Tag: Community

June 30, 2025 9:00 am

How to Make This the Summer You Actually Put Yourself First

Burned out from another long school year? Forget bubble baths and five-step to-do lists — this no-nonsense take on summer self-care shares how to set boundaries and prioritize yourself, from saying no without guilt to redefining what productivity means.

With summer break comes a few truths: you need rest, you probably won’t get as much as you deserve, and every blog on the internet will tell you to light a candle and write a gratitude list. That’s right — it’s the season of blog posts and op-eds titled 5 Self-Care Tips for Teachers (or something similar). In theory, that’s great. And let’s be honest, we’ve written them too. No one can argue that teachers work extremely hard and deserve a dream vacation, a deep tissue massage, or long soaks in endless bubble baths. 

The problem? It’s never that easy. Who has the time? Or the money? Self-care lists often include suggestions that feel like just another task to check off (gratitude lists, we’re looking at you) or give advice that’s totally unrealistic.

But the truth is, you do need to prioritize yourself during the break. Recent findings from RAND show that 60% of you are burned out, and 75% are struggling to find the joy in teaching anymore. That’s why, this summer, self-care is all about setting boundaries.  

Here are a few realistic ways to do that.

Image of books, an eye mask and a pair of sneakers

Saying no without guilt

You’ve said “yes” all year, but setting boundaries begins with the radical act of saying “no.” Easier said than done, right? From family responsibilities or caregiving to managing a side hustle, you can’t always say no, which is precisely why you have to when you can.

The hard truth is, there are only 24 hours in a day, and if you say yes to everything, you won’t have the energy or space to show up fully for anything. Sometimes, it might mean turning down something fun or even something you really feel you should say yes to — not because it’s not worth your time, but because you are.   

Now for the next hurdle: the guilt. Feeling selfish or like you’re letting someone down is a common side effect of setting boundaries. What’s important to remember is you’re not. So try setting a limit on how many commitments you take on each week, practice pausing before you say yes, and avoid overexplaining — sometimes all it takes is a simple, “I’d love to, but I need a quiet one.”    

Detoxing from devices (especially your emails)

For many of us, the first and last thing we do each day is check our phones. Texting, working, scrolling, researching — digital technology has completely transformed how we live. But it turns out that 24/7 access to everyone and everything is not great for your brain. Increased anxiety and depression, disrupted sleep, and shorter attention spans are just a few of the side effects of being switched on all the time. 

To put it simply, it’s just not healthy to look at screens as much as we do. Summer is the perfect time to take a step back and try a digital detox — a conscious effort to reduce or eliminate digital devices. We’re not suggesting you go full Do Not Disturb until August. You can, however, set a digital curfew, log out of your school inbox, and have social media-free days each week. As someone who recently deleted an app that stole far too many hours of my life, I can report that it works.

A realistic detox isn’t about ditching tech completely, and it won’t look the same for any two people. Set clear goals that work for your lifestyle, commit to a realistic timeframe that feels manageable, and don’t worry if it’s a little uncomfortable at first — that’s part of the process. Most of all, enjoy the freedom. 

Image of journal, iphone with unplugged headphones and a cup of ginger and lemon tea.
A cup of coffee, two DND dice and a bowl of popcorn

Lower the bar and redefine productivity

Lastly, here’s a little-known secret: you don’t need to make the most of every day — and sometimes, the most productive thing you can do is be unproductive. That’s right, you’re allowed to do absolutely nothing on purpose. Modern society tends to praise constant productivity, and it’s easy to start linking your self-worth to how much you’ve achieved. Rest doesn’t need to be earned (but let’s be honest, every teacher already has).  

What does this look like in practice? Honestly, it’s different for everyone. For some, it’s putting your phone on Do Not Disturb, drawing the curtains, and watching movies without guilt. For others, it’s having a hot coffee without trying to tick things off the to-do list before anyone else wakes up. Basically, wherever your bar is, lower it, and don’t for a second feel bad about it. 

If there’s one thing to take away from this blog post, it’s this: this summer is not about being better or reinventing yourself — it’s about being rested, protected, and finally off the clock.

About the Author – Anise Lee

Anise Lee is a Scotland-based writer with a background in education and marketing. She holds degrees in both fields and is particularly interested in storytelling. When she’s not binge-reading fiction or falling down a social media rabbit hole, she’s probably daydreaming about her next vacation — with her cat always nearby.

May 15, 2025 6:47 pm

7 Fun and Simple Ways to Encourage Reading at Home and in the Classroom

Struggling to get students to read for fun? This blog post shares seven creative tips for educators and families to make reading a joyful habit both in school and at home. From library cards to daily reading routines, discover easy strategies to boost literacy and engagement.

From building vocabulary and attention spans to increasing empathy, it is common knowledge, especially in the education field, that reading for pleasure provides us with so many benefits. But did you know that it can help alleviate depression symptoms and even make you live longer? (BRB while I go find a new book to read.) 

Unfortunately, students today are consuming media tailored to short attention spans and designed to keep them glued to their screens — making it a monumental task to get them to see reading as “fun.” 

Since longevity and mental health might not be the right angles to convince elementary (or even high school) students to read more, read on for some ideas for both educators and families with this shared goal. 

Four Tips to Encourage Reading for Fun (Educators) Assessment is essential for guiding instruction, but they don’t all serve the same purpose.

1. Help students get library cards

As part of back-to-school prep (or whenever the mood strikes), make a quick trip to your local library to grab a pamphlet with instructions for opening a library card. A lot of times, they’re even in the form of a bookmark — bonus! Check with the librarian to see if they can get you enough copies for your classes or even a poster you can hang on your classroom wall. Also, ask how many books a student can check out at once — being able to walk out with a stack of 30 books (some libraries even go up to 100) might be a selling point.  

2. Check that each student has an independent reading book (if not, lend them one) 

Whether independent reading is part of class time or solely for homework, consider making getting a book its own homework assignment. Some students may not have books they like at home, so in that case you can tap your library card poster (see tip #1), set up a class trip to the school library, or allow students to borrow books from your own classroom library. Either way, they may need some guidance around choosing a book in the first place — something I learned with my reluctant high school readers was to find out what movies or TV shows they like and help them find similar books.  

