Author Archives: Jhuricks

For as long as I can remember there has been talk of a teacher shortage. This sparseness is very evident in schools across the country. The reasons for the scarcity of educators vary. What do these vacancies mean for the future of our children? According to a survey released in December 2023 by the NationalContinue reading “Who’s Going To Teach Our Kids?”

How many times have you sat in a training and thought “ There’s no way that this person thinks this is a good use of my time”? Perhaps you’ve even had the thought “This could have been shared via email”. We’ve all been there and that is a frustrating place to be. In recent yearsContinue reading “Effective Professional Learning For Educators”

I’m sure we have all heard the saying “ fake it until you make it”. Some days are harder than others to make it through. The day to day demands of work can take its toll. When you are a campus leader sometimes it’s best not to show exactly how you feel. Everyone has anContinue reading “Navigating Tough Days As An Administrator”

If you have ever played a new board game, video game, or card game the first thing you would normally do is learn the rules of the game. Learning the rules will help you to be successful and ease the frustration of making mistakes that could cause you to lose the game. In the worldContinue reading “Is It Really Teaching To The Test?”

If you’ve worked in education for a while you are probably familiar with PLC’s. Depending on where you work, your experience with PLC’s could vary widely. In some schools, PLC’s are a great experience for educators. In others, educators are wondering why they have to attend PLC’s at all. Let’s talk about it, shall we?Continue reading “PLC: More Than A Meeting”

It’s not a secret that teaching is difficult. With all of the things that teachers have to do, it can be easy to get stuck in a rut. The best teachers find a way to not only take care of things they must do, but also inject fun and creativity into their classrooms. The firstContinue reading “Good Teaching Is An Art Form”

There are several moving pieces that help schools to be successful. The support of school superintendents and school boards empowers educators to strive to serve students. School leaders that support the classroom efforts of teachers and students is vital as well. An important piece that is often overlooked is the partnership of parents and schools.Continue reading “Parent Communication”

When thinking about school performance, oftentimes people begin to think about interventions. What can be done to improve student performance? What if we thought about how our schools are performing differently? We must shift our focus from depending on tier two and tier three interventions to quality tier one instruction. Tier one instruction is notContinue reading “Tier I Instruction”

Each day of the school year, millions of educators report to campuses across the United States. Most are firmly rooted in the work that needs to be done. There are others that are not sure of their purpose for serving students and their families. The work of educating tomorrow’s future leaders is too important toContinue reading “Education, More Than A Job”

The beginning of the school year is filled with optimism. Administrators are hopeful for a successful year. Teachers are refreshed and ready for a new group of students. Students are excited to see their friends and meet their new teachers. Parents are eager for their children to return to school after a long summer. TheContinue reading “The Promise of A New School Year”