:04):And that really meant something to these kids, to the point that years later, I had gone into Lulu Publishing, and they each got a spiral bound last story book. I had a student come up to me and I didn't even recognize him at first because he was grown up now. And I think he was a senior in high school, and he said, "I still have my book on my dresser, and I look at it every day." So you find things, you know, the stuff that you're doing in elementary creates a foundation, especially if it's as strong as the kind of ideas that you have and what I'm seeing so far in your book. And then I get them, someone like me gets them, and you just keep that going. If there's anything I can stress, and you're talking about teacher autonomy is, realize that they're a professional, they know what to do with the chemistry of their students. And then within that framework you can usually end up getting something pretty interesting, I think.Matt Renwick (21:16):Thanks Mary Beth, I think that's a cool story. I know if I was walking through your classroom, I would think, "Hey, that's awesome. Keep doing that." I am wondering why some leaders don't do that. And I suspect it comes back to the initial line from Regie's Rotman's book: teachers need to be leaders and leaders need to know literacy. And I suspect that some leaders just don't know literacy. And that's why teacher autonomy falls apart. They don't know how to see different pathways to the same outcome. I would open up to Debra or Hannah because you work with different schools. Any words of wisdom, experiences here, where how a leader might build their literacy knowledge or practice, especially if they don't have a literacy background?Debra Crouch (22:11):Well, hopefully they're joining in any professional learning opportunities. I know that's made a huge difference in the schools I've worked with is, if principals believe enough in what the conversations are that you're having with teachers when you come in that they make the time to come in and be part of that conversation. I think a really just a critical piece, so that they're asking the questions and they're hearing the kinds of conversations that their teachers are engaged in. Within all of this, I was just thinking about as you were talking about teachers and principals, if they value and make sure that this is part of their day, that it's not the add-on, independent reading is not the extra thing that you're doing.(23:20):It's the thing that you're doing, right? It builds around it, sort of the same thing with writing. I'm in that same conversation with writing. It's like, this isn't an extra, you know, independent reading, independent writing is not the extra stuff. It's the reason you're doing what you do. I think that was just such a powerful message. As principals you don't want to require, but at the same time, how do you balance that conversation out of just making sure that that it is something that we recognize it has to be part of our day. So in the autonomy, part of me goes, as long as they understand it's so important that you have to have independent reading and writing every day. But that again, expectations and consistency and the ongoing conversations.Hannah Schneewind (24:17):Yeah, I agree with everything you said, and specifically having principals be part of the work with teachers, I think is key. When they do that, I treat the principal just the way I would treat another teacher. So if everyone is gonna go off and trying a conference, the principal's going to go off and try a conference. And if everyone is conferring with a partner and the partner's going to practice coaching in, then the principal is part of that. Because if they're not really doing it, how on earth are they actually going to be able to evaluate it? So another thing that I encourage principals to do is, if you are doing an evaluation - and again, I'm not a principal, I know nothing about evaluations - but when you are evaluating, please do not just watch the mini lesson and leave because then you only looking at 10 minutes of whole class instruction, and that actually is not the most impactful part.(25:23):Please sit down next to the teacher as she's doing a small group. Sit down next to her as she's doing a one-on-one conference. That's the time. Write down everything she says. That's actually what I think you could then evaluate and give really helpful feedback about. But so often, and I don't know if this happens to you, but often when I do come into a school for the first time, they just want to talk about mini lessons. And I actually have learned to say, "Actually, no, let's start with matching kids and books. Let's start with getting your classroom library together. Let's start with how do you say to a child, 'Hey, how's it going with your reading today?'" And then we can think about the mini lesson, because too often we just focus on, as I said, that whole class part. But really that's not where the magic happens. And so if you can get principals to confer and then to do their evaluations or observations while the teacher is doing that, I think those can be really helpful for leadership.Matt Renwick (26:30):That reminds me of beginning with the end in mind: we'll start with where we want to be, at the end. I know you're not a principal, Hannah, but I think you ideas are spot on. I've been guilty of that too, of just watching teaching, and I forget that teaching happens all day long, and it doesn't mean the teachers, you know, verbally giving instructions or are writing on the board. So much of good teaching happens in those quiet spaces. One thing I've tried to do to is to confer with readers myself, when I do visits in classrooms. I just did this with fifth grade group talking with a student about what he was reading: a baseball book. He had just tons of knowledge.(27:17):Peter Afflerback calls it "epistemic beliefs" or "epistemiology", right? Just a wide range of knowledge about baseball, about legends. He was able to say, "Aaron Judge wouldn't be in this book because he's a current player. In this book, it talks just about legends from like 1990 or previous." You know, just things I wouldn't know. But later on, I said to his teacher, "I don't know if the student would do so well on a typical assessment." She's like, "I know." I've had kind of a shared frustration there was not a solution, right? But at least we could talk about that at a very collegial level. And it did not feel like an evaluation. And I think that's what teachers really crave, is just conversation and not always solutions. But I appreciate this advice. We're already at 30 minutes and this has so far been a great conversation. I think what we could do is just kind of go around and, especially with Debra and Mary Beth, if you have any closing thoughts or questions for Hannah, I'll start with you, Mary Beth, if you have anything you'd like to close with.Mary Beth Nicklaus (28:51):As a teacher, I've seen it because I've been teaching long enough where I've had very supportive principals who I just feel they were kind of almost the backbone of what was going on in my classroom. Because as a teacher, you feel like the principal is good with what you're doing, it like gives you this exhilaration and this feeling like you can take chances and be happy taking chances and look at it as a challenge instead of a fear that you're going to get slapped down. So I agree with you that the principal is a very important part of that.Matt Renwick (29:43):Debra, any closing thoughts for you?Debra Crouch (29:46):Yeah, I was just so enjoying reading this, and I had actually pulled it out earlier. I was doing some work with some teachers on their classroom libraries, now thinking with a little bit of a future in mind and for the fall. So in Chapter 2, the thing that I thought was so just beautiful about the parts that we read for this notion of trust, I think is just so powerful. It speaks to the way that we view kids and the way that we view teachers,  as capable and of course they can do this, this kind of thinking work.(30:45):It's just such a critical part of relationships, as a condition of learning, and that principle of engagement that you have to have that trusting relationship. Without that nothing else goes. Mary Beth, the way you said that, if your principal's with you, you don't fear trying things out. You don't fear, you know, trying something and it's not going to work the way that we want it this time. And I think that's just such a critical piece that's sometimes missing in classrooms today. If teachers come to us and say, "How do you want it? What's the district want? What's the principal want?" How's it supposed to be that that's really a base of fear. Doesn't matter how good you are as a teacher, it's a base of fear that you're coming from. It doesn't have that sense of trust that you need to be the learner that you can be. So I'm just absolutely loving your book.Hannah Schneewind (31:49):Thank you. I'm glad it's really useful. I'd love to know what the teachers do with their classroom libraries.Debra Crouch (31:56):Oh my goodness, kindergarten, they were so adorable. So we were trying to put the books into understanding the notion that their books are categorized, right. You know, putting the books together. And I took your question. They're about, "Are the books together, you know, putting the books that are together, right. And this one little five year old who's next to me, he goes, "Wait, it's like garbage." And I'm thinking, "Huh?". And he goes, "You put the plastic together, and you put the paper together, and you put the..."Hannah Schneewind (32:28):Right?Matt Renwick (32:32):Yeah.Hannah Schneewind (32:33):Yeah. That's a perfect way of understanding it. Right? And that's such a great example of, it makes sense to kids and then however you set up that library will make sense to them.Matt Renwick (32:45):It's a classic student example too.Hannah Schneewind (32:50):Yeah. I might have to use that one.Matt Renwick (32:59):Hannah, any closing thoughts for you? I'll just say, I've used and read Chapter 2. I've read that chapter twice and even have recommended it to teachers in my building, especially if they've not been part of the culture very long. I'll say, "Read this chapter and this really gets to the heart of what we're trying to get to in our school." But terrific book. I agree with everyone. Any closing thoughts, Hannah?Hannah Schneewind (33:27):First of all, thank you for having me. And it just makes me so happy to hear that people are using it because really what more could you ask, right? It's like what, when we say to kids, you know, what action do you want to take after reading this book? The action might be, I wanna go find another book by this author. Or the action might be, I need to write a letter to my senator about greenhouse gases. But I'm so happy that our book can actually help people take some actions. I guess my closing thought would be about reading identity, which we did not have a chance to discuss. So one of the things that I find frustrating about some of the current narrative around the teaching of reading is that the role of engagement and motivation and the research on engagement and motivation is being completely ignored.(34:20):Students are at the center of this. That is as much a science of reading as is the science of decoding and what we need to know about phonics and phonemic awareness and phonological awareness. If you want to talk more about just that piece at some point, it's just so important. And if teachers don't yet feel comfortable conferring, everyone can sit down and do what we call a discovery conference, which is basically saying to the child, "Hey, tell me about yourself as a reader." That one question just gives you so much insight and also really shows that you are trusting the student. I really want to get to know you. So that's just something that I feel very passionately about is that student kind of being at the center of it and that reading identity and engagement motivation are a huge part of that. Thanks so much for hosting.Matt Renwick (35:30):Thank you, Hannah. Thank you Mary Beth. Thank you, Debra. Thank you. Great conversation. Please read Trusting Readers: Powerful Practices for Independent Reading by Jennifer Scoggin and Hannah Schneewind through Heinemann. Terrific book and terrific conversation. Thank you. Get full access to Read by Example at readbyexample.substack.com/subscribe

