Faith in Colleagues

July 31, 2015 / Marjorie Larner / What We Can Do

To my colleagues in Iowa who felt like old friends after just a couple hours in a windowless room talking… more »

Planning

July 29, 2015 / Marjorie Larner / What We Can Do

A thought for planning for human beings: what if every time we planned a lesson or created an agenda for… more »

Alternate Realities

July 29, 2015 / Marjorie Larner / What We Can Do

The Teaching Center—Key and Peele thanks, Alex. more »

Significant Walls

July 27, 2015 / Marjorie Larner / What We Can Do

If you’re trying to achieve, there will be roadblocks. I’ve had them; everybody has had them. But obstacles don’t have… more »

Resource for Change

July 27, 2015 / Marjorie Larner / What We Can Do

A resource if you are trying to get anyone to learn (which is part of change). Read across to see… more »

When it hurts

July 25, 2015 / Marjorie Larner / What We Can Do

“There is a sacredness in tears. They are not the mark of weakness, but of power. They speak more eloquently… more »

Don’t forget

July 25, 2015 / Marjorie Larner / What We Can Do

“It’s so much darker when a light goes out than it would have been if it had never shone.” –John… more »

Keeping On

July 23, 2015 / Marjorie Larner / What We Can Do

Sometimes it seems wrong to write about anything else other than the suffering and darkness, the oppression and destruction that… more »

Rest

July 22, 2015 / Marjorie Larner / What We Can Do

“Rest and be thankful.” ― William Wadsworth Find a space where you can take a break. Restore your will to… more »

Lift

July 21, 2015 / Marjorie Larner / What We Can Do

“Believe me, every heart has its secret sorrows, which the world knows not, and oftentimes we call a man cold,… more »

Hope Dies Last

July 20, 2015 / Marjorie Larner / What We Can Do

“Activists have always battled the odds. but it’s not a matter of Sisyphus rolling that stone up the hill. It’s… more »

Imperfect

July 18, 2015 / Marjorie Larner / What We Can Do

“I don’t know if I continue, even today, always liking myself. But what I learned to do many years ago… more »

Coaching for Plans

July 17, 2015 / Marjorie Larner / What We Can Do

Beyond Paraphrasing and Re-stating to Scaffolding Planning Responding to urgency that teachers and principals express to see tangible results from each… more »

Summer Dreams

July 16, 2015 / Marjorie Larner / What We Can Do

We’re inspired by “The Writing Assignment that Changes Lives” and dreaming about creating our own writing program for Advisories that continue to… more »

Heartfulness: how our kids can have hope

July 15, 2015 / Marjorie Larner / What We Can Do

When I feel nostalgic for my early years, it is usually a longing for the hopefulness I felt then. If young… more »

Acceptance

July 14, 2015 / Marjorie Larner / What We Can Do

When I complained about something in work or life to my friend, Helena Wu, she would say to me, “What… more »

Just a series of quotes

July 13, 2015 / Marjorie Larner / What We Can Do

“Every child born into the world is nature’s attempt to make a perfect human being.” Stage Manager in “Our Town” … more »

Field Experience (literally)

July 12, 2015 / Marjorie Larner / What We Can Do

New studies keep coming out as if its news that children need to be in nature. They cite may reasons. I… more »

Breathe

July 12, 2015 / Marjorie Larner / What We Can Do

Middle of Summer (still and again). Take a real break. Forget. Know you’ll come back to your work, purpose, your… more »

Carry you in my heart

July 12, 2015 / Marjorie Larner / What We Can Do

Middle of Summer. Hours go by without being required to think about work and yet there are still emails and… more »

Summer & School Movies

July 9, 2015 / Marjorie Larner / What We Can Do

Do you ever miss school during summer break? I know there’s a lot not to miss–a colleague just wrote me… more »

Teaching as Art

July 8, 2015 / Marjorie Larner / What We Can Do

How well does this describe your teaching? “What do you think an artist is? …he is a political being, constantly… more »

Discipline

July 7, 2015 / Marjorie Larner / What We Can Do

Nearly every student teacher who starts our program identifies classroom management, discipline as the number one concern and goal. They… more »

How to tell a story?

July 6, 2015 / Marjorie Larner / What We Can Do

I once worked with a group of World Language teachers who were each planning a project where kids would get… more »

Simple

July 5, 2015 / Marjorie Larner / What We Can Do

Love is the only sane and satisfactory answer to the problem of human existence. ~Eric Fromm more »

Freedom…

July 4, 2015 / Marjorie Larner / What We Can Do

Always a dream……as William Glasser describes in his writing about quality schools and classroom, one of the five basic human needs…. more »

8 small actions

July 3, 2015 / Marjorie Larner / What We Can Do

Small things in our power to do that can still make a big difference in our days: Close the door sometimes–this… more »

Hey! Teachers!

