Author Archives: Jhuricks

One thing about life is that some days are better than others. It’s a common part of the human experience. The more variables in your life, the greater the chance of things not going your way. In spite of it all, we must push through and make the most of each day that we’re given.Continue reading “Some Days You’re The Hammer, Some Days You’re The Nail”

With anything that you want to get better at doing practice is required. When learning to play a video game there’s a certain amount of time needed to master the game. Learning to play an instrument or playing any sport requires a time commitment and repetition. I view homework the same way. In order toContinue reading “Is Homework Still Relevant?”

There are many schools of thought when it comes to grading. Teacher’s approach to grading can vary widely within the same building. Are there any grading practices that are wrong? Should there be a standard way of grading for all teachers? Is there really a need for grades? Grading can be subjective. If you giveContinue reading “The Great Grade Debate”

Throughout our days there are a multitude of things that we deal with. Some of these things are planned and some come out of nowhere. Having a plan of attack helps take some of the stress away when it comes to dealing with the unexpected. The reality of working in a school setting is thatContinue reading “Calendaring Your Days As A School Leader”

The last month of the school year is usually filled with one activity after another. Students and adults can begin to feel anxious about the impending end of the academic year. While it’s great to break from the normal curriculum, teachers still need to incorporate classroom structure. Somewhere along the line, some students and teachersContinue reading “Instruction Doesn’t End After State Assessments”

There’s a long standing joke in the education community that when a teacher decides to pursue a path into administration that their “crossing over to the dark side”. I know you’ve probably heard this countless times. Why is this the perception? Why the division between teachers and school leaders? Teachers sometimes feel as though noContinue reading “The Perceived Disconnect Between Teachers and Administrators”

Every aspect of our lives can be tied to relationships. From birth, we begin establishing relationships. Relationships are at the root of it all. Our relationship with people, food, money, all affect who we are. In the world of education, relationships are the currency that shape a school’s culture. The relationship that administrators have withContinue reading “Relationships Matter”

All things come to an end. Sometimes, what you think is a good place to be in is not where you should be. In order to get to where you want to be you have to do things that push you out of your comfort zone. I have a few thoughts to share about professionalContinue reading “Sometimes You Have To Go To Grow”

Every business has a way to quantify how they are doing. The amount of revenue generated tells them exactly where they stand. Too often in education we do not use the right measures to truly know if we are helping students to learn and grow. There is value in being data driven. District assessments, campusContinue reading “Numbers Don’t Lie”

No matter the situation we will always have incidents that lead to disciplinary action being taken in our schools. Even the highest performing campuses are not devoid of kids being kids. How do we respond when students misbehave? How can we ensure that we discipline students with dignity? Discipline comes from the Latin word disciplina,whichContinue reading “Discipline, are we getting it right?”