Hint: your reading curriculum may have a digital library of books that students can access at home, like Imagine Language & Literacy’s Seuss Corner. 

3. Choose read-aloud books that are part of a series

If reading aloud is part of your classroom routine, book choice is crucial. Of course, choose something high interest and age and reading-level appropriate, but also consider selecting the first book in a series. Once you get students hooked on the first book, they may want to keep reading the rest of the series on their own.

4. Hold a classroom contest 

I know what you’re thinking: we want students to be intrinsically motivated to read. While I whole-heartedly agree with that, sometimes a little extrinsic motivation can serve as a jumping-off point. It can be something as simple as a class goal for number of books read each month or semester to earn a reward or as ambitious as a competition between classes for a pizza party, but a contest can go a long way toward motivating students to read outside of class. 

Supporting reading at home 

It can be hard for families to know how to encourage their students to read at home. While educators can only control what happens in their classrooms, here are some ideas to suggest to families in school- to- home communication: 

Three Tips for Families to Encourage Reading at Home 

open book icon

Model reading yourself 

The next time you take your child to the library or bookstore, grab a book for yourself, too. Make sure your child sees you reading it. As much as we don’t want them to sometimes, children learn from watching and mimicking their caregivers. If they see you reading as a regular part of your day, they’re more likely to make it part of theirs. 

Globe icon

Read
the world  

This tip doesn’t require books at all! When you’re out and about as a family, take the time to read your surroundings. You’ll be surprised at how much language there is to explore. From street signs and business names to local event posters and menus, encourage your child to find words they know and use them to develop a deeper understanding of their location.  

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Have dedicated reading time each day  

It might seem daunting with full-time jobs and extra-curriculars to juggle, but setting aside even 10 minutes a day for reading can really make a difference in developing good habits. Maybe after dinner you turn on some instrumental music and read in the living room for 15 minutes. Or for younger kids you can work reading into their bedtime routine. (Older kids can do this too, but they may feel they’ve outgrown a “bedtime routine”).  

While convincing students that reading might help them live longer or feel happier may not always work, small, intentional actions from educators and families can plant the seeds for a lifelong reading habit. Whether it’s a book that mirrors their favorite show or a quiet 10-minute routine at home, these simple steps can help students rediscover that reading is fun — and who knows, maybe even life-changing. 

About the Author – Ally Jones

Ally Jones is a former high school educator who specialized in teaching English language learners. Outside of education, she is passionate about fitness, literature, and taking care of the planet for her son’s generation.

April 18, 2025 7:21 pm

Powered by Kindness, Driven by Math — Students Reach $1 Million in Charitable Donations! 

We have a million reasons to celebrate, and they all start with your students. Together, they’ve turned their Imagine Math THINK points earned by completing lessons into an incredible $1 million in charitable donations — that’s right, $1 million. They solved problems, made progress, earned points, and chose to pay it forward.

Teaching the joy of giving back

Plenty of researchers have theorized why humans give. Is it purely altruism? A sense of community? Or perhaps that warm, fuzzy feeling that comes from helping someone else? The truth is, it’s all of these — and more.

In fact, some studies suggest that generosity is an innate trait driven by our need for social connection and belonging. But while children have an enormous capacity for generosity, it does need to be nurtured and reinforced like any other skill. When students are given opportunities to be generous — whether through simple acts of kindness, service projects, or classroom philanthropy — they learn how to give and why it matters.

$1 Million logo, Do math, pay it forward.

One powerful way to nurture generosity in school is through service learning, which allows students to connect their academic growth with something meaningful. It turns progress into purpose — and that’s a lesson that lasts.

Imagine Math brings this concept to life through THINK points, which students earn when they complete math lessons, with additional points awarded for performing well. Students can then use these points to design and upgrade their Imagine Math avatars, achieve class goals, or donate to child-centered charitable causes. It’s remarkable how often they choose the latter, paying it forward rather than personally benefiting from their hard-earned points.

How kindness adds up in Imagine Math

$1 Million logo, Do math, pay it forward.

Imagine Math lessons completed

$1 Million logo, Do math, pay it forward.

Complex math problems solved

$1 Million logo, Do math, pay it forward.

THINK points donated

Since the Imagine Learning charitable giving program began in 2008, students have completed a whopping 7.5 million math lessons, solved 301 million complex problems, and donated 4.5 trillion THINK points. It’s incredibly inspiring (and a whole lot of math wins) — but as Lisa Wise, Customer Engagement Manager at Imagine Learning, says, “What’s most inspiring is that these acts of kindness happen without fanfare. Only the student knows when they choose to give. There’s no recognition, no reward — just the simple joy of doing something good for someone else. It’s a powerful reminder that with every math problem solved and every THINK point donated, these students are spreading kindness throughout the world.”

Students share their “why” for giving

Each student has their own reason for donating, but what unites them is a desire to make a difference — to help others.

$1 Million logo, Do math, pay it forward.

Here’s what some students had to say about their decision to give back:

Aarush, a student at Shirley Dill Brothers Elementary (Alvin Independent School District, Texas), said, “It was a hard decision to give away all of my hard-earned math points, but what made it easier was the fact that it was going to a very good cause. I feel really bad to see people bullied, and I am glad that finally, I was able to help in my own little way.”

A fourth-grade student at Raceland Upper Elementary School (Lafourche Parish School District, Louisiana) explained that he donated 95,000 THINK points to the 4-H charity because, “I’m in 4-H, and donating meant that other people, along with me, would be able to do fun things in 4-H.”

Akiles L., also a student at Shirley Dill Brothers Elementary, said, “I donated generously to the 4-H charity because it is the right thing to do. It makes me happy when I give my math points to charity because I am earning knowledge and helping people at the same time. I would tell students that it feels good to earn math points, but it feels better to help people in need.”

Celebrating $1 million donated

Over the past 20 years, donations have supported more than 50 national and local beneficiary charities, helping drive change in communities across the country. Some of the organizations that have benefited from student donations include:

  1. American Red Cross
  2. Feeding America
  3. Boys and Girls Club of America
  4. Big Brothers Big Sisters
  5. No Kid Hungry
  6. PACER’s National Bullying Prevention Center
  7. DonorsChoose
  8. The Special Operations Warrior Foundation

“At No Kid Hungry, we believe every child deserves a bright future — and that begins with a full stomach and a strong education. We are deeply honored to be part of Imagine Learning’s incredible journey to $1 million in charitable giving. The passion and commitment these students have shown — not just in mastering math, but in lifting up their communities — is truly inspiring. Their efforts are helping build a future where no child goes hungry, and we are so proud to celebrate this milestone with them.”