July 3, 2015 / Marjorie Larner / What We Can Do

So much of the representation of school in pop culture–in media, movies and especially music–is a place where children are… more »

Tradition of Songs About School

July 1, 2015 / Marjorie Larner / What We Can Do

While its summer and most of us are not in school every day, a good time to follow a history… more »

Questions Instead of Debate

June 30, 2015 / Marjorie Larner / What We Can Do

New Tactic New tactic when in a frustrating conversation with a person with a viewpoint very different from my own…. more »

Student brilliance

June 30, 2015 / Marjorie Larner / What We Can Do

“When I let go of my blinders that kept my view on only what they hadn’t yet achieved, I… more »

Lean on Us

June 28, 2015 / Marjorie Larner / What We Can Do

A neighbor interviewed in an LA Times article around 1993 about an elderly woman who shot a man who was… more »

Kind

June 27, 2015 / Marjorie Larner / What We Can Do

Look for opportunities and instances of Human Kindness in your school. A friend of mine just spent two hours of… more »

Simple

June 26, 2015 / Marjorie Larner / What We Can Do

“It is better to love than to hate.” John Lewis on this date when the Supreme Court declared marriage between… more »

In order to understand

June 25, 2015 / Marjorie Larner / What We Can Do

“It will take a special kind of listening, listening that requires not only open eyes and ears, but open hearts… more »

Watch Who We Are

June 24, 2015 / Marjorie Larner / What We Can Do

I watched and as a teacher I would have given him some advice to get through to the kids. I… more »

If they knew….

June 24, 2015 / Marjorie Larner / What We Can Do

When I brought my frustration about what to me was a frustrating colleague to my friend, Joy Hood, she said to… more »

Truth

June 23, 2015 / Marjorie Larner / What We Can Do

“If you want true reconciliation you must be honest with each other. You must say “this was wrong”…you must say… more »

Wounds

June 21, 2015 / Marjorie Larner / What We Can Do

These times of pain to live with and longing to help are not new in human experience. There are many… more »

Get a horse to drink

June 21, 2015 / Marjorie Larner / What We Can Do

“You can lead a horse to water but you can’t make him drink,” is actually not accurate. In the wild,… more »

In the face of hatred and suffering

June 20, 2015 / Marjorie Larner / What We Can Do

I tell myself: Turn toward providing solace, ongoing dialogue, action for the well being of all. The only chance I… more »

Happiness as an Outcome

June 18, 2015 / Marjorie Larner / What We Can Do

What if we entered our schools and classrooms with this goal for our children in our minds and hearts? “Create… more »

Human Need

June 18, 2015 / Marjorie Larner / What We Can Do

“We have to counter the mentality of such mantras as ‘competition for this century’ and ‘closing the achievement gap.’ We… more »

Qualified to evaluate

June 16, 2015 / Marjorie Larner / What We Can Do

“Any single man must judge for himself whether circumstances warrant obedience or resistance to the commands of the civil magistrate;… more »

Knowledge empowers students

June 15, 2015 / Marjorie Larner / What We Can Do

Arnetta Kroger describes her high school social issues class as “an opportunity to empower students, expose them to real world issues that… more »

Another 5 years

June 14, 2015 / Marjorie Larner / What We Can Do

Julie Stremel left an executive level job in business after twenty five years to teach high school math because she wanted to… more »

Who you want to be

June 13, 2015 / Marjorie Larner / What We Can Do

My friend, Joy Hood, former teacher, principal and coach told me about the first time she had to fire someone… more »

Truth

June 12, 2015 / Marjorie Larner / What We Can Do

I would like to start meetings with this statement: “If you don’t have anything true to say, don’t say anything at… more »

Carpe diem

June 11, 2015 / Marjorie Larner / What We Can Do

All the people I see who usually spend each day in a school building have a look of release on their… more »

Criticize and Act

June 10, 2015 / Marjorie Larner / What We Can Do

“Criticism is necessary and useful; it is often indispensable; but it can never take the place of action, or be… more »

Hold onto your ideals

June 9, 2015 / Marjorie Larner / What We Can Do

“If a man does not have an ideal and try to live up to it, then he becomes a mean,… more »

