Tonight was the last night of the last class that I will teach at this university. I am taking time today to reflect on my eight years of teaching evening teacher ed courses — adolescent psychology, secondary English methods, middle school methods, literacy across the …
Test Prep or Teaching?
A six-foot-ish seventh grade student sits with knees pressing the desk nearly off the floor, hunched over his device scrolling up and down to solve the mathematics equations of the new-not-new state test. The once blanket of snow beyond the window over his shoulder is …
16, Saturday. Illinois Reads Book Festival
I packed my yellow NPR bag with 30 granola bars, a package of tissues, band aids, and my roster. Oh, and my husband (in the car, not the NPR bag). Today, he was coming to school with me to chaperone a field trip to the …
15, March. Student “as” teacher; teacher as listener
When we can set up learning experiences for students to be the facilitators of learning, the teacher can be positioned as a listener-observer. In this slice, I share two photographs from our classroom today as we read the lyrics from Joni Mitchell’s “Big Yellow Taxi” …
14, Thursday. Nerves Shakin’ Like the Branches
I try to tell a story with this one. It was very windy today in Chicagoland. On my way from one school to the next, I could barely keep my car on the road, but it wasn’t the car as much as it was my …
13, Wednesday. Ending the Term with a Celebration and Gratitude Video
At the end of every term that I teach (college of junior high), I like to end with a celebration video — a video filled with memories of the term and gratitude statements from the students. I take you through my process here. *The great …
12, Wednesday. Tabs and Tasks Between Classes
Today, I am sharing the tabs I have open on my computer: testing bell schedule, sub plans, 3rd quarter grades reflection, field trip plans, open mic GIF. I feel like I do a great job compartmentalizing all these tabs and tasks while I am with …
11, Monday. How I “Grade”
In this slice, I show you how I use the school’s grading system to enter standards and features of writing and then give students feedback into the grade system by not entering a grade but by using the comment feature of the SIS grading system. …
10, Sunday. Portfolios and Final Grades
If you want to know more about minimizing grades and points in the classroom, check out https://teachersgoinggradeless.com/. The slideshow in this slice is inspired by Tamara Molina’s slideshow that she uses with her Biology students: https://teachersgoinggradeless.com/2018/05/12/making-conferences-work/. I have written about my ongoing process of minimizing …
9, Saturday. Sometimes all you can do is make lemon squares
In this clip, I talk about teachers’ lives beyond the classroom and how it can be challenging to leave some energy in the tank for family and friends on the weekend. Still, we have to remember the people who support us and make it possible …