There is this amazing young man who posts daily on social media. His name is Nas. At 33 years old, he quit his job and traveled the world making one-minute videos and posted them on Facebook. Why? Because he realized life was short, and that we should make the most of it. He wanted to…
Author: Janet Ilko
Responding to Send Her Back
I have come to the conclusion that I have a love/hate relationship with social media. We live in a 24 hour a day news cycle, meaning we are bombarded with information, media, images, and videos at an alarming rate. News is no longer confined to an hour in the evening, but instead, we pick up…
Just Do It Isn’t Just a Slogan
I have been spending this week pouting. I will admit it. This summer is not what I planned. I had hoped for a trip to Europe, that got canceled for the second summer in a row because life happens. I hoped for a backup trip to Nashville. We had to cancel that. Our family has…
Digital Connection
There are times when I realize that our digital world can connect us. Today is one of those times. I spent a wonderful hour or so with my National Writing Project peeps working through some issues on digital portfolios. I would not be able to do this work without minds greater than my own. I…
Equity in Action
This year has been a personal and professional struggle. It is interesting being in this stage of my educational journey. I realized recently that I have about a decade left before retirement from the day to day work world. After completing my doctorate, I thought I would have a clear path as to my next…
Writing Spaces
I spent this school year immersed in the work of creating a new instructional program for our Independent Scholars. I am learning how to manage, create and support the learning in a space created for students who need something different to support their high school experience. I have worked with over 45 students this year,…
2019: A New Year Full of Opportunities
The holidays have come and gone, filled with family and friends and fun. It was a time to purposefully unplug, to reflect and to disconnect from the digital world so I could focus on the real world. 2018 taught me that time is probably my most precious, and sometimes wasted commodity. I spent a lot…
Holidays Are a Time of Reflection, How Will You Spend Your Time this Season?
The frenzy of the holiday season is upon us. The holidays are not always a happy time, but they are always a time for reflection. They have definitely always been a cause for celebration on our household, and traditionally filled with family, friends and lots of reasons to celebrate. But this year is different. This…
Be the Spark
I have been quite the busy writing teacher over the past quarter. In fact so busy that my space lay dormant while I took the quarter to teach my students how to fill theirs. So many posts written in my head that never got to the page. I wanted to, I often tried, but as…
Creating a Reading and Writing Community Week One: Ask the Right Questions and Listen
When I look at social media feeds, I find many posts sharing, “There is no tired like the first week of school teacher tired!” I for one don’t feel that way, I am inspired, and challenged and albeit a little overwhelmed with the prospect of meeting the needs of my students this year. My goal…