Survival. Crying in the car. Rejoicing at the most minor milestones. Finding colleagues to lean on. Making teacher friends who get it. Late night grading. Wine. Chocolate. Crawling toward the finish line into summer break. The first year teaching has been called many things. One thing I’ve never once heard it described as? Easy. We… Continue reading The First Year
Tag: teaching
Letting Go of Control in Your Classroom
When I talk to other teachers about personalized learning, I always share how difficult it was for me at the beginning (and sometimes it still is). There are always challenges with anything, especially when it’s new, and personalized learning is no different. This philosophy allows for a lot of student freedom, self-regulation, and choice, which… Continue reading Letting Go of Control in Your Classroom
Modeling Writing (and Revision) in Your Classroom
Writing is hard. The published piece at the end is a source of pride, a beautiful work, but it didn't start out that way. There was a process that went into that finished work. There was a revisiting of the message, the words themselves, that happened before it went out to the audience. That's how… Continue reading Modeling Writing (and Revision) in Your Classroom
Involving Families in the Classroom
Families are an important aspect of a child’s education. Outside of the classroom experience, they are the most influential factor in how the student approaches learning, growth, and school as a whole. Because of this families should have real involvement the classroom experience too. I’m talking more than just being a ‘room mom’ or visiting… Continue reading Involving Families in the Classroom
I am a teacher & I have anxiety
Naming something is important. As I stood in front of the sixth grade math class, my vision began to darken. My heartbeat quickened. My face began to feel numb. I was student teaching, right in the middle of a lesson, and all the signs of an impending anxiety attack were coming on. I couldn’t leave,… Continue reading I am a teacher & I have anxiety
What I Do in the First Week of School
The first week of school is a hectic one. No one is quite used to the new routine, everyone is still half in summer mode, and you’re busy trying to welcome and connect with a whole new group of students. There’s a lot of advice out there on those first few days, and people hold… Continue reading What I Do in the First Week of School
What I Learned From Going Standards-Based
School supplies are back in stock at the stores, fall flavors are being advertised, and teachers are posting their classroom decor on social media. All signs point to back to school season, and if my nightmares of being late on the first day are any indication, we are in full swing. As teachers gear up… Continue reading What I Learned From Going Standards-Based
Lift Each Other Up
There’s a lot of hate out there. It’s permeating so many aspects of our lives these days. You see it on television, in print, and on social media. It’s difficult to escape, and it’s becoming more of the norm in the teacher-sphere. There are entire Reddit threads, social media accounts, and pages devoted to hating… Continue reading Lift Each Other Up
The best piece of advice I’ve ever gotten
In my lifetime, I’ve gotten a lot of advice. From family members, friends, veteran teachers, administrators, professors, parents… Some of it is good, some of it is helpful, and some I completely disregard—either to my benefit or peril. But the single best piece of advice I’ve ever received was in Dr. Johnson’s classroom management course,… Continue reading The best piece of advice I’ve ever gotten
Indoctrination
Indoctrination is a powerful word. The concept of teaching a group of people to accept your beliefs without question has an air of force to it. So much so, that to think of it happening to you is kind of frightening. As of late, I’ve seen this word used in several accusations towards teachers, publicly… Continue reading Indoctrination
Curriculum Coffee 