Historical Call for Neighborhood Schools

June 7, 2015 / Marjorie Larner / What We Can Do

City streets are unsatisfactory playgrounds for children because of the danger, because most good games are against the law, because… more »

In Appreciation

June 6, 2015 / Marjorie Larner / What We Can Do

In appreciation for everyone who worked every day in a school building this year…..custodians, facilities managers, security, lunch ‘ladies,’ secretaries, bookkeepers,… more »

Firsts

June 5, 2015 / Marjorie Larner / What We Can Do

Buttercup: That’s the fire swamp! We’ll never survive. Wesley: Nonsense! You’re only saying that because no one ever has. … more »

Summer time to think

June 5, 2015 / Marjorie Larner / What We Can Do

“Even if there is only one possible unified theory, it is just a set of rules and equation.s What is… more »

Try all the way

June 3, 2015 / Marjorie Larner / What We Can Do

For whatever summer plans you have…… “If you’re going to try, go all the way. Otherwise, don’t even start. This… more »

Change of Mind

June 3, 2015 / Marjorie Larner / What We Can Do

Evan Young, an 18-year-old graduating senior at Longmont’s Twin Peaks Charter Academy High School, Valedictorian of his class with a… more »

Wits End/Faith

June 2, 2015 / Marjorie Larner / What We Can Do

A great teacher wrote me, “I’m at my wits end.” I couldn’t get that out of my mind. What would… more »

Be Kind

June 2, 2015 / Marjorie Larner / What We Can Do

With summer break from everyday school life, there is time to search through literature and poetry and philosophy, to read… more »

Reach Across the Impossible

May 31, 2015 / Marjorie Larner / What We Can Do

“There’s no use in trying,” she said: “one can’t believe impossible things.” “I daresay you haven’t had much practice,” said… more »

RIP Grant Wiggins

May 30, 2015 / Marjorie Larner / What We Can Do

I have always been thankful for Grant Wiggins who helped us find ways to keep authentic meaningful student learning not… more »

Detach

May 29, 2015 / Marjorie Larner / What We Can Do

“I’m at the end of my rope,” I found myself saying to a friend recently. “So, now what?” she said…. more »

Thought & Learning

May 28, 2015 / Marjorie Larner / What We Can Do

Learning without thought is labor lost. ~Confucius When there is only time to deliver content without time for kids to… more »

Kids thinking

May 28, 2015 / Marjorie Larner / What We Can Do

What kids think…… 1. In response to a prompt on a reflection sheet that stated, “If I knew I could… more »

Better to Show Up

May 26, 2015 / Marjorie Larner / What We Can Do

“I am going to do my best to try to create a country in which children are not living in… more »

Falling over

May 25, 2015 / Marjorie Larner / What We Can Do

In early winter, two girls at the same school died within 5 days of each other. I was on the… more »

Discernment

May 24, 2015 / Marjorie Larner / What We Can Do

Patriotism is supporting your country all the time, and your government when it deserves it. Mark Twain Guard against the… more »

3 quotes on memorial theme

May 24, 2015 / Marjorie Larner / What We Can Do

People are saying “Happy Memorial Day,” “Have a good holiday,” “Have fun this weekend.” I never want to begrudge anyone… more »

A moment

May 22, 2015 / Marjorie Larner / What We Can Do

I was reminded today of my friend from our 20’s who spent months in a coma after a freak accident in… more »

What keeps the fire burning

May 21, 2015 / Marjorie Larner / What We Can Do

Most of us don’t have to risk life and death daily, but we may be dying a slow death. If… more »

Do we need education?

May 20, 2015 / Marjorie Larner / What We Can Do

Looking back on a time when teachers really seemed like the ones in charge to blame for education that crushed… more »

Take the lead

May 19, 2015 / Marjorie Larner / What We Can Do

“The more we can build democratic, community-led, and self-funded activity, the more likely it is that the folks with money… more »

New Voices Included

May 18, 2015 / Marjorie Larner / What We Can Do

“Come on, girl. You know that isn’t the way it is. They aren’t going to listen to you in there.”… more »

Flowers in the cracks

May 17, 2015 / Marjorie Larner / What We Can Do

Images. Just images. Photos of flowers, plants and trees finding a space to grow and thrive and bring their beauty… more »

Finding Hope Again

May 17, 2015 / Marjorie Larner / What We Can Do

Where do you put your hope? In a leader, in an idea, a cause, a group of colleagues, nature, a… more »

Beyond hope?

