Loading…
Time to Compare: An Essay of Noticing with YA Lit
“Good afternoon, so this is the final week of the quarter,” I announce to my seventh grade reading class. They have spent the morning with the state mandated PARCC test, and we are in an alternate classroom while the eighth graders take their test. It’s …
The role of liaison in a student teaching cohort by Aric Foster
Aric Foster is our guest blogger this week. He is offering another perspective on the student teaching experience–the university-cohort liaison. Never satisfied with his own teaching and ardently passionate about student learning, Aric has been teaching English 11 and AP Literature for 16 years in a …
Sena Kose: In the Middle of Student Teaching (part 6 of 6)
Sena Kose is currently a pre-service teacher from the University of Illinois at Chicago. She began her student teaching experience in January 2017, and plans to graduate with a certificate to teach English in grades 6-12 in May 2017. This is the final post in a …
Jessica Arl: Beginning as a Long-Term Sub (part 5 of 6)
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: First Year (part 4 of 6)
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: On Humanity, High-Stakes Tests, and Worksheets (part 3 of 6)
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: Feeling Safe, Cared About, and Respected (part 2 of 6)
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 …
The Coaching Tree for Teachers (part 1 of 6)
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 …
Catch ‘n’ release-ing books (and wishing well the ones that got away)
Over the summer I asked my dear Facebook teacher friends for advice about how best to maintain a classroom library (see part 1 and part 2). I learned a lot from teachers who had developed great systems with minimal loss at the end of school …