Welcome to a dynamic exploration of geometry where abstract polyhedrons become tangible through creative movement. In this lesson, students step beyond the textbook and use their bodies to construct and experience the building blocks of three-dimensional shapes—faces, edges, and vertices. They will dive into an immersive activity that transforms theoretical concepts into physical reality, sparking curiosity and collaboration. By engaging in this interactive process, learners begin to see geometry not just as a series of static forms, but as a vibrant, interconnected art that exists all around them.

Because it was received so warmly by both students and teachers, the format began to travel. What started as a classroom exploration became a shared experience in schools, churches, and community centers. Students on mission trips carried it with them. Scarves were packed alongside shoes. Stories were shared across cultures. Movement became a common language.

Supporting Students with Physical Disabilities Through Inclusive Arts Integration

A Christmas reflection on Celebrate Dance (2003) and the Living Fountain Dance Company, honoring community, creativity, and gratitude 22 years later. This reflection is part of an ongoing archive documenting the history of the Living Fountain Dance Company and community-based dance in Ohio.

This week’s review on complex plane shapes is setting the stage for next week’s deep dive into 3D properties. Students will revisit patterns, lines, and symmetry through full-body movement, shape tracing, and collaborative exploration. By physically experiencing how intricate shapes come to life in space, they’ll sharpen spatial awareness, strengthen geometry vocabulary, and prepare for the leap from 2D to 3D reasoning. Engaging, memorable, and expressive—this lesson bridges today’s review to tomorrow’s new discoveries.

Teaching artists often move fluidly among these approaches within a single session. That flexibility depends on self-regulation. When calm and grounded, the artist can assess what students need and select strategies that best support learning. When overwhelmed, even well-practiced methods become harder to access. Self-regulation, then, is not separate from pedagogy. It is the foundation that makes responsive, theory-informed teaching possible.

Perimeter is not just a number on paper—it’s the boundary we walk, measure, and experience in our everyday spaces. In Perimeter Parade, students will explore the concept of perimeter by physically walking along the edges of shapes and calculating the total distance around them. This activity brings math off the page and into a dynamic, real-world context, making geometry both concrete and engaging through movement.

In this lesson, students will explore the concept of tessellations—patterns made by repeating shapes without any gaps or overlaps. By using their bodies to form living tessellations, students will gain a physical understanding of how shapes can fit together in a continuous pattern. Through music, movement, and visual examples, this lesson connects geometry to dance, helping students recognize patterns and spatial relationships in both math and the world around them.

In the long game, your work will come back to meet you—sometimes literally. And when it does, let it remind you of two things: The seeds you plant today may not bloom for decades. Growth isn’t just in your resume; it’s in your reflection. Keep showing up. Keep evolving. Because in business, full-circle moments are more than just feel-good; they’re proof that your legacy is being built, one project at a time.

Arts integration is more than a teaching strategy—it is a commitment to engaging the whole child through creative learning. This approach values both the arts equally as a core subject, weaving it together with other core subjects and enriching student understanding and expression.

Life in education is inherently dynamic. For teaching artists in particular, those who move from one residency to another, from one school to another, or from one project to another, the pace can feel relentless. Every new classroom, every partnership, and every community brings its own culture and its own expectations. Amid all that movement, it’s easy to forget one essential truth: The most powerful tool you bring into any learning space is yourself.

In this interactive lesson, students bring geometry to life by exploring how shapes move and change through rotation, translation (sliding), reflection (flipping), and resizing (scaling). Using their bodies and visual prompts, students will physically experience the key concepts of transformation. This kinesthetic approach strengthens spatial reasoning, reinforces vocabulary, and supports multiple learning styles by connecting movement with geometry in a creative, memorable way.

Today I’m talking about building good classroom habits, and wrapping up the bad ones that hold us back. After co-teaching with hundreds of educators, I’ve learned that thriving classrooms have two things in common: strong positive habits and healthy self-esteem. Grounded, confident teachers create grounded, confident students. The energy you bring shapes the room. Each day is a chance to practice awareness, replace old patterns, and trust yourself; especially when things don’t go as planned. What habit are you ready to wrap up and take out of the classroom?