Traveling the road to better teaching with Dr. Morris Stocks as we discuss his 31 years at the University of Mississippi and even more as a teacher of accountancy. Dr. Stocks is the 1998 recipient of the University of Mississippi's most prized teaching honor, the Elsie M. Hood Outstanding Teacher Award. The Road to Better Teaching is an Amidon Planet (https://amidonplanet.com/) production. For more on portfolio development at the University of Mississippi School of Education, check out Portfolio School (https://sites.google.com/go.olemiss.edu/soeportfolio/home?authuser=0). Links from the episode Elise M. Hood Outstanding Teacher Award (https://cetl.olemiss.edu/teaching-awards/elsie-m-hood-outstanding-teacher-award/) The Courage to Teach by Parker Palmer (https://bookshop.org/a/1964/9781119413042) Good to Great by Jim Collins (https://www.amazon.com/Good-Great-Some-Companies-Others/dp/0066620996/ref=tmm_hrd_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=&sr=) Invitations: Changing as Teachers and Learners K-12 by Regie Routman (https://www.amazon.com/Invitations-Changing-Teachers-Learners-K-12/dp/043508836X) Special Guest: Morris Stocks.

In this recorded conversation with Regie Routman and esteemed colleagues, we discussed:Why trust is so important for schoolwide improvementWhy it is critical that leaders know literacyHow leaders can communicate feedback that is kind and usefulThis also closes out the four-week email course on instructional walks.Being a literacy leader has always been challenging. That's why it's important to come together as colleagues, to share, listen, and connect. We hope you find this discussion helpful in supporting your important work.Recommended resourcesInvitations (book)Read, Write, Lead (book)Literacy Essentials (book)“Good is Good Enough” (podcast)Transforming Your Teaching (professional learning)Nurturing Writers through Poetry (video series)Key insights from the conversation“Start with wins.”- Jamie Cicconetti, Lessons Learned“The principal is the first teacher.”- Jason Drysdale, @jason_drysdale“To be an effective leader or teacher, live an interesting life.”- Debbie Stewart, @DebbieAStewart“It's important to have a vision.”- Helen Proulx, @HelenProulx2“Progress moves at the speed of trust.”- Regie Routman, @regieroutman“Great to see this professional collaboration.”- Gail Boushey, Teach DailyNew community for engaged readersFor engaged readers/subscribers of this newsletter, look for an email from me in the near future on a new community. For example, in October I'll be sharing more ideas and resources in this space for:structuring coaching and reflection in online and in-person spaces,applying key coaching strategies that support teachers' thinking, andadditional ways to be more productive and efficient within our limited time.It's a free, invitation-only space for leaders at every level who want to continue trying and applying literacy leadership practices with me to build a thriving school culture.Take care,Matt This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit readbyexample.substack.com

Below are five insights after I read ten thoughtful posts from contributors around my book, Leading Like a C.O.A.C.H.1. Leaders need to know literacy.“Through a lifetime of working in schools, one of my most powerful insights and core beliefs is that teachers must be leaders, and principals must know literacy.” (pg. 1)- Regie Routman, Read, Write, Lead: Breakthrough Strategies for Schoolwide Literacy Success (ASCD, 2014)School leaders knowing literacy should go without saying. But a question I have here is, why don’t more leaders - especially principals - know literacy?My initial thinking was, literacy continues to lack consensus on what makes instruction effective. You can see it in confrontational conversations online around the science of reading. I can understand why few leaders want to join these discussions when the apparent goal of too many is to be right vs. to listen and learn.But I think there’s more to it, a deeper reason for this challenge of consensus.Taking a more holistic perspective, a) literacy is a complex discipline and b) we are not embracing it for its complexity. Instead, we resort to simple stories about best practices for teaching readers and writers because they are easier to understand and share, especially when writing hot takes on Twitter. How do we hold these tensions in our minds and help our faculty and colleagues do the same?I don’t have immediate answers to this issue, but it is something I am working on professionally (see the end of this post for an opportunity to join me).In the meantime, I continue to appreciate the questions that surface from not knowing, such as Jamie Cicconetti’s wondering, “What point am I even trying to make in exposing my messy process of a professional writing post?”, as she reflects on trying to create clarity from her learning in the post below.2. Leaders will always need to attend to trust.The sheer number of book study posts around trust says so much about its importance.Rhonda Precourt, Paige Bergin, Carrie Thomas, Genevieve Arcovio, and Ryanne Deschane each wrote eloquent and personal accounts of the importance of this element for a successful school literacy culture. Without trust, the school system stops operating like it should. It is the “lubricant of organizational functioning” (Tschannen-Moran, 2014)As a leader I have learned that to keep trust high, I have to attend to things beyond just a strong literacy initiative, such as: How well are teams working together?Do staff and faculty feel appreciated?Am I following through on my commitments?This takes effort, intention, and an awareness of the level of trust in the school.That said, literacy can also be a vehicle for building and sustaining trust, such as by committing funds to purchasing books for classroom libraries. 3. Leaders who are clear on the school’s priorities make better decisions.When the collective attention is on a clear priority, it becomes easier to lead.A big part of prioritization is not just in having a focus, but in being able to ignore other options. And in education, there are always options. I would lose track of word count in this post if I waded into the alphabet soup of acronyms and initiatives. By committing to one thing, we naturally decline many other things, at least as a primary focus. I have found it reduces stress in the school culture while helping faculty commit to the priority.I thought Heather McKay summed this idea up well in her post.4. Any type of feedback is better than no feedback.In my research for the book, I discovered surprising findings about feedback.For example, one study found that the most effective feedback was noticing and naming teachers' practices they were already doing well. This was followed in effectiveness by more traditional feedback that focused on areas of improvement. As expected, no feedback had the least amount of influence.What this led me to believe, affirmed by Tyler Keener's and Jen McDonough’s posts below, is teachers benefit from any type of feedback, even if we are wrong. In other words, leaders need to prioritize time in classrooms.5. Leaders need a systems approach to focus on what matters.As Annie Palmer points out in the above post, teachers need to see the “why” for the work. A challenge here is how to connect these chess pieces - trust, prioritization, support, feedback, etc. - so that the vision is clear and feels doable.What I have learned is that so much that goes into effective leadership, especially decision-making, is largely based on how well we manage our days. For example, what is our process when a teacher makes a request to purchase a literacy curriculum resource? How is the process aligned with our school’s shared beliefs? Who should be involved in the decision-making? What is the best way to communicate a response?This is just one example. There are many more leadership tasks that would benefit from a systems approach, such as:How can I carve out time to get into classrooms on a daily basis?How do I develop my identity as a coach and expand beyond the traditional leadership role?What steps can I fall back on when looking to engage teachers in coaching conversations?How might I rethink my environment to better support this work?What routines can I use to affirm what teachers are doing well, plus communicate feedback on potential areas for growth?These are questions I may be exploring more here and in a new community space. Sign up below and stayed tuned for a follow up post about how this space can support your efforts to lead literacy in your school, from wherever you are.Matt Renwick has served in public education for over 20 years. He started as a 5th and 6th-grade teacher in a country school outside of Wisconsin Rapids, WI. Matt now serves as an elementary principal for the Mineral Point Unified School District. Matt is the author of three books: 5 Myths About Classroom Technology: How Do I Integrate Technology to Truly Enhance Learning? (ASCD, 2016), Digital Portfolios in the Classroom: Showcasing and Assessing Student Work (ASCD, 2017), and Leading Like a C.O.A.C.H.: Five Strategies for Supporting Teaching and Learning (Corwin, 2022). He also writes publicly on Twitter (@ReadByExample) and on this newsletter. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit readbyexample.substack.com

