Van Andel Institute for Education inspiration Archives

19 Jul 2021

Back to School Tips from Dear Evan Hansen

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Tagsauthenticity, connection, education, Empathy, inspiration, relevance, storytelling, strategies, student engagement, teaching profession, Terra Tarango

Not long ago I saw the first trailer for Dear Evan Hansen – the movie. And while Ben Platt is looking suspiciously...

12 Jul 2021

5 Teaching Lessons from Hamilton

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Tags21st century skills, authenticity, classroom culture, creativity, inspiration, storytelling, strategies, student engagement, teaching profession, Terra Tarango

By now you’ve almost certainly heard of Hamilton: An American Musical, Lin-Manuel Miranda’s retelling of our nation’s “10-dollar founding father,” Alexander Hamilton....

23 Jun 2021

5 Lessons Learned from a Challenging School Year

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Tags21st century skills, assessment, authenticity, education, inspiration, perseverance, Ryan Duncan, strategies, stress, teaching profession

“We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, therefore, is not an act but a habit.” – Aristotle Whew! You made it! What...

21 Jun 2021

Remembering Eric Carle

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Tagsauthenticity, classroom culture, classroom management, connection, creativity, curiosity, inspiration, Jamie MacPherson, relevance, storytelling

As a kindergarten teacher, I have a great love for picture books. I built my classroom library around a wide variety of...

9 Jun 2021

The Empty Classroom and Promoting a Healthy Mindset

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Tagsauthenticity, Ben Talsma, Blue Apple, classroom culture, connection, culture and climate, Empathy, inspiration, lesson planning, teaching profession

I went back to my old classroom yesterday, after all the students had gone home for the summer. Empty classrooms are always...

7 Jun 2021

5 Books to Re-Energize Your Classroom

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Tagsauthenticity, connection, education, Empathy, Growth Mindset, inspiration, perseverance, Ryan Duncan, storytelling, student engagement

Summer has always been an opportunity for teachers to stop and reflect on the previous year. What worked? What didn’t? And most...

2 Jun 2021

Give Yourself Permission: Taking Time to Rest

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Tags21st century skills, authenticity, classroom management, culture and climate, Empathy, inspiration, Jamie MacPherson, perseverance, storytelling, teaching profession

I received a text last night from a long time teacher friend of mine. He said, “For the first time in probably...

28 May 2021

What Now? Taking Time to Relax Once School is Over

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Tagsauthenticity, culture and climate, Empathy, Growth Mindset, inspiration, lesson planning, professional development, Ryan Duncan, stress, teaching profession

Congratulations! We’ve done it. It’s been a long, challenging year for teachers (that’s an understatement!), but we have finally reached the finish...