Karen Barr

Managing Director, Individual Giving, No Kid Hungry

Motivating students to love math

It just goes to show that when driven by something meaningful, students engage deeply, as evidenced in their math work. They love completing lessons and earning points (and don’t just take our word for it — see it in action).

Over time, these small wins are adding up — not just in charitable donations but in social awareness, stronger community ties, and math skills that will last a lifetime. That kind of growth is every bit as valuable as the donations and just as worth celebrating.

About the author

Anise Lee

Content Marketing Manager

Anise Lee is a Scotland-based writer with a background in education and marketing. She holds degrees in both fields and is particularly interested in storytelling. When she’s not binge-reading fiction or falling down a social media rabbit hole, she’s probably daydreaming about her next vacation — with her cat always nearby.

May 6, 2024 10:28 am

There Is Nothing Quite Like Seeing a Masterful Teacher at Work

Teachers are the ones who bring magic to the classroom. This Teacher Appreciation Week, Dr. Kathy Swan highlights the creativity and dedication of educators who make every lesson impactful and memorable for their students.

Last week, I watched as a high school teacher brought an economics lesson to life.  

She began the class with a sorting exercise in which students collaboratively worked to prioritize 10 cards that had competing budget priorities on them. For example, one card featured an image of U.S. soldiers with the caption: “MILITARY: Spending for national defense and support for U.S. allies and interests abroad.” Another card read, “HEALTH CARE: Spending for research to cure or prevent disease and services for low-income and elderly Americans.” Students were asked the question, “What should we spend our money on?” and in small groups deliberated which order to place the cards (e.g., military, healthcare, education, environment). Then, students put their rankings into a Google form and examined in real time how the entire class ranked the various priorities.

The teacher ended the class with students examining a pie chart of the current budget priorities to compare their priority list with the reality of the U.S. budget. As you might predict, students were surprised at how little proportionally the government spends on education, which many students had ranked as 1 or 2 on their priority list. The class ended, students equally engaged and confounded by the big ideas surfaced in the lesson.

High School Students With Teacher In Class Using Laptops Smiling

This lesson was simply elegant. There were no educational fads or pedagogical gimmicks on display — just a clear example of high-quality inquiry instruction brought to life by a skillful teacher. The teacher anchored the lesson with an authentic and worthwhile question: What should we spend our money on? She curated a set of sources, placed them in front of students, and stepped out of the way, letting them wrestle with the question rather than shortcutting to an answer. She then helped students work together to contextualize and challenge their answers in a variety of ways.

What I admired most was that she allowed a bit of uneasiness with the material, sending students to their next class disgruntled about the amount the government spends on interest from past debt. And she set students up for a study of scarcity in the weeks to come, undulating between choices made within macroeconomic fiscal policy and personal finance.

It was teaching magic, and I was lucky to have a front-row seat — I wanted to jump on the desk exclaiming, “Captain, my Captain!” with a soulful slow clap. But she would have thought it odd — it was a Tuesday in April and she was just doing what she does every school day.  

There is nothing quite like seeing a masterful teacher at work. As educators, so many of us struggle with giving up control — control of our content and the physical spaces of our learning environment. But masterful teachers implicitly and outwardly trust their students. They trust their students to deliberate tensions in the subject matter, not just to consume settled knowledge. They also trust that their students want to engage in the work of knowing even when students give off all the signs to the contrary — distracted by their phones, heads on their desks, side conversations about anything but the subject at hand. Masterful teachers cut through all of that — they see beyond the surface signals and compel students to engage.  

“It’s as if the economics teacher I saw pregamed the day’s lesson with a mantra: ‘Oh, you don’t think you care about the U.S. budget? Hold my coffee…’ Masterful teachers transform their classrooms into vibrant spaces, often surprising students with their own curiosity.”

Educators keep searching for the secret sauce to create this kind of classroom magic. Recent efforts around High Quality Instructional Materials (HQIM) aim to provide teachers with important curricular tools that are standards- and inquiry-based and include differentiation to enable teachers to be more equitable in their instruction. This is important work, as teachers need reliable and effective tools to prepare students for college, career, and civic life. But tools are tools. Even the highest quality curricular tools need to find the hands of a capable, imaginative, and energetic educator.

If you’re a teacher reading this, thank you for your efforts to continuously refine learning experiences and help us see our greatest curricular hopes in action. We stand in awe of the work you do day after day after day — a very enthusiastic slow clap incoming for Teacher Appreciation Week! 

About the Author: Dr. Kathy Swan

Professor, University of Kentucky; C3 Framework Lead Author; Lead Consultant on Traverse

Kathy Swan is a professor of curriculum and instruction at the University of Kentucky. Kathy was awarded UKY’s Great Teacher Award in 2021 and has been a four-time recipient of the National Technology Leadership Award in Social Studies Education, innovating with inquiry-based curricula. Dr. Swan served as the project director and lead writer of the College, Career, and Civic Life Framework for Social Studies State Standards (2013), the national standards for social studies. She has co-written a number of best-selling books, including Inquiry-Based Practice in Social Studies Education: The Inquiry Design Model (2017), The Inquiry Design Model: Building Inquiries in Social Studies (2018), and Blueprinting an Inquiry-Based Curriculum: Planning with the Inquiry Design Model (2019).

November 27, 2023 7:40 am

Students Who Give: The Value of Charitable Giving for Children

Students embrace the opportunity to donate to charitable organizations when given the option through educational technology.

November is a month often associated with gratitude and giving. In fact, one report states that 37% of all giving happens during the last three months of the calendar year.

Many people view donating to nonprofit organizations or individuals in need as a way to help others, but research has also found that charitable giving is good for the giver. Individuals who donate to others report feeling happy, while charitable giving also makes us feel good about ourselves and others. Additionally, giving to others helps us find meaning and purpose while giving us a sense of connection to the world.

