About Edumentality
The overall goal of Edumentality is to provide methods, protocols, and common sense ideas for teachers to use in their classrooms. It is intended for not only new teachers, but also veteran teachers who may need or want a few more tools in the teacher toolbox!
Do you ever wonder . . . Are my students reading, writing, thinking, and talking in my class every day I see them? Am I intentionally and deliberately planning with a purpose to maximize learning to exceed standards for all students? Do I make homework meaningful and rewarding so that students see that their efforts at home are worth their time? Am I assessing progress continually? Do I group students together with expectations of shared responsibilities? Do I provide choice when appropriate? If I do lecture, are there systems in place to keep interest and accountability high?
If asking these questions made you think, this website is for you!
Many of the protocols, strategies, and methods included in this website are most likely ones developed or commonly used by others. There is no intention to claim responsibility for developing them nor is there any attempt to avoid acknowledging those responsible for their original development.
ABOUT ME
For nearly three decades, I worked in public education, serving as a classroom teacher, district curriculum specialist, and eventually the instructional liaison for Cross Creek Early College High School located at Fayetteville State University, Fayetteville, North Carolina. During my years there, our school became a model site for effective instructional practices, and visiting teachers often observed our protocols in action, not just in workshops, but with real students in real classrooms. Those visits led to a small booklet of commonly used protocols that educators could take with them as practical tools they had seen or actually experienced implemented successfully. From there, the booklet has grown into The (Not So) Little Itty Bitty Book of Classroom Protocols.
My career has been shaped by a commitment to continual growth and instructional innovation. In 2006, I was honored to be named the Cumberland County (NC) Teacher of the Year, and in 2020, Cross Creek Early College became the first high school in the district to receive the National Blue Ribbon Award for excellence in education. Across all those years, I learned that great teaching isn’t just about content, it’s about creating learning experiences that make students want to engage, think, and grow.
Edumentality and the subsequent protocol book is an extension of that journey. It gathers and shares the protocols teachers have passed along, credits those who share them, and strives to acknowledge original developers whenever possible. My goal has always been simple: help teachers teach well, help students learn deeply, and keep the joy of learning alive. -Alison