Jessica Arl is currently a long-term substitute teacher in our school. She student taught with me in the Spring of 2016 and graduated in December 2016 with a certificate to teach English in grades 6-12 from the University of Illinois at Chicago. This is post five …
Gabbi McArtor is in her first year teaching. She student taught with me in the Spring of 2015 and graduated in May 2016 with a certificate to teach K-8 from Illinois State University. This is post four of six in a series about student teaching, mentoring, and …
Amy Estanislao is a teacher in Chicago Public Schools. She student taught with me in the Spring of 2014 and graduated in May 2015 with a certificate to teach 6-12 from the University of Illinois at Chicago. This is post three of six in a series …
Madeline LaLonde is in her fourth year of teaching as a fourth grade teacher in Geneva, Illinois. She taught with me in the Fall of 2012 and graduated in May 2013 with a certificate to teach K-8 from Illinois State University. This is post two …
Over blueberry pancakes and coffee on Saturday morning, my husband, Dan, interrupts my weekly recap of teaching to say, “Have you ever heard of the coaching tree? You are talking about the teaching tree.” I was talking about lesson planning with my student teacher. What …
It is incredibly humbling to look, really look at oneself from the angles other show you, but I see it as protection from shattering, from falling apart. When I am willing to look carefully at all the angles, I can make adjustments to heal, to improve, and to make a change if needed.
A laptop held in the crook of an arm that used to carry a plan book. An empty stainless steel canister in hand, curled close to the chest. The free hand now pulls out an empty chair at a table where several teachers offer a …
Katrina is reading on her belly, sprawled out on the classroom floor, red hoodie tied around her waist, Jacqueline Woodson’s Feathers in one hand and a pencil in the other. A pad of sticky notes is off to the side with the words “Jesus Boy” written …
When it comes to composing the welcome back letter to parents and students, we also have to think about how we can blend the practical and ethical. Communication is so important when it comes to nurturing a community that values learning in and beyond the classroom, and with technology, there are a lot of ways to do that, which can be overwhelming, become time consuming, and ultimately distract readers from the important ideas you want to emphasize.
I have found that before people can accept and value diversity in others, they need to first see similarities. Teachers and students need to learn more than each others’ names; it vital that they learn about each other, who they are. It is important that teachers help students to forge new friendships, for each class to form an “Us,” rather than and “Us” and “Them.”