Children who perform acts of kindness reported a higher likelihood of social acceptance and academic achievement and developed empathy for others. Studies have found that even very young children are innately compassionate and giving. Additionally, members of Generation Z—nicknamed “Philanthroteens”—have even stronger feelings about giving as they are concerned with the planet and the world around them. However, children often do not have much to contribute in the way of money or gifts, leaving an opportunity for parents or other family members to demonstrate the value of giving time and talents by incorporating simple acts of service into family time. Schools and educators can also incorporate age-appropriate service projects into classroom time, such as knitting hats for children going through cancer treatments or visiting elderly patients in nursing homes. Additionally, organizations can help encourage generosity in children by making donations accessible and applicable to needs that relate to kids. All these factors may be why thirty percent of Generation Z have already donated to an organization.

Math Students Pay It Forward

At Imagine Learning, charitable giving is built directly into our digital education programs. Students earn points when they complete math lessons in Imagine Math, and these points can be used toward upgrading student avatars, achieving class goals, or cash donations to charitable causes.

It is amazing how often students donate points toward local food banks, victims of natural disasters, or other meaningful causes. Time and time again, Imagine Math students choose to give rather than personally benefit from their earned points.

Since the Imagine Learning charitable giving program began in 2008, students who have used Imagine Math have donated 3.9 trillion math points, completed more than 6.1 million math lessons, and worked through more than 195 million math problems for a total giving of $909,690. In 2023 alone, Imagine Math students donated $71,000 to a variety of organizations, such as The American Red Cross, No Kid Hungry, 4-H, PACER’s National Bullying Prevention Center, as well as regional food banks across the country. This November, Imagine Learning students donated $5000 each to the Special Operations Warrior Foundation, an organization that covers secondary education expenses for children of fallen special operations soldiers, and Feeding America.

“Since 2015, Imagine Learning’s amazing students’ participation in the yearly ‘Do Math! Support a Veteran’ campaign has provided over $47,000 for college scholarships for children who lost a Special Operations parent in the line of duty… We have over 1100 children to educate, and we are gaining more every year. We now support 198 college students. Imagine Math student contributions make a real impact for them.”

Retired Colonel Sean Corrigan

Executive Vice President for Special Operations Warrior Foundation

Students Share Their “Why” For Giving

One of this year’s top-donating Imagine Math students, who gave their math points to PACER’s National Bullying Prevention Center during October for Anti-Bullying Month, was asked why they donated. The student, who attends Wilson Community School in Alpena Public School District in Michigan, responded, “I want bullying to stop.”

Christian C., a student at STEAM Academy Middle School in the Ferguson-Florissant School District of Missouri, was also a top donating Imagine Math student this year, giving his points to PACER’s. Christian says he donated his points to charity because, “I’m a social cause junkie. I love to give back.”

Akiles L. of Shirley Dill Brothers Elementary, Alvin Independent School District (ISD) in Texas said, “I donated generously to the 4-H charity because it is the right thing to do. It makes me happy when I give my math points to charity because I am earning knowledge and helping people at the same time. I would tell students that it feels good to earn math points, but it feels better to help people in need.”

Aarush A. of Shirley Dill Brothers Elementary, Alvin ISD in Texas explained his “why” for donating Imagine Math points. “It was a hard decision to give away all of my hard-earned math points but what made it easier was the fact that it was going to a very good cause. I feel really bad to see people bullied and I am glad that finally I was able to help in my own little way.”

Teachers Witness the Benefits of Giving

Teachers also share that they love watching their students learn the joy of giving. Nathan Calcari, who teaches at STEAM Academy Middle School in Ferguson-Florissant School District, Missouri said, “I appreciate the [students’] generosity in giving up their hard-earned points to charity. This goes right along with the kindness piece of our school vision.”

Lisa Lubarsky, a teacher in Woodbridge Township School District in New Jersey shared, “I love that Imagine Math gives an opportunity for students to donate their Think Points. It is an added bonus to their hard work and efforts. Student choice is also a key component with many options for donations. When my students give money to charity, they are very proud!”

And, for the record, students are not donating their math points for notoriety. Only the child knows when they choose to give their points in Imagine Math. This tells us that students do not contribute to organizations for recognition; they donate because it feels good to help others.

In this day of selfies and social media, it is encouraging to see how the younger generation is inclined to help others in the world around them. With parents, educators, and organizations working to create opportunities to give and feel the benefits of giving, today’s children may become the most generous generation yet. 

About the Author

Lisa Wise, Customer Engagement Manager at Imagine Learning

Lisa Wise

Customer Engagement Manager at Imagine Learning

Lisa Wise has worked in the edtech industry for over 24 years, most recently as the Customer Engagement Manager at Imagine Learning. Lisa loves the opportunity to honor student achievement through engagement programs that get students excited about learning. A graduate of the University of Pittsburgh, Lisa lives with her family, dog, and beautiful array of plants in Pittsburgh, PA. She loves sports, gardening, and visiting her local garden center.

September 19, 2023 10:30 am

Trusting Inquiry

By allowing students space to think (deliberate ideas), talk (collaborate around ideas), and do (produce ideas), teachers can build a culture of classroom trust with their students that accelerates inquiry-based learning in the classroom.

It is one thing to build an inquiry-based curriculum, it is quite another to make an inquiry come to life in a classroom. If curriculum is a recipe, then how do teachers move from being line-cooks to inquiry chefs? How do they get students to eat their inquiry vegetables and keep coming back for more? What makes an inquiry rise in one classroom and flop in another? What is inquiry’s instructional secret sauce? I will argue that trust is how inquiry teachers “kick it up a notch”!

Why trust? Recently, I co-directed a documentary film project, Making Inquiry Possible (MIP) featuring four films that explore how innovative teachers, schools, and districts are shifting to inquiry-based instruction. At the core of each documentary is the question: What does it take to make inquiry possible in social studies? The answer has become unmistakable: trust. Like a song that gets stuck, once I started to hear it, I couldn’t un-hear it.

