The end of August is bittersweet, the end of summer and the start of fall, so many transitions and the start of a new chapter for teachers and students of all ages. If you are on the academic job market, you are juggling all the start of school tasks with the deadlines that come from applying for academic positions for next fall. It’s a lot to manage, and I am here to help. 

If the students know what you’re doing and why, and they know you care about their learning, you will be ok.

If I could tell new teachers one thing, this is it. From the generations of new graduate students teachers I’ve taught, I can say with confidence that key factors for success as a teacher are organization, transparency, and care for student learning. Read more of my advice on how to succeed as a teacher, and share it with other teachers in your life!

I have been exploring big questions this year, about what I like to do, what I really care about, and what unique value I bring to my work. I will unpack some of my core contributions here over the next few weeks. Today I focus on teaching.

When I was young, growing up in North Carolina and Virginia, I begged my mom to find me a Spanish class. I wanted to learn as many languages as I could. I was frustrated that you couldn’t take foreign languages until 7th grade, and that you could only choose one. I was jealous of kids growing up in multilingual households. In my senior year of high school, I petitioned to take a second foreign language, German, instead of taking a science. I had a vision of running my own international school, where students would come together to learn each other’s languages. So what happened?

I have been exploring big questions this year, about what I like to do, what I really care about, and what unique value I bring to a work place. I will unpack some of my core contributions here over the next few weeks. Today I focus on program planning.

Welcome to Polished Owl Consulting! I will use this space to share reflections and updates. You will learn about me and what I am thinking about and reflecting on as I start this new venture and chapter of my life.