Hello colleague,I wrote this post at my city’s local laundry mat. Our dryer decided to stop working on Memorial Day weekend. Perfect timing with our two teenagers navigating between friends’ houses, end-of-year school events, soccer games, and trail biking. The dirty clothes pile up quickly.Anyway, this is a good time to a) review what this space is about for new subscribers, and b) talk about the upcoming summer book study.This SpaceIn 2012, I started a blog on Wordpress titled “Reading by Example”. It can still be found at readingbyexample.com. The goal was to chronicle my journey as a new elementary principal and emerging literacy leader. Previously I taught in the classroom for seven years and served as an assistant principal/athletic director for four years at a secondary school. I quickly learned as an administrator how complex this work was, and that writing about it helped me make sense of the complexity.In 2018, I started using Substack as a newsletter tool in addition to the blog. I found it to be a better writing platform, so I started writing posts here and retired the original blog. For a while, I offered a paid version of this space but ended up pausing it. I didn’t feel like I could offer enough value for what was being charged. Maybe someday I will restart it, but the circumstances would need to be just right.In 2020, I migrated all of the content from the original blog to this space. The former still serves as an archive for all of the past articles, including curated lists of posts written by contributors for previous book studies. Other teachers’ and leaders’ writings around a common professional resource have always been the most popular posts. It’s an honor to host their reflections; they provide a sorely needed perspective within today’s dialogue around teaching readers and writers in ways that affirm students for who they are and who they might become.This Year’s Book StudyWith that, I am happy to announce that this year’s book study selection is…Leading Like a C.O.A.C.H.: Five Strategies for Supporting Teaching and Learning.Yes…my book. It came out this past March through Corwin. I admit that it felt a bit odd to position it as the subject for our study this summer. Yet after talking with a few colleagues and contributors, they were very supportive of putting it front and center for people to read and respond to in July.The core of the book is: formal leaders do not need to accept their current roles as they are presently constructed. More specifically, principals, district administrators, department heads, and educators in any leadership role can expand their positions to include a coaching stance within it when working with teachers.I am not the first person to recommend a more mindful approach to school leadership. Regie Routman wrote about it in 2014 within the context of literacy in her book Read, Write, Lead: Breakthrough Strategies for Schoolwide Literacy Success. (By the way, Regie’s book is a key influence in Leading Like a C.O.A.C.H., and it’s not a coincidence that she wrote the foreword for my book.) What I offer is a theory of practice for integrating coaching skills within our more formal positions. If I have learned anything in my fifteen years as an educational administrator, it is that there is a direct correlation between student success and teacher empowerment. They need supportive and present leadership that goes beyond traditional supervision and evaluation, including the development of their capacity to lead in the school.To help clarify these ideas, I created a framework with the word “coach” to help leaders remember the key strategies for success and to provide a clear pathway for engaging in this work:Create Confidence through TrustOrganize Around a PriorityAffirm Promising PracticesCommunicate FeedbackHelp Teachers Become Leaders and LearnersIt is these ideas in which practicing educators – teachers, leaders, coaches, and consultants – will write about this summer here. I’ve asked them to center their reflections around their own work first, and then use the ideas from the book to help validate their thinking they so generously offer to us.As readers of this site, you can also participate in a variety of ways:Read contributors’ posts and support their efforts with a like.Write a comment around their articles to validate their thinking and extend the conversation.Share these reflections on social media so more people can participate in this discussion.Post your own writings on your blog or newsletter related to the book.Let me know what you’re sharing and writing through #leadinglikeacoach and tagging me @ReadByExample.However you decide to engage in this space, please know that your readership is appreciated. We look forward to learning with you!Take care,Matt This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit readbyexample.substack.com

If you prefer to listen to my conversation with Regie Routman instead of watching it, here it is. We explored this question related to my new book, Leading Like a C.O.A.C.H., available through Corwin now (30% off through March). What people are saying about Leading Like a C.O.A.C.H.Matt Renwick is the principal we all wish we had and the one we all want to be. His ideas about walking alongside teachers to grow them in the same ways we want them to grow students are just-right advice. He brings the research on trust and collective efficacy to life through concrete ways to operationalize rituals and routines of observation, goal setting, and planning with teachers.Samantha BennettLearning Design Specialist, Instructional Coach and Education ConsultantMatt Renwick makes a compelling case for deeper inquiry and more thoughtful engagement around teacher practice. Full of rich, compelling examples from Matt’s real-world experience, this book will help readers reconnect with their purpose as instructional leaders. Highly recommended.Justin BaederDirector of The Principal Center, Author of Now We’re Talking!Matt Renwick offers readers a rich, practical how-to book supported by current research. This book should be within easy arm’s reach of school administrators wishing to increase their skills of performing their major responsibility: increasing student learning.”Arthur L. Costa and Robert J. GarmstonProfessors Emeriti, California State University, Sacramento, Co-Authors of Cognitive CoachingMatt Renwick reminds us of a key element of our shared professional leadership work: we can’t do it alone. He keeps us focused on the value of coaching tools and the pillars he references to keep instruction at the center of the work of educational leaders. This book draws on an extensive research base as well as Matt Renwick’s own professional experience to provide an accessible entry point for school leaders as they consider what it means to lead like a coach.Jason DrysdaleAssistant Superintendent, River East Transcona Winnipeg, Manitoba, CanadaResearch is clear: Principals can have a tremendous impact on student success by focusing on job #1: ensuring every student benefits from great teaching in every classroom. Drawing upon his vast experience as a successful leader, Matt Renwick provides compelling insights, practical tools, and real-life examples for how to effect real change in schools. Leading Like a C.O.A.C.H. is a must-read playbook for any principal seeking to improve student outcomes—not by forcing change from outside in, but rather by unleashing it from the inside out through trust, compassion, optimism, and an unrelenting focus on excellence.Bryan GoodwinPresident & CEO, McREL International, Author of Building a Curious SchoolRenwick unpacks conversations by describing what he said in a coaching situation and then sharing his reasoning for why he chose the actions he took. This book is not just for people who are in the positional role of leader; it is for anyone who wants to develop their leadership capabilities.Bena KallickCo-Director, Institute for Habits of Mind, Co-author of Students at the CenterThis is exactly the book educators need to build trust while navigating the tensions in today’s school systems. Leading Like a C.O.A.C.H. will provide you with strategies that humanize leadership and bring joy to the work. This is an excellent book to read with your school teams to build the leadership pipeline essential to sustaining organizational excellence and a positive culture.Anthony KimFounder and CEO, Education Elements, Co-author of The NEW School RulesAn inspirational guide for school leaders, this text provokes discussion and reflection among leaders who see themselves as as co-leaders in school communities. School vision becomes a reality when school leaders coach school faculties in a collaborative and collegial way in order to create a comprehensive and cohesive learning environment for students. An excellent book that is accessible to all principals.Allyson MatczukEarly Literacy Consultant and Reading Recovery Trainer at Manitoba, Education and TrainingLeading Like a C.O.A.C.H. provides a framework that engenders trust and fortifies commitment to instructional excellence. Matt Renwick helps readers envision and rethink roles and routines. Most of all, his strategies, stories, and practical approach take the burden of trying to be an 'exert of everything' off of principals' shoulders. If you want your school to be a place where teachers and students want to be, this book is for you!Cris TovaniEnglish teacher, literacy consultant, Author of Why Do I Have to Read This? This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit readbyexample.substack.com

