Validation for a Life Lived on Principle
“There are many ways to live your life. That’s maybe the most important thing to realize about your life, that every aspect of your life is a choice. But there are default choices. You can choose to sleepwalk through your life and accept the path that’s been laid out for you, you can choose to…
My Personal Mission Statement (v. 3)
My yearly ritual now is to post a revision of my personal mission statement. Each year I’m astounded by how much I’ve grown, and how much I have yet to grow. Last year, I said that the greatest developments in my life have been: a fulfillment of my ambition to become an entrepreneur a deeper…
My Quarter in Review: Fall 2015
I’m building the habit of reviewing my priorities, goals, roles, and performance once a month. To keep myself accountable, and to build in the open, I’ve decided to publish these monthly reviews.
5 Things First-Year Teachers Should Do Immediately
In my first year as a teacher, I was given full responsibility for ensuring that my students received an excellent science education that would set them up for future success. My in-classroom responsibilities were not that different from the in-classroom responsibilities of my colleagues who have taught for over ten years. Furthermore, unlike my friends…
My Personal Mission Statement (v.2)
This is the second time I’ve posted my personal mission statement. The first time I did not open the post to comments, but this second time I will. While my personal mission statement continues to be intensely personal, I am now at the place where I’m comfortable enough with it to be accepting of comments,…
To the First Students I Ever Taught
Dear KIPP Academy MS Class of 2018, First, I want to say that I am proud of you. I am proud of the incredible work that you’ve done throughout the years, your grit, your ganas, and most importantly, your growth as students, as sisters and brothers, sons and daughters, teammates and young adults. I recognize…
Help! I’m a Teacher– How Do I Get Into Education Technology?
When I first started teaching fifth grade science at KIPP Academy in Houston, Texas, I had no idea that I would end up parlaying that experience into my current role as a consultant to education technology companies. I was simply a teacher on a mission to do right by my students, and that drive just…
Designed for Teachers: Lessons Learned from Designing the Buzzmath iPad App
Most recently, I worked with the team at Buzzmath to redesign their iPad app. It was (and continues to be) an incredible experience because the team at Buzzmath really care about teacher and student feedback and work to make sure Buzzmath creates the best possible experience for them. The specific features I want to highlight…
5 Surprising Books All Educators Should Read
The following is a list of books that have fundamentally changes the way I view education. They are not titles that will come up in a typical search of “books on education,” some of them don’t even mention education at all, and yet, they’ve undeniably shaped who I am and what I believe as an…
Deborah Chang 