May 15, 2015 / Marjorie Larner / What We Can Do

What lies beyond hope? Beyond merely hoping? Could be to take action. One action each day could make a difference in… more »

Catching Myself

May 14, 2015 / Marjorie Larner / What We Can Do

Post # 195 and too much bad news in the world and in school today. I committed myself to write… more »

4 Reasons Not to Quit

May 13, 2015 / Marjorie Larner / What We Can Do

My dad used to say, “Don’t let the bastards get you down.” I hear his voice when I listen to… more »

Moments

May 13, 2015 / Marjorie Larner / What We Can Do

Another story from Zach Serrano about what keeps him going as a teacher in these times. Just a note about… more »

Inspired though tired

May 11, 2015 / Marjorie Larner / What We Can Do

“A teacher who is attempting to teach, without inspiring the pupil with a desire to learn, is hammering on a… more »

Every Mother’s Child

May 10, 2015 / Marjorie Larner / What We Can Do

How about this for an efficient teacher evaluation question instead of the thirty pages of observation indicators/look-fors in current use?… more »

Underneath

May 9, 2015 / Marjorie Larner / What We Can Do

Underneath We’re All The Same,” by Amy Maddox, “He prayed—it wasn’t my religion. He ate—it wasn’t what I ate. He… more »

Listen

May 8, 2015 / Marjorie Larner / What We Can Do

“Come on, girl. You know that isn’t the way it is. They aren’t going to listen to you in there.”… more »

Reminders

May 7, 2015 / Marjorie Larner / What We Can Do

People from many cultures and since, at least, ancient times have been saying inspiring things about teaching and learning. These… more »

Toot My Horn

May 6, 2015 / Marjorie Larner / What We Can Do

From a high school student in Florida: Toot My Horn By Yesenia Rey I was a little ball of flesh… more »

Roots of Commitment

May 6, 2015 / Marjorie Larner / What We Can Do

“If students are not getting it then we’re not doing it right. Students reflect true commitment we have as adults. No… more »

Complain

May 6, 2015 / Marjorie Larner / What We Can Do

Etymology of the word ‘complain,’ follows deep roots of our English Language: from Middle English: complaynen from Old French complaindre from Medieval Latin… more »

Being Heard

May 4, 2015 / Marjorie Larner / What We Can Do

In the midst of a year with many mandates and directives, tasks and tests, Zach Serrano brought an opportunity to his… more »

When Resistance is Warranted

May 2, 2015 / Marjorie Larner / What We Can Do

“Any single man must judge for himself whether circumstances warrant obedience or resistance to the commands of the civil magistrate;… more »

Question Quantitative ‘Facts’

May 1, 2015 / Marjorie Larner / What We Can Do

” We used to think that if we knew one, we knew two, because one and one are two. We… more »

A joke?

April 30, 2015 / Marjorie Larner / What We Can Do

Mother: How was your first day at school? Son: It was all right except for some man called “Teacher” who… more »

Every little thing

April 29, 2015 / Marjorie Larner / What We Can Do

“In matters of truth and justice, there is no difference between large and small problems, for issues concerning the treatment… more »

“Keep the pressure on. Never let up.”

April 28, 2015 / Marjorie Larner / What We Can Do

If you’re feeling discouraged, scared, weary, confused, it might be a good day to look at Saul Alinsky’s Rules for Radicals. A year… more »

Organizing a School

April 27, 2015 / Marjorie Larner / What We Can Do

…it is when people have a genuine opportunity to act and to change conditions that they begin to think their… more »

Organize for your school

April 27, 2015 / Marjorie Larner / What We Can Do

While I’ve been focused on what each person in a school building can still do that s/he believes is good… more »

Speaking Truth

April 26, 2015 / Marjorie Larner / What We Can Do

“[T]he more radical the person is, the more fully he or she enters into reality so that, knowing it better,… more »

Love & Freire

April 24, 2015 / Marjorie Larner / What We Can Do

“Because love is an act of courage, not of fear, love is a commitment to others. No matter where the… more »

Moral challenge of the day

April 22, 2015 / Marjorie Larner / What We Can Do

“Leadership must meet the moral challenge of the day.” Jesse Jackson Environmental degradation, endless testing, valid evaluation of teacher effectiveness,… more »

Reading for strength

April 21, 2015 / Marjorie Larner / What We Can Do

Classics and a couple newer options —-tips, insights, inspiration, strategies to keep going with a strong heart. Not Quite Burned… more »

Alternative to Quitting?

April 20, 2015 / Marjorie Larner / What We Can Do

Many conversations today talking, in different ways, about quitting. Basically that something has to change. And so, as a way to… more »

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