In this inspiring conversation, Regie Routman (@regieroutman) reminds us of the most essential things when it comes to literacy instruction. This will fill your heart with love as she will speak directly to teachers of multilinguals.    https://amzn.to/2Wfgaw9    You can connect with Tan on Twitter at @TanKHuynh and TanKHuynh.com 

In this special episode, recorded during our third and final writers group, we talked shop - writers workshop - with Tom Romano and Regie Routman.Tom is the author of several books on writing, including Write What Matters: For Yourself, For Others.Regie has also authored many professional literacy resources for educators, most recently Literacy Essentials: Engagement, Excellence, and Equity for All Learners. So get out your notebooks, settle in with a favorite beverage, and soak up the wisdom from two excellent teachers of writers and writing. Related ResourcesTranscript + AudioTom’s article we discussed: “Giant at Reds”Regie’s article we discussed: “Roaming Around the Known” (plus her website)A book Tom recommended about writing memoir: Inventing the TruthCheck this episode out on Apple below, and give the podcast a rating!Full TranscriptMatt Renwick:In this special episode recorded during our third and final writers group, we talk shop - writer's workshop - with Tom Romano and Regie Routman. Tom is the author of several books on writing, including Write What Matters For Yourself, For Others. Regie has also authored many professional literacy resources for educators, most recently, Literacy Essentials: Engagement, Excellence, and Equity For All Learners. So get out your notebooks, settle in with a favorite beverage and soak up the wisdom from two excellent teachers of writers and writing.Matt Renwick:Again, feel free to chime in, any questions or if you want to piggyback, for Tom or for Regie. And you both spoke to this just now, which is great. And in your pieces that I shared out too, involve story. Is that a great place to start with writing or do you see it as more than just a tool for your own writing purposes I guess? I'll start with Tom on that.Tom Romano:There is very little I write that doesn't have story in it some way. If I'm writing that piece about the night the giant visited, I mean, it's pretty much all story, except, I think the last part in the last paragraph and that version of, did I say about giants all around us and teachers, I guess there I'm being a little bit expository. But I can't imagine writing anything that doesn't have at least the kernel of story in it, because stories appeal to us all. They are how we know the world. I mean, think about the trial that just ended. There were two stories, two arguments, but here's the story of how this went down, here's another story of how this went down.Tom Romano:For me, it's just, the story is bedrock. I guess that's why I always, when the Common Core standards came out in Ohio, well, I guess they were nationwide, and then they got rid of them, and then pretty much states just use them anyway and call them their own standards. They seem to me to really disrespect story and how I know story work in people's writing. So what did I just read? I just read an Anne Lamott book that was published in 2017 or 2018. And she said, "Story abideth." Tom just ran out of gas here, go ahead Regie.Regie Routman:No, I agree with everything you said. A story for me, I'm looking at it in a little bit different way. I'm trying to be an anti-racist like everybody else, not just talking about it, but trying to do something. And one of the ways I think that's very powerful is valuing every child's story and having them write their story and honor that story, their language, their culture that goes with it through poetry, through a vignette from part of their life, writing about something that happened that, the story of their life. And using story in a way that even though that story that you've just written was very painful perhaps, you're working with older kids, your story is not foretold by what's happened so far. But your story can be changed. And using story in that way is a part of what I'm working on now, that you have the power to rewrite your story. That might seem preordained because of your circumstances, because of your housing, lack of resources, but it's not.Regie Routman:So I see our job as educators, as being opportunity makers. And one way to do that is to get kids to write and first to value their own stories, which is so, so powerful. And then I would model, of course I would share one of my stories that shaped me. And it would be probably about my grandmother who never went to school, but never got past fifth grade because she had to support her family and didn't consider herself a writer. But when I would stay overnight with her, she'd pull out this big brown box from the top of her closet, and she was writing her stories down, but didn't consider herself a writer.Tom Romano:Wow.Regie Routman:But she was.Matt Renwick:You both speak to a sense of self-empowerment too, with Tom writing in the study halls and your grandmother writing, but not identifying as a writer themselves. And I noted in Tom's book here on page four, just your first activity here, Tom says, "Give yourself 15 minutes long if you need it, write about why you write, what you get out of it, and what rewards writing holds for you. Maybe you've not articulated that before, don't be afraid to ramble, Joey wasn't. With faith and fearlessness write through to the truth." I've heard that phrase before, "Write through to the truth." Tom, can you say more about that?Tom Romano:Write through to the truth. From last June until January, I wrote a memoir that I'm trying to find a publisher to read, and that's not always easy since it's not really a Heinemann book, or a Stenhouse book, or Scholastic book. But a lot of times I'm just trying to tell things as truthfully as I can, the way I remember, the way that I imagine it. Like that giant story, I was thinking about that. I mean, I think there's truth in there. There's a lot that's made up. And what I mean is, I don't remember that... Like I say, Joe Keester, there's a character who said, "That's Paul Bunyan" right off the bat. Well, I don't remember that happening, but my dad had a friend named Joe Keester and I found out some way that that wrestler was Paul Bunyan. And so I invented that.Tom Romano:There's a book called Inventing the Truth and it's about writing memoir. So there's a lot of places in there where I think I did invent the truth. Although I stayed close to the emotions, I'm pretty sure I remember feeling. And some of the things that were indelible memories, like when he would, I think I wrote that, "He would put forward and all his hair would go over his face and then he would go like that and comment like that, and then push it forward." That's an indelible memory. I really believe in those for sure. Now I want to get kids, whether they're elementary school kids or graduate students in a class, I want them to start trying to find those indelible moments or indelible memories. They don't usually last very long. And I want them to write about those.Tom Romano:I think the last two or three things that I have published in English Journal came from me, writing in my college class with my undergraduates. I asked them to find indelible moments. And I did that too with them and develop that into a piece of writing, which I'm trying to stay close to how I remember and how I think. Yeah. Writing through to the truth.Regie Routman:I think one of the, I used to tell the kids the secrets of what writers do, is that when they write memoir, I remember working with fifth graders on this, that you can't possibly remember what was said, what somebody said five, six years ago.Tom Romano:No.Regie Routman:So you have to invent that dialogue, but the feelings are true. And as long as you stay true to those feelings, right, it's going to work because you can't remember exactly what happened. But you do, those feelings are there.Tom Romano:You mentioned dialogue, Regie. I always thought in schools, that's the great underused form of expression, that kids don't put dialogue in their pieces. And I love dialogue. When I'm reading a novel, I love turning the page and see those indentations. I want to invent that dialogue that moves my story along. I think that makes for good reading.Matt Renwick:Really reveal characters and what they're thinking, and then move things along and apply. And as you said, evoke that feeling. And you've both used journals, notebooks, I should say, how do you use them specifically? Everyone has a different method to help, not just document experiences, feelings, and moments, but also to generate more writing and document your reading. Regie, how do you use notebooks specifically and why do you...?Regie Routman:I specifically grab my notebook and let me just find it. Start with Tom or someone...Matt