Welcome to the Duck Pond Blog!
Your go-to source for all things education, trauma-informed, leadership, and beyond!
Our experts share some of their favorite tools, strategies, resources, and suggestions.
Journey to Becoming Restorative Practitioners in Our Schools
Many schools find themselves on a path leading toward restorative practices and approaches. Our team has been diligently working on a framework that specifically addresses the aforementioned challenges, empowering staff to act as change-makers and undertake the demanding task of serving our most challenging students. Given the prevalent challenging behaviors in our schools, a balance of strong relationships and high accountability becomes imperative.
The Year to Dream: Building Possibilities, Partnerships, and Progress
As I kick off the sixth year of my annual tradition of choosing a word of focus, I have landed on "dream." This year is all about possibilities and opportunities that spark vitality and purpose. A pivotal moment occurred when I stumbled upon a 1998 radio interview (from the late 1900’s as the kids say these days), where the speaker shared four questions to test the authenticity of one's dreams. With these questions in hand, direction for the year becomes clearer.
Personalized Greetings with “Personality-Plus”
It’s a universal “inside joke” that the kid we’d really like to have a break from is the one who is never absent. Like EVER. And while it’s kind of a joke, it’s also kind of true. Those kids can really wear us out. Did I just break some unwritten “teacher code” by saying this out loud? I hope not.
But what if we flipped the script for a moment?
Second Chances and Steady Paychecks
For many adults, a high school diploma feels like a missed train – something left behind in the rush of life. But what if it didn't have to be that way? Imagine a path where earning your diploma wasn't just about completing credits, but about unlocking doors to better jobs, brighter futures, and a newfound sense of accomplishment. We work with S.T.A.R.s (Skilled Through Alternative Routes)
The Resilient Power of Friendship
In a recent conversation, with a friend that embodies all these attributes, she asked me how I like work, what parts of my life I am loving, what aspects bring me joy, challenges I’m facing, and then they threw in one that I wasn’t expecting…..how do I build my own resilience?
UR(RY)
Education is a vibrant world filled with challenges that educators, school districts, and communities constantly navigate. To thrive in this landscape, a clear dedication to purpose is essential. We don't just embrace this dedication; it lives by it through a powerful mantra: URRY, which stands for "You are our why." This simple yet powerful phrase drives our mission to support educators, foster leadership, and provide services and products that enhance schools and communities.