Transitions are rough, man. I’ve got 3 more weeks in Arkansas, and I feel like I’m slowly losing my mind. There are so many thoughts and feelings floating inside me and I can’t seem to identify all of them. Here are a few: -I feel like I’m losing my grip on my mind and my…
read more »I have five and a half weeks left of school, and six weeks left in Arkansas. Not much has changed since my last post. This year has been so very stable compared to last year — that’s why I haven’t posted a lot. I’m leaving. My town is polluted and I can’t afford to continue…
read more »I’ve always wanted to be a teacher. Before I was in TFA, teaching was all I ever wanted to do. I absolutely love teaching. But as I look at my options for next year, I’m forced to think practically. Can I afford to continue teaching? Before I started teaching, I had no debt. I had…
read more »As of today, I’m three fourths done with my TFA experience. I was just looking back at some of my older posts, and it’s hard to believe that it’s almost over. Two years is not a long time. I love teaching. I knew that before TFA, so TFA doesn’t get any credit for it. I’ve…
read more »These are just things that happen to work for me; I’m not sure if they work for everyone or if it’s just my school and my kids, but here they are nonetheless: giving the kids a break. I have 90-minute blocks. 90 minutes is a long time. About halfway through class and/or when their eyes…
read more »School is still going unnaturally well, and I’m almost afraid to write about it for fear of jinxing it. I’m thinking a lot about next year. I want to keep teaching, but not here. Though TFA has disappointed/disgusted me in many ways, it has made me very employable. I have a nice little resume built…
read more »http://www.npr.org/2012/10/01/162088696/how-teachers-can-avoid-the-october-blues http://www.guardian.co.uk/teacher-network/2011/dec/07/teachers-work-life-balance?fb=optOut “Research by David Dinges at the University of Pennsylvania has found that adults need eight hours of sleep a night – we do not adapt. We just perform at a far lower level than if fully rested. And his research shows that if you have six hours of sleep a night for just…
read more »My kids are well-behaved. They actually sit there and do their work. When I have a test, they sit silently and work on the test. They’re not perfect, but for the most part my students respect me. I feel confident in my classroom. I’m not anxious about going to school. I don’t dread it. I…
read more »Contempt is a feeling I must never, ever have towards my students. One of my core beliefs as a teacher is that there is good in every student. Despite what I might think after bad days, no student is pure evil. If I’m fed up or personally insulted by a student, I can begin to…
read more »I want to work this year on character ed, helping my babies develop as people. Anyone have good resources for that?
read more »How far can you go with student-led classrooms? I want to get the point where my students do most of the work in running class, almost to the point where they only need me there to plan the lessons and make sure they are doing things right. How much do students lead your classes, all…
read more »My kids have SO much power over my life. If I let them, they can totally ruin my day. But the other side of it, the side that I’m starting to see this year, is that they can totally make my day too. Sometimes I need them just as much as they need me. I…
read more »This year is already SO much better. For the most part, my students are SO much more well-behaved and I am SO much more confident. I’ve got most of my year planned out, so I don’t have to worry about lesson-planning. I’m just waiting for the other shoe to drop.
read more »Today went well, I think. I am totally different, and I’m starting to understand this whole second-year-being-better thing. I slept like a rock last night (I don’t know how, but I did), and woke up relatively alert this morning. I got to school at around 7 and did the finishing touches on my classroom and…
read more »I thought about doing a “‘Twas the Night Before Christmas” parody, but that’s too much effort. I’ve spent this weekend frantically getting ready for school to start, and thankfully, I’ve been completely numb. Last year, I was in a flat panic. I think I’m just extremely focused on tomorrow. I really think this year is…
read more »1) I’m back in Arkansas. 2) I’m stoked for year 2! 3) I’m worried that this whole year-two-being-so-much-better/you-being-so-much-better is a myth. That’s all for now. I promise I’ll post more when I come up for air.
read more »
