It’s time to share my fascination with what we call “school climate.”

And it’s also time to show my respect for the unique role teachers and principals play in setting a positive school climate and motivating students to learn.

For the past six years I have focused my energies on thinking, researching, and writing about education. I pulled from my experiences as a classroom teacher, building  principal, staff development specialist, college teacher and supervisor of student teachers to write three books:

• Teaching is a Privilege: Twelve Essential Understandings for Beginning Teachers (2009)
  
• Story Power! Breathing Life Into History (2010)
  
• The Violence Continuum: Creating a Safe School Climate. (Release date November 2011)
  

The unifying theme of these books is my belief that we owe our students a safe school climate and an engaging learning experience. The climate of a school–how it feels to be a member of the learning community–depends on how each student is treated, by their peers and the adults. When children feel emotionally and physically secure, have a teacher who genuinely cares about them and teaches with enthusiasm, and they are given an active role in their learning, they will grow socially and academically into good people who know how to make healthy choices.

This what this blog is about: making our schools a safe haven and a challenging learning environment for our students. From pre-K to graduation, we need to systematically teach and model positive social skills and attitudes, and expect students to choose non-violent, respectful, and compassionate behavior.

I hope you find my blog thought-provoking and helpful in your safe school climate efforts and that you visit often.