Renwick:All right.Tom Romano:I have friends, Penny Kittle and Linda Reef. Their notebooks are just beautiful. I mean, they write in them, but they also draw in them and they're aesthetically pleasing on their own, I think what they're creating. And I also know that Penny, a lot of times will, if she's writing the piece for Voices From the Middle or any other publication, that she will often draft in the notebook. I don't do that. I can't do that. If I have a piece I know I'm going to write, I might doodle a little bit in the notebook, but I would get out of a yellow pad. And part of the reason I use a yellow pad instead of drafting on the computer is because I like to drink coffee and I don't want it to get cold too quickly. So I could write with my left hand and drink coffee with my other hand.Tom Romano:The way I use the journal is pretty much to collect things. People say things I noticed rambling around in my thoughts. As I told you, that I would start to write on a note pad if I had something that I wanted to write for publication. I just thought of an exception to that. When I came home from Italy in 2018, my wife and I spent two weeks in Italy and we came back, I had some things to write about and I wrote about them discursively in my notebook, went on for several pages. When I was writing in this memoir and I came to the chapter that had to do with that subject matter, I went to my notebook and typed a lot of that stuff that I used for the chapter then. I guess once in a while, I might start an article or a chapter in there. Regie, what about you? How do you use that notebook?Regie Routman:Well, it depends what's going on in my life, right, at the time. So like the article that you have for me, Roaming Around the Known with an Adult Learner, I'm working right now twice a week, tutoring, a 54 year old man teaching him to read. And so that's been pretty fascinating. And so you've got the start of the story there. Now we've been working together for 10 months. And I've always worked like this. So I have a notebook and it's just messy. But every time that I'm working with them, I'm writing down everything that he's saying, everything that we're doing, thoughts that come into my head. This is like almost a full notebook just from working together.Regie Routman:And at some point, you can see just a lot of writing there. What happened, what I'm thinking. I use it a lot for reflection and I know I'm going to write something from that. I have no idea what it's going to be. But it's the only way I can remember. I used to tell teachers, "Even though you've got all those kids in front of you, tell them, show them your notebook." Okay. Kids take out your book. I write down what just happened because I don't want to lose it. You just can't remember even the actual words that somebody said. And a lot of the kids will start keeping their own notebook. I think of it more as a place to reflect. Then I go back and look at it.Regie Routman:But this is such an intense thing that I'm involved in right now. So I have a whole notebook just devoted to that. And that's been really helpful because there's no way I could remember some of the gems that he says, it helps me with my planning and also the writing. And then I feel like I have a body of work there.Tom Romano:I mean, who knows if I'll write another book. But when I'd have a professional book, I wanted to write, I would go back to my notebooks from where the last book ended. And I would read through everything for maybe three, four years just to see what I could pick up. And invariably, I picked up stuff that I had completely forgotten about, that I was able to then use in the book.Matt Renwick:This is great. I can listen to this all day. And normally when I have more time, I send the questions ahead of time for doing a podcast or something like that. But we can tell Tom and Regie had no problems speaking very knowledgeably about this topic. But does anyone else have any questions for Tom or Regie?Virginia Soukup:Not a question. I just wanted to comment about Regie's notebook, since you encouraged me last time to start one. I have. And so I keep one at school about the different things that teachers are doing just to... Because that's what I like to write about. It's the work. So you inspired me to start that.Tom Romano:Regie, what gave you the idea to start writing in a notebook regularly? When did you start that?Regie Routman:I have no idea. I don't ever remember being told that I was a writer. I always wrote poetry for some reason, but it was the rhyming poetry. Of course, it's all free verse poetry. I don't know. I think it was... When I started this first grade book flood, what was called this experiment in this school in Shaker Heights, where the kids were all failing in literacy, I just did it. I got introduced to Don Graves' work. Maybe it was something I read from him. I don't know. But it just seemed to make sense. I wasn't smart enough to remember everything. And so I had to write it down. What are the kids saying? What are they doing? What's the plan for the next day?Regie Routman:It wasn't a notebook in the sense of the way Penny keeps it. It wasn't like I'm thinking about writing ideas. It was, here's what I'm thinking about my life, about one of the things that I did because I want those of you that are teachers like me to also be bringing your life into the classroom. So in my last book, Literacy Essentials, I interwove stories, professional and personal stories into my book and then recorded them to speak them, which I think is really important because for... And you can find that on my website, if you wanted to see that. I think for kids whose stories are not valued, their culture is not valued, and even if they're having struggle with reading and writing, they can record their stories. That's so powerful. Oh my goodness, look, I'm a writer. And then they see it in writing and it makes them feel like they're a writer.Regie Routman:So it's been always important to me to bring my life, not separate my life like this and cooking from my husband and not having hugged my grandkids yet and what that's like to bring that into school as part of the stories that I tell. And that helps kids value. "Oh, she's just writing about hugging somebody. Well, I could write about that." Or just not to separate it as their school writing and then there's home writing. I think of it as teaching, learning and living and they all go together.Tom Romano:That is a good title, Regie.Regie Routman:I know. I'm thinking about my next book because I think we separate it too much. We separate it too much. And Matt knows. We've talked about this a lot because we've become good friends over the years, is always all about relationships. Kids are not going to bare their soul if they haven't developed a trusting relationship with us, right?Tom Romano:Right.Regie Routman:And so that's true with school and it's true with real life, right? Everything is about trusting relationships. So I think they all go together. And so I don't know, I just write whatever comes into my head. So then I don't want to forget it. And then I can go back to it. I have like this. I probably have about eight notebooks over... One notebook might last me, I don't know, six months, it might last me three months, it might last me two years. And I keep everything in one notebook so that I can find it. And then I just read. So if I go to a conference, my notes are there. So I can always find what I'm looking for by the date. So I think it's a little different than just whatever works for you. But they can also keep just a simple notebook and reflect on their life and ideas and what they're thinking. And it doesn't have to be complicated.Matt Renwick:Just get it down.Tom Romano:Can I say one other thing about that?Matt Renwick:Please.Tom Romano:I think that writing in a journal notebook taught me how to write better. I wish that a teacher had told me, that had me in high school, "Keep a notebook. Start keeping a journal." Because I didn't start writing in a journal until I was about, I would be about 24 years old in the summertime I was taking classes. I read Daniel Fader's Hooked On Books. And one of the things that, he had them reading paperbacks, huge new thing then, right. Having these juvenile delinquent kids read paperbacks, and then also keep a journal. And I thought, this is just the thing for... I had some kids in a class ignominiously titled Basic Skills for juniors in high school would not turn you on. But I thought, this is perfect for those kids to help them write a journal. And then I thought, well, I better do this myself if I'm going to have them do it. And man, I've been hooked on that ever since.Matt Renwick:Yeah. Both of you as the adults in the room or the teachers in the room, you go first and then the kids follow. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit readbyexample.substack.com

