Author | Lightnews

Joe LaTorre

@joelatorre.bsky.social

120 followers 190 following 270 posts

I build buy in, create community, and make kids and teachers love coming to school. Two-time New York State teaching award winner and multiple fantasy football titleholder. JosephLaTorre.net https://linktr.ee/TheJoeLaTorre

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Joe LaTorre @joelatorre.bsky.social · May 5

EDUCATORS: What if your school culture could boost attendance, improve behavior AND academic outcomes? After a decade and several state awards, I've cracked the code. Still teaching, still innovating. Click my bio link for a FREE consultation! #TeacherLeadership #teacher #edusky #culture

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Joe LaTorre @joelatorre.bsky.social · 18h

Want project-based learning that builds real community?

In The Branding Project, students work with local businesses—pitching, editing, and designing for authentic audiences while building resilience, leadership, and real-world skills.

#edusky
#studentengagement

Joe LaTorre @joelatorre.bsky.social · 1d

Hear me out: if we want authentic writing, we have to give authentic feedback.

Stop outsourcing that to AI.

#studentengagement
#belonginginschools
#englishteacher
#edchat

Joe LaTorre @joelatorre.bsky.social · 3d

Want to show them that you trust them? Don't lean on on the same handful of responders. Cold call.

Want to create resilient students?
Then refuse to accept "I don't know,"
Cold call.

Want to build belonging in your school?
Now accepting cold calls. 😆

#classroomculture
#edusky

Joe LaTorre @joelatorre.bsky.social · 3d

Confession - I've never had the Sunday Scaries. I know. I'm nuts.

The reason I speak to educators is to share what renews and refreshes me. A big part of that is people like @mrneibauer.bsky.social Here he discusses "why" we get it and how to solve it:
adrianneibauer.substack.com/p/sunday-sca...

Sunday Scaries

I know of no other profession where there is such persistent and consistent dread for the start of each week.

adrianneibauer.substack.com

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Reposted by Joe LaTorre

dan mentos @danmentos.com · 6d

oh you’re a nihilist? name zero things that matter

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Joe LaTorre @joelatorre.bsky.social · 6d

Belonging isn’t online.
It’s built in the rain outside Anfield.

Laughter, resilience, strangers turned family.

Back in New York, I’m ready to build that same community in classrooms, conference halls, anywhere.

Let’s go.

#YNWA #Liverpool #Community
#belonginginschools #edusky

Joe LaTorre @joelatorre.bsky.social · 7d

Had ourselves a day to kickoff the Year of Giving for Bridges' high school cohort.

We're giving them a chance to test those leadership skills as they get out and do some good in our Long Island community.

Here's the kicker: doing stuff with others, for others?

A ton of fun.

#edusky

Joe LaTorre @joelatorre.bsky.social · 8d

you hate what your students love, don't be shocked when they tune you out.

The moments they let you know what they rock with are a chance to build lasting relationships, and this is a relationship business.

What's something your students or teacher put you on to?

#edusky
#studentengagement

Joe LaTorre @joelatorre.bsky.social · 9d

Pumped to get in front of these Long Island educators at Molloy on Friday! We’re gonna talk about belonging, we’re gonna talk about buy-in, and most importantly, we’re gonna talk about how we connect with each other.

This is the stuff that matters. This is where the real work happens!

Joe LaTorre @joelatorre.bsky.social · 10d

Community isn’t convenient. It’s showing up when your couch is calling and leaning into the awkward with new faces. That’s what Bridges is about: kids from different districts learning to lead, serve, and grow through discomfort.

This is how you build bridges: with intention. DM for more

#edusky

Joe LaTorre @joelatorre.bsky.social · 14d

Intentionality is:

Schools blocking off October dates in Spring. Teachers letting classroom instruction take a backseat because the REAL learning is happening:

Belonging. Connection. Breathing room.

Students leading. Bonding. Building resilience.

#middleschool
#edusky

Joe LaTorre @joelatorre.bsky.social · 15d

Belonging isn’t the poster on the wall.

It’s when kids and teachers create their own rituals, their own language, their own legacy. Then hand it back to you years later for the new kids.