I’ve spent the weekend enjoying the latest research on dance science and neuroscience; and I’m energized. What many of us in the field have practiced for years is now being validated: movement isn’t just enrichment. It’s essential for learning, memory, emotional regulation, and community connection. In my workshop Stories in Motion, we explore how simple movement practices activate powerful neural systems supporting focus, autobiographical memory, empathy, and whole-brain integration. For educators, the takeaway is simple: Movement is a learning tool. Not an extra. Not a break. A research-backed pathway to engagement, wellbeing, and deeper understanding. I’ll be sharing more soon, but here’s my encouragement for teachers everywhere: Start small. Add intentional movement. Watch how your students shift; neurologically and emotionally. Our classrooms need this now more than ever.

I’ve been diving deep into the intersection of movement, meaning, and well-being, and I’m excited to share something that’s been growing in my heart and practice for a long time. This piece explores how intentional, expressive movement (not technical perfection) awakens the brain, supports cognitive health, and reconnects us to the sacred wisdom carried in our bodies. It’s about honoring the artistic, spiritual, and scientific layers of dance as one living, breathing practice. If you’ve ever felt called to move for healing, clarity, or renewal, this one’s for you. Let this be an invitation to slow down, listen inward, and discover what your body has been waiting to say. 🕊️ Read the full article and step into a movement practice that embraces artistry, safety, expression, and spirit; equally, honestly, and wholeheartedly.

When students track this data over time, they gain insight into their own growth—and learn how to analyze patterns, calculate averages, and even create graphs and charts as part of their data analysis lessons. This makes math and science concepts more engaging and immediately relevant to their lives. In the Math & Science Movers series, learning isn’t limited to paper and pencil—it happens through movement, measurement, and meaningful connections across disciplines.

Values guide everything we do—how we lead, learn, and connect. Honesty, optimism, compassion, and resilience aren’t just ideals; they shape our daily choices and strengthen our emotional intelligence. When we know what matters most, decisions come easier. What are your top three core values?

Geometry comes to life through movement. In Mirror Me, students physically explore congruent and similar shapes by mirroring or resizing their partner’s pose. This hands-on approach builds spatial reasoning, teamwork, and creativity, making math dynamic and interactive.

In the final stretch before a major event, the air feels charged. The lists grow longer, the hours shorter, and the anticipation can ache like a muscle stretched too tight. As I sit tapping and clicking at my computer, I feel the tension between the pain of anticipation and the quiet comfort of knowing it will all go well. That faith, steady and soft, keeps me from unraveling when the pace quickens.

This engaging, movement-based lesson transforms geometry into a collaborative and experiential learning process. By physically forming quadrilaterals, students internalize shape properties through kinesthetic exploration, developing a deeper understanding of angles, sides, and symmetry. Whether working together to build a parallelogram or creatively identifying a mystery shape, students experience math as a dynamic, interactive subject that fosters confidence, teamwork, and critical thinking.

Throughout my career, I’ve met many arts educators who’ve become masters at what I call “domesticating the arts.” The arts evoke power. They hold the power to excite, tame, inspire, and educate. Yet in educational settings, that power is often managed within systems that value structure and compliance. The real artistry lies in learning to move between both worlds: leading with creative spirit while maintaining clarity, consistency, and professional accountability.

Whether you're working in a traditional classroom, studio, or community center, these materials help create a responsive environment where students can explore academic ideas through motion. Think of them as both anchors and launch pads—keeping kids grounded in content while giving them freedom to move, discover, and grow.

One of my favorite illustrations captures how vision fits into a broader framework for success. It’s a chart showing the pathway of Vision, Skills, Incentives, Resources, and Action Plan leading to Organizational Success. When all five are present, progress is steady and morale is strong.

Angles are made when two lines meet at a point, called a vertex. We can find angles all around us—in buildings, art, and even how we move our bodies. In this lesson, we’ll learn to tell the difference between right angles, acute angles, and obtuse angles, using movement and observation to make geometry come alive.

Students will learn how to use a protractor to measure and draw angles and identify types of angles based on their measurements.