Author: Mandi Bozarth

Communal Reading

Communal Reading

Reading Time: 3 minutes

Communal Reading (2)Are you picturing several people sitting cross-legged on big floor pillows, drinking herbal tea, and reading poetry aloud between gentle yoga stretches? While that sounds appealing (and before I had kids you might have hit the nail on the head with that image), that is not what I mean.

For the past few days I have spent a chunk of my evenings reading Reyna Grande’s memoir, The Distance Between Us, the story of her family’s emigration from Mexico to the U.S. The story is powerfully relevant as the U.S. attempts to deal with large numbers of unaccompanied minors seeking asylum. When Reyna was 2, her father left her hometown of Iguala, Mexico, to find work in the United States. Her mother left Reyna, age 4, and her two siblings for the U.S. two years later, to return to them a single mother. When she was 9 Reyna and her siblings came to the U.S. and after several years the 1986 Immigration Reform and Control Act allowed them to become U.S. citizens. Continue reading “Communal Reading”

Say Thank You — Or Else

Say Thank You — Or Else

Reading Time: 2 minutes

https://westwinded.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/05/Teacher-Thanks.jpg

Yesterday during our elementary school’s annual “Chalk the Walk” to thank our teachers, my nine year-old son drew this picture near the school entrance. I must admit I was a little nervous when he started drawing the man with the funny teeth. I know he loves his teachers, but he also loves to be the funny guy. When I reminded him that we were there to say thank you and the pictures should be nice, he smiled up at me and said, “Don’t worry all the time, Mom. I am drawing a nice picture. This is to make my teachers smile, not get mad.” Continue reading “Say Thank You — Or Else”

National Youth Violence Protection Week

National Youth Violence Protection Week

Reading Time: < 1 minute

NYVPApril 7-11, 2014, is National Youth Violence Protection WeekThe National Association of Students Against Violence (SAVE) has partnered with five other groups to host a full week of activities aimed at supporting and empowering youth to make their communities safer.  More details and suggested activities are available HERE. Continue reading “National Youth Violence Protection Week”

To Tweet or Not to Tweet:  That Shouldn’t Be a Question

To Tweet or Not to Tweet: That Shouldn’t Be a Question

Reading Time: 2 minutes

Twitter_Icon_by_PhireDesign_300_300_croppTo get straight to the point:  I am not an avid or successful Twitter user.  The mere thought of saying something that matters in 140 characters makes me want to hide under my desk.

But recently I have become increasingly aware of the potential for Twitter to support my work.  I often find myself deep in discussions of how to make a policy shift work, when to introduce a certain idea to a group of educators, who to engage as stakeholders in a project, or what  aspect of an initiative to tackle first.  These are all important – in fact, they are the nuts and bolts of my job.  And they are complicated, often layered in details, and sometimes take weeks to unpack. Continue reading “To Tweet or Not to Tweet: That Shouldn’t Be a Question”

To Everyone in Our Schools: Thank You for Your Compassion and Empathy

To Everyone in Our Schools: Thank You for Your Compassion and Empathy

Reading Time: 2 minutes

This week I will ask my kids to tell me what they are thankful for.  I will most likely get the usual responses – my dog, my video games, my doll, my Transformers.  And when I ask them to reflect a little more I’ll get some answers I like better – my house, my family, my coat, healthy food.  This year I decided that I will put a little thought into it before I sit down at the table.  And as I did, I couldn’t stop thinking about how grateful I am for the compassion and empathy I have seen inside my children’s school this month. Continue reading “To Everyone in Our Schools: Thank You for Your Compassion and Empathy”

Community of Practice Evaluation: What We Measure and Why

Community of Practice Evaluation: What We Measure and Why

Reading Time: 2 minutes

A few months ago, I wrote a blog titled How Online Communities of Practice Shape Our Work.  Today I have been thinking a lot about how we evaluate these communities and why we choose to value certain measurements.  The most obvious answer is that we have goals.  And, while I completely agree that a community needs to have a goal or goals and needs to be prepared to measure steps towards meeting those goals, I also think that every community needs to take the time to examine what we are measuring when we evaluate a community’s success. Continue reading “Community of Practice Evaluation: What We Measure and Why”

Back to School and Out in the World

Back to School and Out in the World

Reading Time: < 1 minute
Image created for West Wind Education Policy by Leah Dusterhoft

This is the first year that all of my children are in school.  I think that Beckett, returning from his first day of kindergarten, summed it up for all of us when he said:  “Best day ever!”

Sometimes as the mom it is easy to get caught up gathering supplies, washing clothes, buying new shoes, and packing lunches, and those are all important.  But the beginning of school this year is so much bigger than all that.  My kids are out there in the world, learning, growing, and finding out where they fit.  And that is awesome! Continue reading “Back to School and Out in the World”

Why We Retreat as a Team

Why We Retreat as a Team

Reading Time: 2 minutes

On Monday, the West Wind Education Policy team – including our colleague who telecommutes from 2 hours away – gathered in the West Wind offices for a staff retreat.  We do this twice yearly and spend one to two days working together side-by-side.  During this retreat we spent the first part of our day focused on our social media strategy for ourselves and our clients and partners.  During the afternoon we spent some time discussing how we physically work together and how we could best use our space and the tools we have to make our work stronger and grow our relationships. Continue reading “Why We Retreat as a Team”

How Online Communities of Practice Shape Our Work

How Online Communities of Practice Shape Our Work

Reading Time: 2 minutes

In education reform, technology increasingly allows us to work across classrooms, schools, districts, states, and often even international borders.  Online dialogues via email are a way of life for most of us and we routinely connect through webinars, Google Plus, Discussion Forums, Twitter, Facebook, and many other platforms.  Online communities of practice and collaboration sites allow ongoing working relationships that span time zones and geographical borders to promote continuous knowledge sharing.  Many of you may have been part of a community of practice in the past or are currently a member of one or more of these types of communities – whether completely online, in-person, or a mixture of both.   If you are not familiar with online communities of practice, visit the U.S. Department of Education School Turnaround site to see how they work. Continue reading “How Online Communities of Practice Shape Our Work”

Theme: Overlay by Kaira