A literacy legend, Regie Routman (@regieroutman), shares her take on guided reading and authentic literacy instruction. To learn more about one of Tan’s courses, go to https://www.empoweringells.com/courses/. You can connect with Tan on Twitter at @TanKHuynh https://twitter.com/tankhuynh

In this inaugural podcast, Regie Routman, author of Literacy Essentials: Engagement, Excellence, and Equity for All Learners, shares her thoughts on what we need to focus on right now during these difficult times. We talk about poetry, about addressing the unique needs of everyone, and how we can embrace “Good is good enough.” Important Links (available on original site only):TranscriptPurchase Regie’s latest bookRegie’s poetry videos: Nurturing Writers in Uncertain TimesRegie’s writing project: A Notebook for YouTranscriptMatt: Thanks Regie for joining me today and this conversation about what's essential right now in education.Regie: Thank you for inviting me, I’m delighted to be here.Matt: This is Regie Routman, author of many texts on literacy and leadership most notably, most recently Literacy Essentials: Engagement, Excellence, and Equity for All Learners. This was a book that we did on the blog as a book study two years ago, and this is the inaugural podcast episode and I couldn't think of a better person to have here then Regie. Regie: Very kind, thank you.Matt: Just a little bit of background: I came into the elementary principal position in 2011. That school was a high poverty school that had already embraced Regie's work. The teachers had said, “You really need to come to the Literacy and Leadership Institute in Madison”. I resisted at first, saying that I have the schedule to get ready and I've got to get the budget square away first and I didn't buy in right away. Once I saw it in action and the teachers were the leaders in the professional development, I just said, “Wow”, this is real, kids are going to be engaged by this, it just makes sense. I went the next year and that's when I met you. So we've been colleagues, friends...I consider you a mentor and I'm very grateful to be able to talk to you today.Regie: Thank you Matt. I think we are equals, we’re educators, we're learning from each other. It has been a joy to watch you change, to watch your beliefs shift over the years in what you find essential now (and this is true for all of us) is not necessarily what we saw as essential years ago.Matt: That's very true. Now, what’s essential now is the big question related to your book Literacy Essentials and we want to take time for that: what you would tell someone in education what we need to focus on right now with everything going on with the pandemic. You have a cool project out now with Gail Boushey on poetry and nurturing writers in uncertain times. When I first saw this come out, Nurturing Writers in Uncertain Times, I thought, “Regie is going to choose poetry,” and you did! Why did you choose poetry?Regie: (laughter) It’s such a good question and really an easy question for me. These times are so different and full of so much fear and trauma for so many people. I was plagued, it kept me up at night, “What can I do to make things easier for families and students and teachers?” The equity issue pulled at my heart as it always does. I’m in Seattle and the public schools are giving out food and books for the neediest schools. I was concerned about kids that didn’t have computers, access to the same literacy advantages as other kids, so I came up with the idea of donating notebooks to these same sites. You can find that at regieroutman.org along with my writing project with Gail Boushey. The idea was to get students pencil and paper, it’s still good technology and to get kids writing about things that matter to them during this time. In all the years that I’ve been teaching, I have found poetry to be the great equalizer. For kids that are struggling, that are having great difficulty with following the rules, they take to poetry like a duck to water. I am talking about starting in kindergarten. The other thing I love about it is, one of the biggest shifts and hardest shifts for people to make in education and the kind of work kids are being asked to do, this is not a time to worry about following the rules, to worry about, “Is their spelling correct? Are they using capital letters?” This is a time to celebrate, and I say that word meaningfully, to celebrate what kids can do and have them soar. Poetry does that. They don't have to write a lot, they don’t have to follow the rules, and it’s very enjoyable. What we’ve done in this video series is to take you through how you might do that at home, as a parent, a teacher, a family member, and everyone is successful, it’s comforting. It’s joyful. It’s freeing.Matt: I found myself engaged while watching, especially when you were writing the poem, “Dandelions”. You said “lowly weed in the world,” and I wrote that down. I wanted to tell you that it was such a cool line that you said, and then you incorporated those ideas with weed and flowers. You mention nurturing and not following the rules, and I think that can cause anxiety for any writer when trying to following the rules when you just want to get words down on paper. Poetry seems to allow for that, gives them an entry point into writing.Regie: And also because poems tend to be shorter, instead of, say, an essay. It can be just a few words. In the video series, I demonstrate my writing process. You can see me do it on the screen, the thinking and the revising, and what’s going on. Writing is hard, and the satisfaction you feel from writing is great. Kids get that. I also love it because you start with the whole. I see that shift that all teachers and leaders have to make for teaching and learning to become joyful and meaningful for all students. You start with a whole poem, a whole idea, I tell the story first, and everyone is successful, even kindergarten kids who may only know a couple of letters and sounds. So I love that. It’s so critical right now.Matt: You base that on something your noticing - dandelions - which gives every kid, that everyone can notice something. You picked out something as simple as dandelions, but you make it into this rich text. Regie: I was very careful. I wanted it to be a neutral topic. “What are you noticing today, or now, that you didn’t notice before?” and to model something positive. I’m noticing the natural world a lot more. We are inside, looking outside, and I am really looking at something as I take a short walk. This is what I call choice within structure. I’m modeling a poem about dandelions (which I’ve never noticed until now), and the message to kids and parents is, “What are you noticing?” They can take that same process and they choose the topic. What’s very important right now is something Larry Ferlazzo says on a wonderful video he’s done through Education Week, to just throw out the regular curriculum and to ask your kids what they are interested in. What do they want to learn and start there. Don’t worry about the skills in isolation. I think some of the things we need to be concerned about now are kindness, being kind to ourselves, to our kids and families we are working with, and making whatever we are doing with them relevant. Easy - this is not the time for complex projects. I think putting people first. In Literacy Essentials, in the engagement section, that is where we need to start. I have four parts there: developing trusting relationships, accelerating learners, creating a thriving learning environment, and teaching with purpose and authenticity. This is where we can start, with this home-school connection and what parents are doing with their kids at home. You’ve got to set up a culture in your home, in our virtual classrooms now that allow for that kind of trust and celebration and purpose. A lot of that is offering choices and being a really good listener. What is it that they need? Keeping close relationships with the kids and their families. It’s hard.  Matt: You mentioned the home-school connection. I am meeting with staff in weekly meetings; we’re making them optional. They are noticing that kids are not as engaged as much right now and I think people are feeling some sense of, getting worn out and not noticing what's going well. So I think that's just really an important point of involving the families and how to create that structure together and noticing what's going well. Regie: That’s really hard to do. I was noticing in a New York Times article recently on the front page that parents are having a very hard time teaching their kids at home. They didn’t know that teaching was so hard.Matt: For any family that has thought about homeschooling, they are getting a real experience right now. Although I feel for the families trying to juggle jobs and homes, or parents who are unemployed. They are dealing with unique stressors right now.Regie: This is a hard time for parents. I don't know if your teachers are doing this, or for that matter even for you to do, it would be great to just start each day or each lesson with a read-aloud. Even if you're teaching high school, to pick a book that allows you to talk about it and to jump off and write something about it to just start off with something relaxing. Kind of a beginning to the learning day. One of the books that I like is Be Kind. It is a picture book by Pat Zietlow Miller about kindness. It would take less than 5 minutes to read it and then I might ask the kids to reflect on what's a kind act that someone did for you or that you did for someone else. Let’s talk about that. Let’s write about that. If there's a way for you to do some demonstration writing in front of the kids, do that because that's really helpful too, the kind of modeling that you're expecting. Matt: What you did in the videos is such a cool example, I shared that with my staff yesterday, where you pulled up your whiteboard and you had a picture in picture. You were talking as you were writing, at the same time, and they can see the process of writing. You could see poetry kind of in action, the development of it. I think that's a simple shift that I think teachers could do in keeping things manageable enough for kids and for themselves. Regie: I think what's really important there is that there wasn't a lot of planning for me. I talked about the fact that writing is a recursive process that it's not linear. So when I was done with that, I was really done because I was revising it as I went along. I was re-reading it, I was rethinking, I was talking out loud, and I think it's important for kids to see our thinking. That thinking aloud and seeing our struggle that we go through, that it's not perfect, and that that's okay. Matt; Yeah, listening to kids, like you were saying, and having a conversation about what they're noticing and with kindness and even doing some shared demonstration. My wife, she teaches special education, and she was dictating a letter to a friend they haven’t seen in awhile since we've gone to remote learning. Doing it in front of him and putting up the whiteboard, there’s a lot of options that I think your video, as well as the conferring conversation with Gail, it was just a cool example that anyone can do tomorrow, today. Regie: I think so and that's really why I love poetry and I think it’s really a great way to start a lesson. In fact, I thought it was quite interesting that, in the New York Times which I read every day because I am from New York, the national desk now, when all the reporters get together and talk about what they are going to write about, they start by reading aloud a poem every day. And so I thought that’s just wonderful to read that poem, to get people in the mood, and relaxation, and the beauty of words, settling down, to soothe your soul before you have to do this hard work. I think that's such a great way to start a lesson. So the read aloud could be a poem and it could be a poem that you’ve written together, perhaps as a class. That’s easier in some places than others. I also like poetry writing because if you just have paper and pencil at home, you can do that, you can put together a poetry anthology by stapling papers together. It could be a writing record, it doesn’t have to be poems, a writing record of what you did during these uncertain and difficult times. I think the hardest thing is to keep the celebration and joy part of whatever it is you’re doing - as a principal, as leaders, as teachers, as kids, and how do you do that and bridge that digital divide. That is why I like poetry. The other thing I would say is I think this is hard to do but I would include in my lessons every once in a while, “Let's talk about gratitude, we’re all struggling, we’re tired of being indoors, but what are we grateful for?” Maybe writing a letter to somebody telling them how much you care about them. Or even, if you can do this, especially where not all the kids have computers or a hotspot, actually writing a letter to each of your students. At the elementary level, I think that's doable and enclosing a stamp and having them right back to you. I think that whole connection, we need to keep our kids and family socially and emotionally whole, which is so difficult to do and to put that before any mandated curriculum. Matt: I couldn’t agree more. That leads to what’s essential right now for educators. You’ve mentioned celebration and stopping and being grateful. I’ve tried to do that with team meetings, starting with what’s going well, or checking in. One teacher yesterday shared that a fox family had taken up residence on their property. She was sharing pictures and it brings in those positive experiences and what’s going well right now. You mentioned parent involvement. What else is essential right now for us in education? Regie: I think that those are the most essential things, that we do right now. Our social and emotional well-being, the strong connections with families and listening to where people are kind of at. Making sure that the curriculum allows some choice, asking kids what do you want to learn about right now and being adaptable. Not worrying so much about tests. I just read recently, which I thought was great, a professor at Stanford University who was, up until the last minute, was going to give a final to his students, decided it was just too much. Everybody was in an emotional state including him. So instead of a final, he had each of his students submit a photo of something from the natural world and that was the final. They were gorgeous, of sunsets and a bird or maybe just the way the light hit a tree, and they posted all of those photos for all students in the class to see and that was, I thought, just terrific. Anything we can do to help people feel successful. Sometimes it feels like the world is ending. We are going to come out of this eventually, but we want to help families and kids come out of this as whole as possible. And then finally Matt, and this might be a good place to end: Years ago when I was teaching and I would go into a school and the teachers were always, you know how we are, we have high expectations, that's great, but I never heard a teacher say “You don't have to do anymore. It’s fine as it is.” But it’s always, “Improve, improve, improve”. When I left one of the residencies, I had a teacher give me (I have it on my wall) this huge necklace that was handmade with paper. It says on it, “Good is good enough.” That was the message they took away which I was thrilled about. We are all trying to do the best we can. We need to slow down, breathe, find moments of joy, do the best we can, and accept that our families and student are doing the best they can. Good is good enough. So, I wish everybody peaceful days during these very hard times. Thank you Matt for this opportunity to talk with you. I appreciate our friendship and collegiality so much.Matt: “Good is good enough.” I am going to write that on the cover of my journal.Regie: I am going to send you a photo of that. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit readbyexample.substack.com

