Next week, I will celebrate the beginning of my tenth year in education. Teaching is a career that is always changing. One can never get too comfortable because before you know it there is something new. New standards, new strategies, or a new curriculum. One thing that never changes are the kids. The students are [...]
I adore literature. Ever since I was a little girl, I loved books (I blame Beauty and the Beast). And eighteen years later, I am teaching American Literature and British Literature, it is a dream career. Then this summer things changed. The state of Louisiana realized that not every student is going to college, and [...]
“Stop being such a martyr.” “All these teachers do is whine about how bad they have it.” “It is your choice to put so many hours in. No one is forcing you to do all this.” And my favorite, “You knew what you were getting into.” Yes, I write about the realities of education and [...]
We often speak of students saving our teaching career through notes or actions. Sometimes we even speak of other teachers helping keep our sanity, but we rarely speak of parents. Parents and teachers rarely seem to be on the same side which is upsetting because we have the same goal. We want what is best [...]
It is the end of the school year and every teacher is utterly exhausted. Yes, all of us. We are proud of our students, but the end of the school year is a trying time. As we finish up the school year, we wonder did we do enough. Are our students ready to move on [...]