Category: education
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Coming to an End
A week from tomorrow marks the last day of the 2017-2018 school year and the end of a fruitful working partnership with a co-worker who moves on to a new school. Yesterday, American remembered the sacrifice of many thousands of service men and women who gave their lives in service of their country. Two days…
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#RedforEd
Recently, teacher protests from various states have garnered national attention. Starting in West Virginia, educators in Arizona, Oklahoma, Kentucky and many others have marched on their state capitals demanding higher pay and improved working conditions. Some have been successful in receiving a start to a fix while others, for the sake of their students, returned…
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Where to Draw the Line
Recently, I have chosen a Civil Rights Era theme for the units in my classes. I’ve taken this as an opportunity to engage my students in thoughtful discussion about injustice and what we can do to bring justice. Currently, three of my classes are reading a fantastic book, The Lions of Little Rock by Kristin…
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Student Activism
Before February 14, 2018 the only people who knew Emma Gonzalez were those of her immediate circle, her friends, her family, her teachers. The horrific mass shooting at her high school, Marjorie Stoneman Douglas, launched her into the spotlight. She, along with several of her classmates refused to back down, they demanded to be heard.…
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Good News
Two weeks ago today, I received news that years ago and even a little bit recently, I thought I would never hear. My administrator came into my room during bus holding to tell me congratulations. I passed ADEPT. Nine years after I graduated with my teaching degree, I will finally have my professional certificate. For…
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Work/Life Balance
People seek the perfect work/life balance as if it were the fountain of youth. In a profession such as teaching, people long for the ability to come home from work without bringing work home with them, long for something that seems incongruous with doing the best we can for those in our care. If you…
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Perpetually Overwhelmed
Recent weeks have both confirmed my decision to return to teaching and to dive deep while doing so and caused me to question how much I can maintain without collapsing under the pressure. Unlike my first teaching go around, I do not feel like I am drowning with now way to breathe. At the same…
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Finding My Passion
Self-help gurus preach this religiously. Any blogger who quit their full time job will tell you this until they are blue in the face. This concept, cultivating passion, has merit even though it has progressed far on the path towards cliche oblivion. Yet I have become increasingly convinced I have truly discovered mine even though…
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The Gun Post
On Wednesday, February 14, Valentine’s Day, once again, another normal school day erupted into tragedy. Seventeen families lost someone they loved. Social media devolved into fractious shouting matches slinging words like hand grenades as they turn away, cover their ears and protect themselves from the fall out. Few stop to mourn. Fewer still pause to…
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The Reason Why
Nine years ago, many people wondered why I chose Lakeview Middle School for my practicum and student teaching. Some of my cohort members had not even heard of the school. A little over a year ago, when I first got the job that I currently have, many of the same questions arose. AT a summer…