Author Archives: Amy's Reflections

About Amy's Reflections

Assistant Superintendent of Educational Services in Southern CA, taking time to reflect on leadership and learning

Things I’m Loving Friday, Volume 4

Posted on April 25, 2014 by Amy's Reflections

I enjoy sharing a quick list of the learning and leading “things” that are capturing my attention, sparking my curiosity, or pushing my thinking. This week, here are the things I am loving. Connections: So often in education we hop … Continue reading →

Posted in Reflection | Tagged connections, essential oils, PLN, stand up desk, things i'm loving Friday, twitter | 5 Comments

[Abecedary of Reflection] Organization

Posted on April 23, 2014 by Amy's Reflections

O: Organization Often when I hear people talk about the reasons [or excuses] they do not reflect much, time is mentioned. I know that I do not have significant more time than other people, so how do I find/ make … Continue reading →

Posted in Reflection | Tagged abecedary, calendar, instruction, journal, leadership, organization, Outlook, TBC, time | 1 Comment

[Abecedary of Reflection] Networking

Posted on April 16, 2014 by Amy's Reflections

N: Networking What do you think of when you hear the term “networking”? Since the explosion of social media, networking has taken on a whole new meaning. In my doctoral research, I’ve studied social network learning, which has nothing to … Continue reading →

Posted in Reflection | Tagged abecedary, connections, education, networking | 2 Comments

[Mentor Text Monday] Paragraphs

Posted on April 14, 2014 by Amy's Reflections

For my latest mentor text discussion, I am going to study how authors create paragraphs. Based on my recent posts on writing (Fear & Formulas) and discussions with friends and colleagues, I wanted to explore the idea of what a … Continue reading →

Posted in Mentor Text Monday | Tagged Aguilar, books, formulaic writing, paragraphs, purpose, visible, Writing | 3 Comments

[Abecedary of Reflection] Metacognition

Posted on April 9, 2014 by Amy's Reflections

M: Metacognition Metacognition- thinking about one’s own thinking “Thinking about one’s own thinking improves performance and the ability to work independently. The ability to stand back and observe one’s own though process is an important skill of effective learners.” – … Continue reading →

Posted in Reflection | Tagged abecedary, books, comprehension, meditation, metacognition, mindfulness, reading | Leave a comment

Formulas for Writing?

Posted on April 7, 2014 by Amy's Reflections

After reading my post about the fear some teachers have of writing, one of my best friends told me she was very upset. As a middle school English teacher, she agreed with my notion that many teachers, especially non-English teachers … Continue reading →

Posted in Writing | Tagged career, CCSS, college, communication, education, formulaic writing, TCRWP, teachers | 4 Comments

Fear of Writing

Posted on April 4, 2014 by Amy's Reflections

Lately I have seen versions of this phrase used over and over again (mostly in Slice of Life blogs!): In order to be a teacher of writing, one must be a writer. While I was unable to participate in the SOL … Continue reading →

Posted in Writing | Tagged blogging, coaching, education, formulaic writing, leadership, reading, twitter, writers, Writing | 7 Comments

[Abecedary of Reflection] Listening

Posted on April 2, 2014 by Amy's Reflections

L: Listening Flickr photo by Ky Olsen used under creative commons license. The more I read on coaching and leading, the more I reflect on the importance of listening. Listening is an art. An art that requires active participation … Continue reading →

Posted in Learning | Tagged abecedary, adult learning, coaching, Knight, leadership, listening, reflection, trust | 2 Comments

[Mentor Text Monday] Quotes

Posted on March 31, 2014 by Amy's Reflections

My mentor text posts have been missing for quite a while. Those pesky research articles don’t lend themselves as mentor texts for creative writing… usually! However, one of my recent research reads (unplanned alliteration!) had some quotations that stood out … Continue reading →

Posted in Mentor Text Monday | Tagged collaboration, culture, education, leadership, reading, reflection, silence, social justice, Writing | 1 Comment

What I’m Reading (Volume 3)

Posted on March 30, 2014 by Amy's Reflections

I love reading. I also love writing. I enjoy discussing what I read with friends and colleagues. I am not so much a fan of reading 50 page research articles for the purpose of doctoral research. Sometimes it is fun … Continue reading →

Posted in Learning | Tagged adult learning, Book Club, books, doctoral journey, PD, PLC, reading, reflection | 5 Comments