Teaching is a very habit-bound endeavor. We're unsettled by the unfamiliar. We're creatures of habit too.

Readiness is a student’s entry point relative to a particular understanding or skill.

The best educators I have met never stop asking questions. Some of them have taught for forty years and continue to be energized by new possibilities.

It's important to know how to lead and manage a classroom with flexibility. Students of all ages are quite capable of learning these routines and contributing to their success once the teacher is comfortable guiding students in that direction.

Creating a classroom environment that encourages students to take the risk of learning. We've known for a long time that when students lack a sense of safety or of belonging or of contribution, learning takes second place to meeting those needs.

I think [testing] has had a profoundly problematic impact on student learning. It must seem to students that their worth as individuals is equivalent to their test score. The stress the high stakes culture has on teachers is also highly negative and must surely impact students in a negative way. It also de-professionalizes teachers because it encourages them to be script readers, followers of rigid schedules, and to disregard the needs of the people they teach in favor of the scripts and schedules.

It is not so important to have all the answers as to be hungry for them.