Nikki Woodbury is the co-founder of LightUpEDU and serves as the Assistant Principal of Dundee Middle School in West Dundee, Illinois. Before joining the DMS staff, she was the English Division Head and English teacher at Dundee-Crown High School In this role, her focus was on curriculum design and instructional coaching. Nikki graduated from Illinois State University with a Bachelor’s Degree in English Education. Additionally, she has a Master’s Degree in Literacy and Educational Leadership.
Recent Posts by Nikki:
Share the Risk
Wednesday, August 22, 2018 “As educational leaders and continuous learners, we must commit to perpetually moving forward, for our own sakes and for the benefit of the schools and students we serve. Never stop asking questions or pushing the boundaries of what is...
read moreTime is the Nemesis of Everything Awesome… part I
Last night I was texting Jeff about some work stuff that needed to get done and other things that I wanted to do, if I “have time.” I ended our text string by saying that “time is the nemesis of everything awesome.” Not thinking much of that statement, Jeff came into...
read moreThe Lesson Behind the Door
Monday, August 20, 2018 I was talking with a colleague today. She’s a retired teacher who has graciously accepted the challenge of completing a long-term maternity leave for one of our counselors. Through our conversation, I was reminded of how much we often work in...
read moreFirst the Heart, Then the Mind
Today, I met with multiple students who I worked with a lot last school year. I wanted to reconnect, to see how summer went and to ask about the first few days of school. It was great! I was reminded, as I often am, of the power and importance of meaningful...
read moreHonor the process of learning.
I went down a rabbit hole this afternoon. I decided that I wanted to find something on Twitter, retweet it and offer a thought about it. This seemed like a good idea in order to become a more connect leader. Ha! That did not happen. After hearing about my own...
read moreToday I embark on a journey.
Tuesday, August 14, 2018 Today I embark on a journey. Today was the first day of school. Today marks my 33rd first day of school. In 1985, I began Kindergarten and today I began my 17th year as an educator. I have always loved the first day of school and...
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Do You See What I See?
When I was a kid, I used to love looking at optical illusion images. I was fascinated by the way the images could change based upon a person’s perception or mindset. One of my favorites was this one. My first view was the beautiful young lady. While others,...
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Stuck in between “old school” and “new school”
Today, spontaneously, I had a powerful conversation with a colleague in the hallway. These are always the best conversations. We began talking about curriculum and these “new” assignments she wanted to implement. She talked about designing models, doing cost...
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Failure Leads to Success. Or does it?
I took a walk today and stopped in a few classrooms just for fun. As I sat in the back of one classroom, I noticed all of the positive posters displayed on the walls. “Today is a great day to learn something new!” “You never fail until you stop trying.” “FAIL;...
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