For example, when I asked one of the teachers in the project how inquiry had changed his teaching, he responded this way:

So my role as a teacher has changed. What I’ve noticed with the use of compelling questions and using IDM in my classroom it is absolutely incumbent on the student to answer that question for themselves. Now that doesn’t seem wild when we say that, but in the moment of teaching, many of our students have been accustomed to being able to find an answer, rather than simply create one…

Do you hear it? Did you notice how he needs to trust the students to answer the compelling question “for themselves”?Let’s listen again. When I asked a teacher about scaffolding inquiry, this was the response:

Students need enough support in order for them to even put the pieces together. What I’ve noticed is that it’s almost like holding an egg. If you grip it too tightly, it’s gonna break. But if you truncate everything too much for the student, what you get on the other end is, is simply just not a robust answer. It kills the process. So because of that, I have to be both the support, but also have to like, kick the kid out in the pasture a little bit to kind of figure things out on their own.

Surely you heard it this time — how the teacher needs to hold (or trust) the inquiry “egg” by not gripping too tight? Or how he needs to “kick the kid out in the pasture a little bit to figure things out on their own” as an act of pedagogical trust? While I would never suggest or condone literally kicking a kid, metaphorically (and only metaphorically), it does make sense for inquiry. Students need space to figure things out in an inquiry. Teachers need to trust students and give them that space. And, students need to trust teachers to make that space meaningful and to be there when they lose their way. Sometimes that space is uncomfortable and teachers will need to nurture students and scaffold the process so that they can ultimately embrace that intellectual freedom.

This theme of trust surfaced in every facet of the film project and further deepened a curiosity about trust and its relationship to inquiry. Trust is now popping up in every conversation with an inquiry teacher and in every classroom observation. It has been a Eureka! moment. But, trust is one of those words that is kind of squishy and a platitude like, “just trust your students” seems really unsatisfying and possibly frustrating for teachers wanting to go deeper into inquiry-based instruction. So, trust me, you are going to want to read on!

Along with my C3 Teachers colleagues, S.G. Grant and John Lee, we have landed on three key inquiry processes that build a culture of trust in the classroom: deliberation, collaboration, and production.

Deliberation involves instructional practices that allow students to listen to each other’s ideas and speak about their own. This might include a Harkness Discussion, Think-Pair-Share, Take a Stand debate, or Socratic Discussion. These types of deliberative experiences engender respect for others and an appreciation for a pluralistic democracy where people hold different perspectives on life. Deliberative exercises build trust by fostering empathy between students and between teacher and students because they show that teachers trust their students to think about big ideas.

Collaboration involves instructional practices that allow students to work with others to problem solve through teamwork. This might include a Jigsaw, Question Formulation Technique (QFT) exercise, or Structured Academic Controversy. During collaborative experiences, students negotiate with others and learn to respect other ways of knowing and doing. If a task is “group worthy”, students learn to value team member’s strengths and to value their own contributions to the whole. These kinds of experiences build trust by creating interdependence between students and demonstrating that a teacher trusts their students to work with others.

Production involves instructional practices that allow students to construct meaningful work. This could include an evidentiary argument or a project (Public Service Announcement, Museum exhibit) or it could include important formative work like a map, timeline, or T-Chart. When students produce work, they risk putting their ideas out there and cultivate agency in the process. Healthy inquiry cultures allow students to explore frontiers and create forgiving spaces to learn and grow. In doing so, they build classroom trust.

By allowing students space to think (deliberate ideas), talk (collaborate around ideas), and do (produce ideas), teachers build a culture of classroom trust with their students that engenders key attitudes of empathy, interdependence, and agency that can accelerate inquiry-based learning in the classroom. While these processes and attributes are not exclusive to social studies, they do connect deeply to citizenship and our role in preparing students for civic life. “Bam!” Now, we are really cooking with (inquiry) gas!

So, this year, as you think about strategies that you use in or outside of an inquiry experience, spare a thought for trust. Consider: How am I creating a trustworthy classroom? How do I show my students that I trust them? When do students learn to trust each other? What strategies really accentuate trust and what differences do they make in students’ attitudes toward my class? How does a trustworthy classroom accelerate learning? And, finally, to my fellow inquiry travelers, let’s keep trusting inquiry!

For your corkboard

Print and pin Kathy’s guide to building trust in an inquiry classroom.

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About the Author – Dr. Kathy Swan

Professor, University of Kentucky, C3 Framework Lead Author

Kathy Swan is a professor of curriculum and instruction at the University of Kentucky. Kathy was awarded UKY’s Great Teacher Award in 2021 and has been a four-time recipient of the National Technology Leadership Award in Social Studies Education, innovating with inquiry-based curricula. Dr. Swan served as the project director and lead writer of the College, Career, and Civic Life Framework for Social Studies State Standards (2013), the national standards for social studies. She has co-written a number of best-selling books including Inquiry-Based Practice in Social Studies Education: The Inquiry Design Model (2017); The Inquiry Design Model: Building Inquiries in Social Studies (2018), and; Blueprinting an Inquiry-Based Curriculum: Planning with the Inquiry Design Model (2019).

March 28, 2023 3:43 pm

Getting Personal: Transforming the Educator-Curriculum Provider Relationship

What makes a relationship between districts and curriculum providers deepen into a true partnership with improved student outcomes? And what makes that partnership successful? Discover what three Imagine Learning customers and their Customer Success Managers say.

In education, the best relationships between districts and curriculum providers deepen into true partnerships — where there’s collaboration, give-and-take, and improved student outcomes.

But what makes that partnership truly successful? We talked with three districts and their Imagine Learning Customer Success Managers to see what makes their partnerships tick. Though every educator is from a different geographic location and plays a different role within the education world, the similarities between their partnerships were impossible to ignore.

What we discovered: both professional and personal trust is key to building partnerships that work.

After you’ve decided to use Imagine Learning, what happens next? (Besides amazing student learning breakthroughs!) A dedicated Customer Success Manager walks you through each phase of implementation: rostering, getting started, finding the right professional development for your team, and even analyzing your data and results.

Customer Success Manager Kristy and the Baltimore City School District (BCSD)

Communicative Partnerships

“Regular communication is the key to partner success,” said Kristy. “You already have a professional connection from working together. Meeting in person to make a personal connection, and talk about kids and grandkids, is so important.”

Kristy Mitchell, Customer Success Manager

Kristy M.

