A recent conversation with a concerned coach:

Coach: She had a hard time paying attention today. Can you talk to her about paying attention in class?

Me: ( looking down at my daughter who is now in tears) Yes, she is diagnosed with ADHD. She loves gymnastics and is working hard to improve.

Coach: Yes, I understand. But next time, can you talk to her before class about paying attention?

Me: ( inward eye roll) Yes, attention issues are prevalent in all areas of her life. I understand.

I quickly turned away and watch my daughter slouch away in tears…

Almost a month ago, I wrote an article about the injury prevention strategies that have worked for me over the last several years. I religiously foam roll, stretch, and strength train with occasional bursts of yoga to supplement my regular running routine.

Last week, during a run-of-the-mill easy run, my right knee started to ache after the first two miles. It was a beautiful day, and I was recovering from a previous day’s eight-mile tempo run in 30 mph winds.

I decided I must have some residual soreness and pressed on, completing the five slated miles.

The next day, I…

It goes without saying that writing should provide meaning. More often than not, I read articles that leave me scratching my head, wondering “what’s the point?”

As a high school English teacher, I focus on teaching my students how to frame academic writing. I teach them the structure of the five-paragraph essay and the formulaic nature of writing.

Once they have mastered the basics, they are able to play with style and form as long as their writing still adheres to the basics of achieving meaning.

Most bloggers and freelance writers are not writing academic essays; however, there are still…

I attended a small, southern high school with one counselor for the entire population of 400 or so students. I only met my counselor once, even while I was applying for college.

I didn’t have any guidance in filling out college applications or any help in applying for financial aid (or even knowing that financial aid existed).

As a result, I missed out on opportunities to attend larger universities and chose to attend a community college that seemed attainable and affordable.

Looking back, it is likely that my high school counselor was overworked, undervalued, and taking on additional responsibilities that…

Welcome to the 3rd edition of Insights from Educate. Keep reading for a recap of the recent articles published on Educate., a glimpse into the latest news in education, and a roundup of professional learning ideas to keep you inspired and motivated.

It was a busy week. According to Gen Z, the laughing emoji or “lol” is no longer cool. Neither is Facebook, according to my high school students. I still don’t know how to Tik Tok.

We landed on Mars. This video proves it.

Working moms are feeling overworked and under-appreciated:

“We live in a country … that has…

My high school students look at me with surprise when I begin to teach them that writing is an argument. Whether they are writing an essay or constructing short responses, their primary task is to wield evidence effectively to convince me that their answer or idea is well-supported and correct. Without evidence to support their claims, I simply tell them that I do not believe them. When I frame the assignment as “prove to me that you know what you know,” they are more motivated to find the textual evidence I require.

Whether the goal is to persuade, to inform…

Story Spotlight

Over the past year, many of us have been forced to reckon with unexpected shifts in our personal and professional lives. As we hunker down at home, Zooming in pajamas with children bickering in the background, it’s not surprising that we may begin to question our career choices and wonder “what if?”

In “5 Questions That Will Help You Figure Out What You Actually Want to Do With Your Life,” Julia Blum explores what it would be like if we could create our perfect day, in a comfortable “flow,” making enough money to satisfy our lifestyle choices.

Blum begins with…

After almost thirty years of running, I still make the so-called “rookie” running mistakes.

I have been known to try to run through an injury and tack on more mileage than my body can handle. I have learned many lessons, sometimes over and over again, about the importance of listening to my body. Making mistakes is par for the course for learning. We learn and grow from our past failures and missteps.

My bigger mistakes include running a marathon six weeks after rehabbing from a broken ankle. This resulted in an IT flare-up that took eight weeks to recover from…