Blog

The Toilet Paper Caper: Why We Should Celebrate our Janitors

By: Jon Konen | Nov 6, 2018

31 cameras later and I refuse to use them to solve the Toilet Paper Caper! We have cameras in just about every location on our school campus. We have solved many problems by reviewing the tape. We have a camera in the hallway outside of our main bathroom. The camera ...
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7 Reasons Why I Am Humbled to Win the NDP Award as told By My Elementary Students – Part 1

By: Jon Konen | Oct 12, 2018

Humbled to say the least – let me start out by saying there are much better principals out there than me…many in my own school district. I recently was honored to win the 2018 National Distinguished Principal (NDP) Award from the National Association of Elementary and Middle School Principals (NAESP). One ...
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A 5th Grade Teacher’s Guide to Surviving October

By: Amy Konen | Oct 10, 2018

It is October and I sit here wondering if I am doing enough for my students. Am I providing enough for them to be ready for 6th grade by the end of this year? Am I giving them knowledge, strategies, friendships, and hopefully, good memories of this year? My own reflections ...
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Twice Exceptional Students: Understanding What Makes Them Unique and What Will Help Them Connect

By: Mary McLaughlin | Oct 1, 2018

Some storms are expected… Hurricane Florence has dominated the news for the past few weeks. Florence was expected to dump up to 40 inches of rain.  Wind damage and flooding were projected to be residual with an extreme physical and financial toll for victims. Hurricane winds were projected to be upwards of 100+ ...
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11 Ways Football is Your Classroom

By: Jon Konen | Sep 25, 2018

If you love football and you love teaching like me, I tend to find similarities at every turn. This article is meant to encourage discussion during any football or educator gathering. This article is not meant to make you a football expert, or an armchair quarterback, but it can be ...
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How an Old Teacher Learned to Survive in a New Position Where Cattiness and Cliques Rule

By: Mary McLaughlin | Sep 13, 2018

My good friend Marti had a very nice job in a district near her home. She was a Special Education Teacher in a self-contained classroom. Her ten students were moderately to mildly disabled. Two of her kids were medically fragile but in stable health. Marti was very connected to her students’ ...
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8 Things to Think About As You Start the School Year

By: Jon Konen | Sep 4, 2018

As you start school this year, do you feel you are more efficient than last year? What makes us feel better after we get more years under our belt? Starting my second decade of education…I can’t believe it. Many of you have been around longer than then that, but most of ...
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7 Reasons You Have the Best Community for Education

By: Jon Konen | Aug 16, 2018

What makes some communities better than others for education? Much like creating the perfect pizza with cheese, meat, and vegetables, successful communities have the right mix of ingredients. One person may be able to correctly put these ingredients together, but a team can do it more effectively and efficiently. These ...
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When Special Educators Find New Jobs

By: Mary McLaughlin | Aug 1, 2018

The Builders Tried To Build My parents were born in the 1930’s. They are stereotypical of the Builder Generation in every aspect of their being. They are hard workers. They saved a lot of money from their middle class working years to enjoy a lovely retirement. They held their family to a high ...
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The Top 3 Ways to Ward off Energy Vampires

By: Jon Konen | Jul 31, 2018

“I want to suck your blood!” said an Energy Vampire. Jon Gordon’s book, The Energy Bus, is absolutely fantastic…in fact, I have wanted to read it for years, but hadn’t hit the shopping cart button on Amazon until this summer. He defines 10 rules to fuel your life, work, and team ...
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