Hello everyone! Literacy Essentials by Regie Routman (Stenhouse 2018) is by far one of the most influential books I’ve read in my teaching career. It’s a book I turn to weekly for advice, insight, and encouragement in my work to bring authentic literacy to my students.  So when I was given a chance to talk to Regie herself, I knew I couldn’t pass up the opportunity. In part 1 of the podcast, we dove deep into the increasingly alarming practice of talking about students as if they are data points and not children. We discussed why we need to humanize our classrooms, and how to think about our school culture in a way that fosters equitable practices. In part 2, we took a look at some practices we are letting happen in our classes and schools that are hurting students, and what to do about them. And now in part 3, we are wrapping it all together in a discussion about why learning should be joyful—for teachers and students—and should drive us into the beauty and gift that is TEACHING. Do not miss it!  Enjoy! To listen to my talks with other literacy giants, such as Kelly Gallagher, Donalyn Miller, Penny Kittle, Mary Howard and Laura Robb, click here.    About Regie: REGIE ROUTMAN has more than forty-five years of experience working in diverse, under-performing schools across the U.S. and Canada as an educational leader, mentor teacher, literacy coach, classroom teacher, and teacher of students with learning differences. Her current work involves on-site demonstrations of highly effective literacy and leadership practices and side-by-side mentoring and coaching of principals, administrators, and lead teachers in order to improve reading and writing engagement, achievement, and enjoyment—across the curriculum–for all learners. Her many research-based books and resources have supported hundreds of thousands of teachers, principals, and educators at all levels to create and sustain trusting, intellectual school cultures where hearing all the voices and ongoing, professional learning are priorities. Regie’s most recent book is Literacy Essentials: Engagement, Excellence, and Equity for All Learners. (Stenhouse, 2018) To listen to “Literacy Essentials: The Stories”–personal and professional Stories integrated into the book—go to https://voiced.ca/project/literacy-essentials-the-stories-2/ or wherever you get your podcasts. For full information on Regie’s publications including her Transforming Our Teaching video-based, online literacy series, her PD offerings, and blogs, see www. regieroutman.org   A special thank you to Viewsonic for sponsoring this episode of the podcast! Please check out their amazing resources for teachers here.

Hello everyone! Literacy Essentials by Regie Routman (Stenhouse 2018) is by far one of the most influential books I’ve read in my teaching career. It’s a book I turn to weekly for advice, insight, and encouragement in my work to bring authentic literacy to my students.  So when I was given a chance to talk to Regie herself, I knew I couldn’t pass up the opportunity. In part 1 of the podcast, we dove deep into the increasingly alarming practice of talking about students as if they are data points and not children. We discussed why we need to humanize our classrooms, and how to think about our school culture in a way that fosters equitable practices. Today, we take a look at some practices we are letting happen in our classes and schools that are hurting students, and what to do about them. Among other topics, we hit on: Why breaking everything into parts makes learning harder for students Why "training" is not professional learning How modeling can elevate your lessons What it takes to begin innovating as a teacher, and as a student Do not miss it!  Enjoy! To listen to my talks with other literacy giants, such as Kelly Gallagher, Donalyn Miller, Penny Kittle, Mary Howard and Laura Robb, click here.    About Regie: REGIE ROUTMAN has more than forty-five years of experience working in diverse, under-performing schools across the U.S. and Canada as an educational leader, mentor teacher, literacy coach, classroom teacher, and teacher of students with learning differences. Her current work involves on-site demonstrations of highly effective literacy and leadership practices and side-by-side mentoring and coaching of principals, administrators, and lead teachers in order to improve reading and writing engagement, achievement, and enjoyment—across the curriculum–for all learners. Her many research-based books and resources have supported hundreds of thousands of teachers, principals, and educators at all levels to create and sustain trusting, intellectual school cultures where hearing all the voices and ongoing, professional learning are priorities. Regie’s most recent book is Literacy Essentials: Engagement, Excellence, and Equity for All Learners. (Stenhouse, 2018) To listen to “Literacy Essentials: The Stories”--personal and professional Stories integrated into the book—go to https://voiced.ca/project/literacy-essentials-the-stories-2/ or wherever you get your podcasts. For full information on Regie’s publications including her Transforming Our Teaching video-based, online literacy series, her PD offerings, and blogs, see www. regieroutman.org   A special thank you to Viewsonic for sponsoring this episode of the podcast! Please check out their amazing resources for teachers here.          

