Latest Posts
Build the Bridge: Make your own Path
When I began the journey of Michigan Teacher of the Year back in August, I was incredibly nervous about this new and unknown experience. My colleague and dear friend Don Green saw me the day before I was officially stepping into the role, and he could sense my anxiety was high. Late that night, as…
How Teachers Help Students Shine
If you’ve spent any time connected to the learning of students this year, you know that the impact the pandemic has made is unprecedented. The learning landscape has been complex, and the legacy of what has happened will take years to fully understand. I could examine the endless cascade of hurdles on both teachers and…
Lessons from ‘The Giver’: Fight to Keep Books in Hand
I grew up in a household that valued and modeled lifelong learning by collecting and reading countless books. We took weekly trips to the library, and I always received a new book for each holiday and birthday. My mom always knew the books I needed at different moments in my childhood. Her guidance and thoughtfulness…
The Time is Now to Support Teachers and Staff
If you were to step into the shoes of any teacher across the state right now, you would more than likely experience something like this: Teachers are instructing the children they have in person, while keeping kids spread apart, masked and limited in the way they can deliver instruction because of safety concerns. Maybe they…
Planting the Seeds of Leadership Helps Students for Life
Many years ago, I was sitting with my principal, Traci Heuhs, in an end of the year wrap-up meeting. As the conversation was winding down, she told me that I was a natural leader and asked how she could support me in expanding myself in the field of education. The comment took me aback and…
Bringing Humanity to Our Relationships with Families
We’ve all had at least one teacher that changed the trajectory of our educational experience. For me, that person was Mrs. Henderson. She was my second-grade teacher. Her magnanimous personality had a tremendous impact on my life and my perceptions of teaching. I was in awe of her in every way. She was always impeccably…
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Leah Porter 