Customer Success Manager, Imagine Learning

Michael from BCSD agreed: “I think you have to like people to want to work with them. The Imagine Learning team we work with shows us that they’re humans. It’s not robotic.”

Trusting Partnerships

“Partnership is exemplified in the relationship with Imagine Learning,” said Kerry from BCSD. “When we reach out, they’re responsive; communication is so key in this partnership. It shouldn’t feel like the partner is dominating and selling, but rather listening to us and coming up with solutions together.”

“The give-and-take is what makes this partnership unique,” said Kristy. “They’re a very data-driven district. The school has a long game, and this partner trusts the data. This is a factor that differentiates this partner from others: they trust you and they trust the numbers. They count on me to be correct.”

For an education partnership to work, customers can’t just trust the people with whom they work — they must also trust the product. Kerry from BCSD said, “We also see how much time and thought goes into creating the product. We can tell it’s not been thrown together quickly. We’ve never been able to see that with another group that we’ve worked with.”

Aligned Partnerships

“We looked for alignment in a partnership,” said Kerry from BCSD. “We needed a partnership aligned to our district initiatives, as well as easy-to-access and with implementation support. Working with a partner, we’ve been able to build and grow.”

One BCSD customer was shocked to hear that Kristy had other districts for customers because she’s so responsive and focused on their needs. She laughed, “It’s really flattering that they thought I worked only for them! But I have 70 other customers, too.” Michael from BCSD added, “Every day I’m emailing Kristy, saying, ‘Help!’”

Kristy vows, “I will get to know you, your goals, and your implementation. There are lots of options out there. I want them to feel like they have this valuable tool because someone is part of their team.”

When asked to describe the partnership with Imagine Learning in one word, Kerry from BCSD joked, “One word? We’re math people,” but quickly added, “Supportive.”

Colleague Michael added, “Considered.”

“We also see how much time and thought goes into creating the product. We can tell it’s not been thrown together quickly. We’ve never been able to see that with another group that we’ve worked with.”

Kerry S.
Director of Mathematics, Baltimore City School District

Kristy Mitchell, Customer Success Manager

Mark C.

Customer Success Manager, Imagine Learning

Customer Success Manager Mark and Joanne, the Hope Center for Autism

Relational Partnerships

“Trust is important when you’re dealing with something as important as a child’s education,” said Mark. “And trust requires honesty and difficult conversations.”

Especially in an education partnership, trust is essential. Mark said, “Partnership is not transactional, but relational; we work toward shared goals for the students’ best interests. If a customer doesn’t make that leap and jump the transactional fence, then we’ll run into some obstacles.”

Mark adds, “I have some clients that don’t trust as easily, and because they don’t trust as much, they’re not getting the best service.”

Joanne said, “Usually I am that person who’s like, ‘Yeah, we got it. Let me be. I got it.’ But, Mark, you’ve been so helpful, and we’ve needed that. I don’t do this with anybody else.”

Personal Partnerships

“Hope Center has a lot of heart,” said Mark. “The people who work there have a lot of heart and they really are invested in their students’ wellbeing. And I could tell that right away, because everything mattered to them and was important.”

The work is personal to Joanne, but also to Mark, a former classroom educator. “I’ve always recognized, as a brick-and-mortar teacher, that students can get left behind, so the work that Joanne’s doing is phenomenal, and it really drives me.” He added, “As a customer success manager, I get to wake up and continue doing that great work with Imagine Learning because I’m able to see the impact.”

Mark said, “It’s not just a course, it’s about truly transforming somebody’s life. That just touches me.”

Collaborative Partnerships

For Mark, realizing that the Hope Center helps students who have never succeeded in a traditional brick-and-mortar setting was pivotal. He said, “We’ve had to step out of the box and had to really redesign what the box looks like for those students.”

Joanne said, “In all honesty, if we didn’t have that flexibility, I don’t think we would have been successful. We’ve needed a lot of support to get through to where we are at this point now. We are a small school, and we have more than 50 people on staff for 86 kids… We need a lot of adjustment, a lot of understanding, and what we adjust… may be a little bit different next year.”

Collaborating with the larger Imagine Learning team to pool knowledge and experience truly gives partners like the Hope Center the best solutions for their needs. Mark says, “The benefit to the partner is that they can get exactly what they want and need — even if it’s offbeat from other, typical customer needs.”

How would Joanne describe the partnership with Imagine Learning? Without missing a beat: “Collaborative.”

“Trust is important when you’re dealing with something as important as a child’s education, and trust requires honesty and difficult conversation”

Mark C.
Customer Success Manager, Imagine Learning

Customer Success Manager Tiffany and Dr. Randy, Director of Education Management and Networks in Michigan

Trusting Partnerships

“Partnership equals team,” said Tiffany. Her background as an athletic coach shines through in her approach to her customers’ needs: “We’re on the same team and we want to win. What does your win look like?”

Tiffany Gilsbach, Customer Success Manager, Imagine Learning

Tiffany G.

Customer Success Manager, Imagine Learning

Tiffany added, “I need to be able to actually meet my district administrators. I need to know that they’re really telling me what they think and feel and need.”

Dr. Randy said, “Trust is important because we’re not just buying software. I believe that we’re also buying expertise. I’m asking the partner to boost and support us.”

Tiffany said, “Dr. Randy trusts us. He believes in the partnership.”

Responsive Partnerships

Dr. Randy said, “Partnership is removing the silos and bringing everything together. I know that when we need them, they’re there. I need people who are responsive to our needs, not just invoicing me every six months. The vendor/vendee relationship doesn’t always lend itself to a partnership, but we’ve felt heard.”

Even when things don’t always go smoothly, he added, “True partners can demonstrate that problems will get fixed and solved.”

Tiffany leverages her relationships within Imagine Learning to get her customers the best answers possible when they want to dive deeper into certain products, even if it’s not her area of expertise.

For her customers, she said, “What is it that [customers] need to see so that they feel like they’ve had their return on their investment? That’s really what it comes down to. It’s finding out what it is that our customers really want.”

Personal Partnerships

“When I wake up in the morning, and I’m turning my computer on, and I’m feeling stoked — that has everything to do with people that I work with internally. But also, I have some really rad customers,” said Tiffany. “I’ve got some really, really wonderful districts — people who are wonderful humans who I get to work with.