Hello everyone! Literacy Essentials by Regie Routman is by far one of the most influential books I've read in my teaching career. It's a book I turn to weekly for advice, insight, and encouragement in my work to bring authentic literacy to my students.  So when I was given a chance to talk to Regie herself, I knew I couldn't pass up the opportunity. To my delight, Regie is just as honest and passionate in person as she is in her many books. She doesn't waste time in our talk getting to the heart of the matter, which is that if we want to make an impact on kids in a positive way, we can't see them as numbers, or data points, or problems. If we want true equity in our schools and classrooms, we have to see them as PEOPLE first. We have to be energetic if we want them to care about the class.  We have to get them to feel loved and comfortable in our spaces.  We have to allow them to be themselves, in their writing, and in their reading.  We have to humanize school, and use research supported practices to move them in meaningful ways.  Together, we address these topics and many more in this 3 part discussion, so do not miss a minute of it! Enjoy! To listen to my talks with other literacy giants, such as Kelly Gallagher, Donalyn Miller, Penny Kittle, Mary Howard and Laura Robb, click here.    About Regie: REGIE ROUTMAN has more than forty-five years of experience working in diverse, under-performing schools across the U.S. and Canada as an educational leader, mentor teacher, literacy coach, classroom teacher, and teacher of students with learning differences. Her current work involves on-site demonstrations of highly effective literacy and leadership practices and side-by-side mentoring and coaching of principals, administrators, and lead teachers in order to improve reading and writing engagement, achievement, and enjoyment—across the curriculum--for all learners. Her many research-based books and resources have supported hundreds of thousands of teachers, principals, and educators at all levels to create and sustain trusting, intellectual school cultures where hearing all the voices and ongoing, professional learning are priorities. Regie’s most recent book is Literacy Essentials: Engagement, Excellence, and Equity for All Learners. (Stenhouse, 2018) For full information on Regie’s publications including her Transforming Our Teaching video-based, online literacy series, her PD offerings, and blogs, see www. regieroutman.org   A special thank you to Viewsonic for sponsoring this episode of the podcast! Please check out their amazing resources for teachers here.

A special message from Regie Routman

Hello everyone! Today I have a special announcement: Teach Me, Teacher: Life Lessons That Taught Me How to be a Better Teacher is now available for purchase! To celebrate, I took some time to talk about the book, and read a few pages from the opening chapter. I hope that you'll take the time to listen and read the book. I wrote it for you. Buy on Amazon Buy on B&N ABOUT THE BOOK: Jacob Chastain grew up in an environment filled with drugs and violence. Inside the home that should have felt safe, fear and anxiety were the desperate norm. Stability and security eluded him as he was shuffled between family and friends that would take him in. But at school, things were different. There, day after day, year after year, Chastain’s teachers saved him. Teach Me, Teacher is the true story of a childhood marked by heartache—a story that may be similar to that of the children sitting in your classroom. It’s the story that shaped Jacob Chastain into the educator he is today. Lessons learned from his experiences as a child and as a growing educator offer reflections on the trials and triumphs facing teachers and students everywhere. From these lessons, we learn that one’s darkest moments can ultimately lead to a meaningful and fulfilling life when someone cares enough to step in and make a difference.  Written in celebration of teachers and the power of education, Teach Me, Teacher affirms that you have the power to save a life.  ———————————————— PRAISE FOR TEACH ME, TEACHER “Jacob Chastain pours his heart out on the pages of Teach Me, Teacher by sharing his personal journey through childhood trauma. His message that “action is the antidote to suffering” is a powerful reminder to us all to do more, be more, understand more, and care more for our students.” —Kim Bearden, co-founder and executive director, The Ron Clark Academy, author of Talk to Me “Teach Me, Teacher is one of the most courageous, heartbreaking, hopeful books I’ve ever read.” —Regie Routman, author of Literacy Essentials “Jacob Chastain’s raw honesty is something that we need more of in the education world.” —Halee Sikorski, A Latte Learning “Teach Me, Teacher is both an uplifting memoir and a message to all of us in education of the power we have to build relationships and make a difference for all of our students.” —Dr. Sue Szachowicz, senior fellow, Successful Practices Network “Jacob Chastain takes us on a transformational journey where past and present converge into possibility. His story of resilience and hope is a celebration of the impact each of us can have when professional purpose leads the way.” —Dr. Mary Howard, author of Good to Great Teaching “Everyone has their past, and Jacob’s had challenges. At times raw and emotional, this book allows you to experience Jacob’s journey towards understanding, acceptance, and redemption. Jacob shares example after example of how negatives in life can open doors, and his experiences can help the reader to better define a sense of purpose.” —Evan Robb, author of The Ten-Minute Principal and coauthor of TeamMakers “My heart bled for children of shattered and dysfunctional families when I read Jacob Chastain’s Teach Me, Teacher. Jacob has an insight many of us don’t inherently have as teachers. His powerful story is a reminder that as teachers, we can and do make major impacts in the lives of our students. I applaud Jacob’s willingness to be open and share his story. His book is filled with life lessons for us all, both in and out of the classroom.” —Haley Curfman, elementary educator, The Weary Teacher “Jacob Chastain has done something that is extremely difficult—he has shared parts of his abusive childhood as well as his teaching experiences to show how he transformed negatives into positives to create a meaningful life, start his own family, and becoming a reflective teacher who responds to his students’ needs. By sharing his painful memories,

Join me today for an interview with Regie Routman, as we discuss engagement, excellence, and equity in the classroom. Regie has over 40 years of experience teaching, coaching, and leading in diverse schools across the United States and Canada, and has been publishing books since 1988. Regie is among the top five people who have influenced my teaching practice and philosophy, and having her on the show was such an honor.  Click here to listen to the audio, or read or share the highlights from the interview and participate in the discussion.  

In this segment, our guest offers practical tips for empowering teachers, students, and all stakeholders to produce a culture of learning. Follow: @mjanatovich @regieroutman @ASCD @bamradionetwork Regie Routman is a longtime teacher and the author of many books and resources for educators. She is author of the ASCD book, Read, Write, Lead: Breakthrough Strategies for Schoolwide Literacy Success. Host Mike Janatovich is the assistant principal of Harmon Middle School in Aurora, OH, and an ASCD Emerging Leader.

In this segment, our guest offers practical tips for empowering teachers, students, and all stakeholders to produce a culture of learning. Follow: @mjanatovich @regieroutman @ASCD @bamradionetwork Regie Routman is a longtime teacher and the author of many books and resources for educators. She is author of the ASCD book, Read, Write, Lead: Breakthrough Strategies for Schoolwide Literacy Success. Host Mike Janatovich is the assistant principal of Harmon Middle School in Aurora, OH, and an ASCD Emerging Leader.

Regie Routman joins Justin Baeder to discuss her book, Read, Write, Lead: Breakthrough Strategies for Schoolwide Literacy Success.Interview Notes, Resources, & Links Purchase Regie's book, Read, Write, Lead: Breakthrough Strategies for Schoolwide Literacy Success.About Regie RoutmanRegie Routman is an international literacy expert with more than 40 years of experience teaching, coaching, and leading in diverse schools. She is the author of more than a dozen highly respected books.

In some schools, teacher leadership is merely a title with little significance. Our guests define the qualities of authentic teacher leadership and discuss how to develop effective teacher leaders. Follow: @larryferlazzo @RojeeHistory @regieroutman @Bamradionetwork #edchat #teachers #edtech Aubrie Rojee has been a social studies educator for the past 12 years in Rhode Island, D.C., and Massachusetts and is currently the Educational Leader for Humanities at Medway High School in Medway, Massachusetts. In 2014, she was name an ASCD Emerging Leader. Regie Routman is an educator who works side by side with teachers and administrators in underperforming schools to increase and sustain reading and writing achievement for all students. She is the author of Read, Write, Lead: Breakthrough Strategies for Schoolwide Literacy Success (ASCD, 2014)

Some use the term differentiated instruction, others prefer responsive teaching. In this segment we seek clarification and practical understanding of what it really takes to reach all students. Follow: @LRobbTeacher @regieroutman @larryferlazzo @bamradionetwork Laura Robb has taught grades 4 to 8 more than 40 years and written more than 25 books for teachers on literacy. Presently, Robb coaches teachers, returns to the classroom in the winter months, trains teachers in the U.S. and Canada, and speaks at national conferences. Regie Routman works with students, teachers, and administrators in underperforming schools to accelerate reading and writing achievement. She is the author of many books for educators, most recently Read, Write, Lead: Breakthrough Strategies for Schoolwide Literacy Success (ASCD, 2014).