That’s when you know it's working. Period.

#studentengagement
#middleschool
#belonginginschools
#edusky

Joe LaTorre @joelatorre.bsky.social · 16d

Intentionality isn’t just a plan. It’s a roadmap that turns every interruption into a chance to show up, have fun, and build real community.

Grit N Wit gave us that today. It wasn’t just a day of resilience. It was a day of belonging.

#edusky
#middleschool
#resilience
#belonginginschools

Joe LaTorre @joelatorre.bsky.social · 17d

Choked so bad I forgot how to say “excuse me, I might be dying” in Italian to my relatives.

Came back to find my students threw a party and drew my “portrait.”

If you’re authentic and can take a joke, they’ll go hard for you, in the weirdest ways.

Belonging’s funny like that.

#edusky

Joe LaTorre @joelatorre.bsky.social · 18d

Have you mentored other members of staff? Organized a school wide event? Think of both student and educator partnerships you were involved in.

Joe LaTorre @joelatorre.bsky.social · 20d

You have a whole year to rebuild and earn influence. You just need a roadmap, and some patience.

Here's an easy one: offer more praise than criticism, and if you're calling out behavior, be consistent, so they don't think you only do it when you're in a “bad mood”

DM for help.

Joe LaTorre @joelatorre.bsky.social · 20d

Trust is gained in drops but can be lost in buckets. The way back isn’t magic, it’s accountability, consistency, and showing up for every single student. You're learning that. And you'll never forget it.

Check the comments for some moves to build on.

#edusky
#studentengagement
#classroomculture

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Joe LaTorre @joelatorre.bsky.social · 21d

Ten years in, I realized I’m basically Macho Man in front of the class. But hey: if you want them to light up, you gotta light up.

Knowledge without passion = distrust. Care, loudly.

#studentengagement #middleschool #classroomculture #schoolleadership #belonginginschools #middleschool
#edusky

Joe LaTorre @joelatorre.bsky.social · 22d

Stop trying to be the “funny teacher.”
Funny doesn’t scale.
Fair does.
You want kids to trust you? Be consistent. Keep your word. Build systems. Hold them accountable and love them through the tough days.
Play the long game.

#studentengagement
#newteacher
#middleschool
#classroommanagement
#edusky

Joe LaTorre @joelatorre.bsky.social · 23d

Male teachers are down to 23%. That’s crazy.

Shout out to my mentors and the student teachers already schooling me.

Get a mentor. Be a mentor. Stop waiting for someone else to fix it.
#studentengagement
#edusky
#classroomculture
#schoolleadership
#belonginginschools
#menwhoteach

Joe LaTorre @joelatorre.bsky.social · 24d

If you believe in people, believe in them publicly. A journalist called me about our principal last week, and I couldn’t wait to brag. She’s building real community, embracing tech, and proving middle school can be about values, not just skills. Big congrats to her!
#edusky
#middleschool

Joe LaTorre @joelatorre.bsky.social · 25d

Want to erase apathy in your classroom? Here's one easy step.

Trust isn’t built by acting too cool to care, it’s built when you’re vulnerable enough to geek out about the material.

Be a dork, be real, get engagement.

#classroomculture
#studentengagement #middleschool #edusky

Joe LaTorre @joelatorre.bsky.social · 26d

Whenever Marcus and Adrian chop it up you know good things are going to happen. Even when discussing the intersection of issues we all are feeling, the conversations are about solutions.

Marcus Luther @marcusluther.bsky.social · 27d

"But at the same time the stakes feel higher, I feel like the solutions feel smaller."

One of the places @mrneibauer.bsky.social and I arrived in our conversation: we don't think adults are meeting the moment with their "solutions" right now.

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Joe LaTorre @joelatorre.bsky.social · 27d

We had two fatalities this year where I live. It's outside the city, small community, that's a lot.

Reposted by Joe LaTorre

Marcus Luther @marcusluther.bsky.social · 29d

How you spend your time is an expression of value.

If you're trying to save time/be efficient, you're signaling it doesn't have as much value as something else.

And people notice.

(Especially students.)

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