After An Educator's Journey

Out of the classroom & into the universe

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Once upon a time, I taught 2nd, 3rd, and 4th graders. Now I’m retired and working on new ventures.
I taught second, third and fourth graders. Teaching was my passion and joy for 30 years. And it didn’t hurt that they called me “mom” sometimes.

Month: January 2012

  • Be – Do – Have

    To make a true change, you have to BE the thing you are trying to become right now in the present moment.  Then you will automatically DO the things necessary to HAVE what you desire…..BE DO HAVE 10 Tips for Change, Metabolic Effect It seems like such a simple idea, doesn’t it? But the reality…

  • A Common Thread

    If you don’t subscribe to the weekly Tip of the Week newsletter from the Sisters – Gail Boushey and Joan Moser, you are missing out on something really special. This week’s front page essay was written by Joan and it really struck a chord with me. Teachers in current education practice are often stuck between…

  • Divide and conquer?

    When I hear people pit new teachers against experienced ones it makes me crazy. I cringe every time I hear that catch-all “burnt out” attached to experienced practitioners.  Yes, I’m sure you can find teachers who are marking time until they can get to the retirement board, but that’s the exception, not the rule. And…

  • Teacher as Learner

    I have long gotten past being the “sage on the stage”. If educational gurus hadn’t already convinced me that students learn best from peers and self-exploration – constructing the meaning of something themselves from experience – anecdotal evidence from the classroom would have. This week I arranged with our school’s Literacy specialist/coach, Pat Sweeney, to…

  • The Places We Write

    When we returned to school this week, I knew I would need to revisit some of our routines. The first week in January always seems like a good time to do such things. One thing I knew I wanted to clarify was where to put writing. In my third grade classroom, there seem to be…

  • New Traditions

    As the parent of an adult, the holidays are kind of odd for us. The old and comfortable ways we used to celebrate have morphed and changed to be less child-centered. We have never been big party people – Adrien used to play gigs on New Year’s Eve. Once you have had to work a…

  • Assumptions that aren’t always bad

    I subscribe to Responsive Classroom’s newsletters and blogs. They usually help to ground me, help me to see and understand my students better.  This week’s entry was about Questioning Assumptions. And as a teacher, I know there are too many times when I’ve jumped to a conclusion about a student’s behavior or motivation. And then been…