Jess Thomas

@avushah_ ❤️ There are few greater compliments! (Side note: one of my all-time favorite teaching moments was watching you brainstorm for your inquiry paper with an expo marker on your desk.)

@misteradampage 4. Really *seeing* our students’ & their strengths; 5. Lots of formative feedback; 6. Just like any leader, we must truly *care* about the people entrusted to us. We get to walk with our students for a short time in their lives. We must truly care about them while we do.

@misteradampage So many things! 1. Setting an example. A teacher who is transparent is powerful. Students learn a lot from a teacher who is willing to apologize, be vulnerable, and be human, while still being professional; 2. Always giving hope; 3. Providing authentic audience for their work

We asked our English 2 students, “What’s a problem that teenagers face that needs to be changed?” As teachers, what is our role in making change?

"I have been thinking about perfection and teaching a lot lately. So many teachers are sharing on social media that they don’t feel like they are doing enough or they aren’t good enough." @WeAreTeachers ow.ly/Af5M50CbGNf

Shout out to all of the educators who still had to teach today while all of this is happening.

No matter how this election turns out, I feel a strong responsibility as an educator to not only welcome all opinions, but more importantly, create environments where we can talk about them. I think our democracy depends on it.

@rissabajusz 1. I had my son’s first PT conference, and I’m so proud of him. His teacher told me that he is kind. 2. I have awesome students this year. 3. I got to have @rissabajusz as a student last year!

Anyone have some good news?

In my grad class, we were asked to write a response to this discussion question: “What is the purpose of education in 2020?” I was kinda paralyzed in trying to respond. What would you say?

@turntbull It’s so true... and this made me laugh. Miss having you in class, James!

@DrBradJohnson We need to “do what’s best for kids.” “We’re going to have to do more with less.” But there IS language that has been powerful: Specific praise Always explaining the ‘why’ Clear values and policies that support those

Educational jargon that never motivated or inspired me: * You are heroes/ superheroes/ etc. * Its all about the kids * Its what you signed up for * Whatever it takes * Its just how we do things What are yours?

Does anyone know where I can find videos of teachers teaching face-to-face and on zoom, at the same time? I think it would help us prepare if we could visualize this.

When I hear convos about @ipsd204 “going back,” I also think about things I don’t want to go back to. Some changes have been good. A focus on student wellness and prioritizing teacher collaboration will be essential for whatever’s next.

Teacher collaboration is crucial. Research supports this. When designing our remote schedule, I am so thankful that @ipsd204 prioritized time for teacher collaboration and one-on-one time with students. And thankful for the administrators who supported it. @MVPrincipal1

The Metea Book Fair has gone Virtual! You can purchase your English Novels via Anderson’s Bookshop by using this link! Please help us support a local business who gives back to our schools & our students. @meteavalley abcfairs.com/metea-valley-h…

Since schools have gone remote, I’ve heard criticisms about a “lack of creativity,” but I see the opposite: from checking out chromebooks to reimagining how we teach, schools are among the most create we’ve ever been. Proud to be an educator. @MVPrincipal1 @ipsd204

@ANNELAMOTT Alone! It’s more survivor than Survivor is.

Tell me your favorite reality show, your guilty pleasure, besides Survivor or Great British Baking. I don’t care if husband leaves me over this—I really need one now.

@johnsonNNHS Thank you! Do you set up, or does your dept or school facilitate and make time for vertical teaming?

@MrsJessThomas We’ve been trying to do this since March, right? In our PLC (English I) we started witb what do the kids HAVE to know to be successful in E2. What skills must they practice to move on? That helped!

School leaders of twitter: how do you plan to help teachers navigate conversations about what to ‘cut out’ of curriculum? Asking for a friend.

I get the crisis parents are facing: childcare is a real issue. I am a widowed, working mother of two small children. I am also a teacher. And when it comes to the fall, teachers — and schools — are not the enemy.

@johnsonNNHS Thank you! Do you have a method or set of criteria to determine what is most essential?

@MrsJessThomas Let the standards drive your choices. Determine what is essential, then focus only on that.