Well, I can officially say that I survived my first semester of teaching. I’m not sure that if I had climbed Mount Everest I’d feel much different. Averaging about five and a half hours of sleep a night, I have to thank Starbucks for helping me through the days where caffeine was my only hope […]
new teacher
Posted inElementary School, Featured, Opinion
Letting Go of Perfectionism in the Classroom
Perfection [per-fek-shuh n] noun The highest degree of proficiency, skill, or excellence, as in some art Something that cannot be improved Perfection. A word that can be both a blessing and a curse. This single word can lead you to strive to be the very best in all that you do, setting high expectations and […]
Posted inElementary School, Featured, The New Teacher Chronicles
First Day Jitters
It is hard to put into words the feeling I felt when that school bell rang at 7:55 signaling the start of the first day of school. Parents had left with their cameras full of “first day” pictures and no one was in the back observing my teaching and making sure my lesson plans were […]
Posted inUncategorized
Keeping The Yearly Handouts Organized, Especially For New Students & Parents
I have been getting ready for Parent Orientation for the past week. Our orientation consists of meeting with the parents to go over the school handbook, school contract, school calendar and answer any questions that the adults may have. Then the adults meet with the teacher that their child will have and the teacher will […]
Posted inElementary School, Featured
Red, White and Back-to-School
[fusion_builder_container hundred_percent=”yes” overflow=”visible”][fusion_builder_row][fusion_builder_column type=”1_1″ background_position=”left top” background_color=”” border_size=”” border_color=”” border_style=”solid” spacing=”yes” background_image=”” background_repeat=”no-repeat” padding=”” margin_top=”0px” margin_bottom=”0px” class=”” id=”” animation_type=”” animation_speed=”0.3″ animation_direction=”left” hide_on_mobile=”no” center_content=”no” min_height=”none”] Every year right after the Fourth of July something magical happens. Shelves, which were previously filled with bright summer cookout and beach essentials, now become filled with #2 pencils, binders, and […]
Posted inFeatured, From the Front Lines, Opinion
The Power Of A Teacher
I ran into my first grade teacher the other day while shopping. I knew that she had gone on to be a counselor, then retired a few years ago, after 30+ years of service. I would love to be able to say I told her what an amazing impact she has had on my teaching, […]
Posted inFrom the Front Lines, High School, Instruction & Curriculum, Literacy, Uncategorized
The Loneliness of the Post College New Teacher
“The weekends are the hardest.” a young, new coworker friend of mine said, “I think I’ll get another dog, it’s too lonely.” I remember reading somewhere that some of the loneliest people in the world are those of the newly graduated college student, and it seemed that my young, coworker friend was no different. It made sense […]
Posted inFeatured, From the Front Lines, Instruction & Curriculum
Integrating the Arts
Budget cuts have been happening for quite some time and when programs are axed, the arts are usually the first to go. We live in a time when the arts aren’t appreciated as much as they used to be. Students are not given the chance to form opinions about art, music and theatre simply because […]