About Dr. Randy, Tiffany added, “This is a man who will do anything for his staff, to make sure they’re supported. I would work for him in a heartbeat.”

Dr. Randy said, “In a word, I’d describe the relationship with Imagine Learning as ‘fulfilling.’” From a district’s perspective, he added, “We could get the software anywhere. I need the people.”

“We’re on the same team and we want to win. What does your win look like?”

Tiffany G.
Customer Success Manager, Imagine Learning

February 22, 2023 3:22 pm

Building — and Keeping — Trust with Imagine Learning

Imagine Learning’s customer experience is about much more than just implementing a digital learning program. Discover how our Chief Experience Officer, Leslie Sobon, and her team build partnerships with customers to empower educators and ignite learning breakthroughs.

I enjoy a fantastic position at Imagine Learning — Chief Experience Officer. As an advocate for our customers, one of my missions is to ensure that new features, functions, and implementation processes result in good experiences for our customers. I do that by having a team that deeply understands the many facets of how customers engage and use our products. We know what success looks like and what it doesn’t.

For my team to execute our jobs well, we must build and maintain partnerships with our customers that span their entire journey with us — from presale and onboarding to implementation and product support. We work hard to earn and keep our partners’ trust, putting ourselves in their shoes to celebrate the learning wins and to share the urgency if something goes wrong.

What we hope for in a partner:

The most successful partnerships and those that help us improve our solutions and services are when customers are fully engaged in implementation success. When they commit their precious resources and time, we can bring the full breadth of Imagine Learning…

  • Our resources and our people
  • An understanding of good pedagogy
  • Knowledge of what success looks like in other districts
  • Experience with what works and doesn’t work in implementation

…and the customer is able and willing to own and advocate for it in their learning community. When both sides trust that the other is dedicated and knowledgeable, it’s much easier to hit the ground running, troubleshoot along the way, and build success. In many ways, the partnership’s health matters more than the product working perfectly every time.

“When both sides trust that the other is dedicated and knowledgeable, it’s much easier to hit the ground running, troubleshoot along the way, and build success.”

Building advocacy

Sometimes a school or district doesn’t designate anyone to advocate for our solution, and that’s when my team needs to make better connections and regain their trust.

To develop a stronger relationship, we often connect internally, asking, “What can we do better?” and “Who do we know that cares about this type of implementation?” Sometimes it’s a connection the salesperson has; other times, it’s a customer success manager or a  services person.

Another way we try to bridge the customer-advocate gap is by continuing to touch base with that account regularly, stepping up our engagement until we find the right level for that relationship.

In addition, we’ve developed a program to proactively look at customers who have low usage. We came up with about 65 customers, and we’re working to foster better partnerships by:

  • Meeting with them face-to-face
  • Offering free product training
  • Providing student growth data and other data to show the success of implementations in their state or district
  • Incentivizing our customer success managers

We’re also exploring possibilities for doing more webinars, carving out more dedicated time for those customers, and even showing up for ‘office hours’ in the cafeteria. By determining what works for this set of customers to drive usage, build trust, and grow relationships, we’ll discover new ways to serve more customers better.

Why customers deserve collaborative partnerships

Because: technology.

Our drive for collaborative partnerships matters because we’re not just shipping a textbook and saying, “good luck.” The nature of our solutions — hello digital learning — dictates that we must ensure the technology works for students, teachers, and admins. That only happens if customers understand how the products and solutions work.

When customers don’t understand the product, they don’t use it, and the implementation is poor or fails.  So, it’s Imagine Learning’s responsibility to ensure that knowledge transfer happens — and continues to happen — from our team to the classroom.

We’re in this together

The Imagine Learning/Customer partnership is a relationship; like any relationship, it’s only good if it’s built on trust. Both parties need an understanding, a mutual appreciation for what’s required, and a common goal.

Our partners must be able to trust not only the tech but also the people by their side to respond quickly and be helpful and empathetic. That’s the experience I want my team to bring to educators every day.  

Hear more from our partners

About the Author

Leslie Soban Chief Experience Officer

Leslie Sobon

Chief Experience Officer, Imagine Learning

A veteran of technology marketing, Leslie was drawn to Imagine Learning by the opportunity to make a real difference within the education industry. “Each day, I am overjoyed to see first-hand how Imagine Learning has helped inspire positive change for teachers, students, and families across the nation.”

Before joining the Imagine Learning team, Leslie spent her career building and invigorating brands, launching products, developing innovative marketing models, and helping to drive growth at Texas Instruments and Dell. As Corporate V.P. of Worldwide Marketing at AMD, Leslie led marketing for their mobile, desktop, and server products.

February 13, 2023 12:45 pm

Competition & Student Motivation: Bowl Champions

School-vs-school competition increases student engagement & learning in math & literacy instruction as Georgia & Idaho schools are named national champions of the 2023 MyPath Bowl & Literacy Bowl.

Educators and researchers know that student engagement and motivation is crucial to student learning and many tactics aimed at increasing student motivation have been suggested, tested, and refined. Motivation is a desire to achieve a goal, combined with the energy to work towards that goal. Studies highlight how teachers play a vital role in motivating students and examine the function intrinsic and extrinsic motivation perform in student learning.

One approach to motivating students is incorporating learning-based gaming or competition. Competition has been proven to have a positive impact on students’ learning and motivation, though educators must be careful to connect competition to the desired learning and not invoke negative actions toward students who do not achieve. Additionally, academic competitions can serve as strong motivators for students by providing a compelling reason to study and work hard. Research shows that participation in academic competition enhances students’ learning motivation, and when students work together in groups or teams to compete, they develop collaboration and cooperation skills which are crucial in learning and work environments.

Academic competition in action: the 2023 National MyPath Bowl & Literacy Bowl

While millions of fans watched pro football playoff games during the fall of 2022 and the first weeks of 2023, students from around the nation completed digital math and literacy lessons to compete in the bracket-style 2023 Imagine MyPath Bowl and Imagine Literacy Bowl contests. This weekend, the top schools from the East Conference and the West Conference of each contest competed in the final battles—and champions emerged. Congratulations to Northcutt Elementary of Clayton County Public Schools, Georgia for winning the 2023 Literacy Bowl and to Juniper Hills–Nampa Idaho Department of Juvenile Corrections for being named the 2023 MyPath Bowl champion.

