Fern Commodari,Ph.D.

It is imperative that we build 21st-century skills in students before they graduate high school. The students best positioned for success are self-directed and self-aware. They aren’t the kids with the best GPAs or test scores. They are brilliant self-managers. 1/3

Nothing burns teachers out more than sustained behavior management issues. Students are experiencing more emotional dysregulation than we have seen in years. To navigate through it, we must recognize that traditional instruction approaches increase behavior management issues. 1/3

Teaching is not delivering information. Teaching is building relationships with students and supporting them as they apply new information to complex tasks. The power of technology is that it allows educators to spend less time delivering information and more time truly teaching.

When the entire K-12 system is experiencing burnout, it’s logical to default to not adding anything new to people's plates. But innovation is necessary when the status quo is the reason people are burning out. And rejecting all new ideas will only elongate the suffering.

If you are planning PD for teachers and concerned about “filling the time” that’s a big problem. Teacher time is too precious. If the time isn’t purposeful, just give it back to the teachers. There is far too much to do.