What will the coming summer and school year bring? I honestly do not know. I am certain I have a position as a teacher, but more than that, I am not sure how the year will start out (depends on infection rates…). I am hoping to return to third grade – a near-perfect blend of […]
Tag: teaching
Let’s get real:
[Post was started in March, finished in May 2021.] This has been weighing on my mind for a year now. It’s time for me to be very clear about the vitriol that is flying that accuses teachers of putting convenience over the well-being of students. Those of us who requested the opportunity to stay out […]
School Closures: Mar-Jul 2020
[I wrote this in March and July, but didn’t post it. I am posting it now… as we rapidly approach the end of August. I have more reflections, but will do those in a new post!] I am up early, the first Sunday of the official closure. We thought, last Sunday, that we would at […]
Nearly done…
with the student teaching for this quarter. So much still to do, but I am looking forward to being able to take a few weeks’ breather beginning the end of November. The students are working on completing their final projects — a formal assessment consisting of a paper and a presentation. I am taking time […]
Poetry Redux
Tomorrow, I teach 130(ish) 8th graders a lesson on poetry, and will focus on tanka, a Japanese form similar to, but longer than, haiku. I will also review rhymed verse, and free verse. Students will be asked to write two poems, of which one will be tanka, and the other may be anything they choose. […]
Graduate Student
I was accepted to the Master in Teaching program at the Evergreen State College, starting in September. I am both excited/happy and a little wistful… it will be a long time before I have truly “free” days — I am still in school full-time getting the last of the prerequisites, and this summer will be […]
The Perils of Teaching (mini-rant)
I am sure there will be many surprises in my years teaching, but this, unfortunately, will not be one of them: yet another teacher has been poisoned by students. A couple years ago something similar happened locally when students put a known allergen in their teacher’s coffee. {Note to self: don’t leave beverages unattended in […]
Making a Difference, Voting
Change is afoot indeed. Today, the best news for children and educators our state has had in a long time… We have a new Superintendent of Public Instruction. Congratulations, Randy Dorn! KiroTV news item And Randy Dorn’s website Yes, this makes me happy. Again.
Taking the Plunge (again)
I am dipping my toes back into the pool of academia, it seems. Nearly 20 years post-baccalaureate, I have decided that I was wrong (all those years ago) to reject going into teaching. After my experiences of the last couple years, I have decided that I am, in fact, willing to do something I love […]
6th Grade Language Arts
Well, this wasn’t just “my” project, but I had a hand in it, and I feel good about both the planning process and the execution of the unit. I am quite proud that I worked outside my comfort zone in many areas this year, but this particular project was both the most challenging and the […]