From the Editors’ Desk
Invigorate Your Practice
I have been teaching for 13 years, eight of them at my current school. For the first time in several years, I’m teaching a course I haven’t taught before, AP Calculus, and I’m feeling invigorated. I spent lots of time over the summer geeking out over content I hadn’t seen in a while. More than anything else, I sought out the expertise of other teachers, reaching out to the other calculus teachers in my district and scouring the AP Calculus Teachers Facebook page—a place where over ten thousand teachers share ideas. I also thought through how I would need to modify my typical classroom structures and expectations for the accelerated pace and content in an AP course. For many of the early high school math courses I’ve taught, a primary challenge has been to support struggling students and elevate their engagement in mathematics. For this AP course, a different challenge is providing enough enrichment for students who excel in math. Once again, the expertise of other teachers has been my biggest resource.
Reading teachers’ stories is another way I inject life back into my teaching when it starts to feel stale.
Like any other teacher, I value stability, but I also know that I need a small shake-up every now and then to keep things interesting, whether that’s taking on a new course, trying a new tool or technique, or partnering with an instructional coach to improve my practice. Reading teachers’ stories is another way I inject life back into my teaching when it starts to feel stale. In this issue of Kaleidoscope, teachers share their practices, philosophies, and life lessons, which inspire me and other teachers to continue growing.
Jonathan Lee Lancaster shares his experiences with Dialogic, a tool for facilitating classroom discussion, and Megan Fretz interviews teachers about their implementation of cutting edge mathematics teaching pedagogy in their classrooms. While I can find an abundance of teacher resources and tools out there, reading about teachers’ experiences with these tools in their classroom inspires me to try them! Libby Zorn gives a vulnerable account of her own conceptual understanding of algebra and calculus content as prompted by student questioning. That self-reflection helped her find gaps in her understanding and address them through research, collaboration, and a growth mindset. Michaelrose Ravalier chronicles her experiences receiving feedback as a student and how they shaped the way she provides feedback to her students today. Rosalie Shyu reflects on how personal loss and professional challenges shape a teacher’s sense of purpose. Her story reminds me that it is not only okay for a teacher to prioritize their own mental health, but vital.
Read these teachers’ stories and see how they can invigorate your practice.
Citation
Stuckwisch, B. (2026). From the editors’ desk: Invigorate your practice. Kaleidoscope: Educator Voices and Perspectives, 12(2), https://knowlesteachers.org/resource/from-the-editors-desk-invigorate-your-practice.