Schools qualified for the playoff rounds throughout the Fall semester by using Imagine MyPath and Imagine Language & Literacy digital education programs. The top usage schools in the East and the West battled in the playoff rounds to represent their Imagine Learning Conference. Week by week, the leaderboard was whittled down by the stiff competition—until only two schools remained in each contest. This past weekend, the champion schools were left standing above the rest.

“We’re proud of the accomplishments of this year’s MyPath Bowl and Literacy Bowl winners and for all the students that competed in this year’s contests,” said Sari Factor, Vice Chair & Chief Strategy Officer at Imagine Learning. “These competitions are a fun way to engage students in math and literacy, and it’s remarkable to see how enthusiastic they get about their learning. Congratulations to everyone involved—students, teachers, and parents. We know it takes a team to inspire learning breakthroughs, and we feel privileged to work alongside you.”

It was a rematch in this year’s Literacy Bowl with Northcutt Elementary from Clayton County Public Schools in Georgia defending their title against returning finals competitor Abraham Lincoln Middle School of Selma Unified School District in California. This was a historic win as Northcutt Elementary is the first school to be a repeat Literacy Bowl champion.

In a contest that came down to the wire, Juniper Hills–Nampa Idaho Department of Juvenile Corrections squeaked past Goliad Elementary School of Goliad ISD, Texas to win the second annual MyPath Bowl.

“Congratulations to everyone involved—students, teachers, and parents. We know it takes a team to inspire learning breakthroughs and we feel privileged to work alongside you.”

Sari Factor

Vice Chair & Chief Strategy Officer at Imagine Learning

Competitions lead to engagement, usage, and learning

During these academic contests, increased usage of Imagine Learning’s digital math and literacy programs is observable for competing schools. This evidence shows that the competition engages students and motivates them to complete more lessons than the schools who do not participate in the contests. This is also compelling information as multiple studies show students who use Imagine MyPath, Imagine Language & Literacy, and other Imagine Learning programs outscore their peers in state and national tests.

Winning schools receive a trophy and are honored in a school-wide awards assembly where top class and student efforts are recognized. Each runner-up school receives a certificate and a gift card for school supplies. Additionally, the top 20 MVP schools in each contest receive an e-gift card to celebrate their achievement during the competition.

About the Author

Lisa Wise, Customer Engagement Manager at Imagine Learning

Lisa Wise

Customer Engagement Manager at Imagine Learning

Lisa Wise has worked in the edtech industry for over 24 years, most recently as the Customer Engagement Manager at Imagine Learning. Lisa loves the opportunity to honor student achievement through engagement programs that get students excited about learning. A graduate of the University of Pittsburgh, Lisa lives with her family, dog, and beautiful array of plants in Pittsburgh, PA. She loves sports, gardening, and visiting her local garden center.

September 30, 2022 7:00 am

A Day in the Life of a Virtual Learning Administrator

The supervisor for online learning at the Berks County Intermediate Unit in Pennsylvania, Marcelle McGhee, shares their schedule and tips for prioritizing students throughout the day

As the supervisor for online learning at the Berks County Intermediate Unit in Pennsylvania, students are the focus of my day.  


I believe the key to my program’s success has always been the relationship-building I do with students and parents. I try to be open-minded, non-judgmental, and approachable to students and parents. I keep in mind that everyone’s circumstances are different. It may be cheesy to say this, but I try to meet students where they are. Homeless students need food and housing, and students struggling with illnesses need care before they can even focus on learning. 

Morning: 


After responding to urgent phone calls or emails,  I begin each day by checking the Edgenuity Learning Management System dashboard. Since I have students from multiple school districts, I toggle through those schools to review student progress. Red highlights are flags that I look for along with progress and then grades. I use the student filter on the dashboard to check on students who are behind in pacing. I  do a deep dive into each student’s Progress and Grades to determine the reason for lackluster pacing. I add these students to my “home phone call” list. 


Around mid-morning, I begin to call home to check on the students on my list. Usually, I have to leave a phone message requesting a callback. I follow up phone calls with a personalized email to the parent, student, and school counselor highlighting the pacing or grade issue. I keep notes on students in case there are extenuating circumstances such as illness that I need to consider before sending the email. 

“For teachers, it’s about communication, communication, communication. Students have to feel like you’re directly emailing them… they can tell if you’re disinterested, even if you’re working with them online.”

Marcelle McGhee

Mid-Day: 

In the second part of my day, I check attendance in the SIS. I use the SIS filters to create a list of students who have not accessed their classes in more than two school days. I use the LMS Dashboard to get a more detailed student attendance view and to confirm that an attendance email is appropriate for all students on the list. I then use the automatic email feature in the SIS to send students, parents, and school counselors an email regarding the student’s lack of attendance. 

I have an “online learning” toolbox of tips and tricks that I send to students. These tips include “directions for attending teacher study hall,” “Locating and Navigating Carone Fitness courses,” and using the Guided Notes” feature. ”  


Late Afternoon: 

I have open virtual office hours three days a week in the afternoon. I invite (more like insist) students who are behind pacing, have an actual grade of less than 75% in a course, or are violating the attendance requirements, to attend my virtual office hours so that I can assist them with getting back on track.

On other days my afternoons are reserved for administrative tasks that keep my program running smoothly.

My day usually ends with a check of email and last-minute phone calls. I often take parent phone calls and respond to text messages during the evening. 

Marcelle McGhee headshot image

About the Author — Marcelle McGhee

Marcelle McGhee is the Supervisor of Online Learning for Berks Online Learning, a service of the Berks County Intermediate Unit in Pennsylvania. A mother of two herself, Marcelle is proud to have the role of “professional mom” to those students who come to online learning needing support and accountability, helping students to learn the ropes of virtual school and reach their goals. As a first-generation college graduate and Guyana native, Marcelle has a wealth of experience and understanding that shines through as she goes above and beyond in supporting her students. Marcelle is a true Imagine Edgenuity veteran, having started using our products almost twelve years ago, and her expertise shines through in the way she provides support to other educators at every turn.