OK so here's my problem... I am two completely different and separate people. Part of me is mom, mom who has three kids, a dog, house and no life. The other half of me is a teacher, a teacher who taught middle school for 6 years and likes things very structured. It's a constant inner struggle and sometimes those two don't mesh well (see my personal growth mission about Perfectionism1 and 2). Inner Struggle As a mom when it's rainy, cold, and yucky I want to play games, watch movies, and … [Read more...]
To all my students past and present
To all my students past and present, I just want you to know that I may not remember your name, but I remember your face and I remember YOU. To the student I saw at Dunkin Donuts, I remember that 6th grade girl sitting at my small group table telling me how much you did NOT like reading. You went on to tell me that you didn’t understand why we had to read Number the Stars. This is not an “I told you so” moment, this is I am so proud of you! I am so proud that you are heading to college this … [Read more...]
Why Is Middle School Lit So Important?
I can't really explain my fascination with Middle School Literature. I mean when you tell people you teach Middle School their response is normally, "You must be crazy." Well, that is probably true, but what I've learned as a Middle School teacher is that you have to really love what you teach. Some of the most amazing teachers have two things in common, they are passionate about what they teach and they are passionate about their students. For me, I love the idea of helping kids learn to … [Read more...]
Little Kid’s Dream Becomes Reality
In perusing the SITS Girls blog about January posts, I stumbled upon two prompts that got my wheels-a-turning. They were both about jobs and asked bloggers to discuss their first dream job and the best job they ever had. Is it possible for one to cover both questions? A Little Kid's Dream As far back as Intermediate/Middle School, I remember wanting to be a teacher. Oh sure, I went through the Marine Biology phase, I mean who wouldn't want to swim with dolphins. But I always went … [Read more...]
