Elementary, My Dear, or Far From It – Jennifer Orr

Jennifer Orr has been an elementary school classroom teacher for more than twenty five years, teaching kindergartners through fifth graders.

Jennifer is the author of Demystifying Discussion: How to Teach and Assess Academic Conversation Skills and the co-author of We’re Gonna Keep on Talking: How to Lead Meaningful Race Conversations in the Elementary Classroom.

She is a National Board Certified Teacher and a Teacher Consultant with the Northern Virginia Writing Project.

Over her years of teaching, she has been a frequent mentor to new and pre-service teachers.

She writes and presents on topics ranging from academic conversations to technology use to writing authentically and more.

Jennifer lives in northern Virginia with her college professor/administrator husband and their children, if they aren’t off at college at least.

Recent Posts

Y’all, the Kids are Not Okay

February 27, 2024

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jenorr

I have two presentations in the next ten days as well as a new unit to lay out in reading and writing for my teammates and I am feeling a bit overwhelmed. I haven’t blogged in months and a part of me knows I don’t have time for this. I should be prepping for my […]
Managing to Pause and Listen

May 22, 2023

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jenorr

Last Friday morning I had one little friend show up a bit later than usual and miss all the socializing he usually does during our breakfast time. And then he didn’t join us for our morning meeting. I sat near the class (a different student runs our morning meeting each day so I’m there but […]
Educon Again, Finally

February 6, 2023

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jenorr

For the first time since January 2020, which feels like eight lifetimes ago, we got to spend this past weekend in Philly for Educon. I first attended Educon in 2009, the second year the conference happened, and I haven’t missed a year since (although we all missed 2021 and 2022). In 2010 my husband joined […]