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.
Tag: writing
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One of the most important things that I felt I should do as an elementary teacher was to encourage children to learn to love reading. Along with the myriad of skills needed to learn the process of reading and comprehending, finding what clicked a child’s interest to learn to read was the catalyst. Interest built…
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Fun fact: In my youth and for much of my early adulthood, I was a musician. That was my identity: accompanist, pianist, music teacher. I don’t often speak of it because while I have an undergraduate degree in music, I wasn’t much driven to practicing or the discipline required to be a successful performer. However,…
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I was a high school student in the late 1960s. Education was a lot different back then, though not necessarily the “Leave-it-to-Beaver” high school experiences depicted on television. Starting with my junior year, our English classes switched up a bit from the standard fare English coursework to mini courses. I don’t know who came up…
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I heard a new term yesterday and I really wanted to write about that, but Adrien spoke to me and in that split-second, the word was wiped from my brain. As I get older, the act of immediately forgetting something I’d like to remember annoys me. It also terrifies me for obvious reasons. Trying to…
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As an elementary-age teacher, I prioritized corresponding with my students through their journals. Sometimes a student would check in with something that had happened in their life – a new baby, a new friend, a fun family activity, but sometimes there would be something more personal or a reaction to a book they had discovered.…
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When I was an undergraduate, practicing piano or flute was a drudgery that I could barely tolerate. I put in what I needed to put in to get through a performance, and, given that I was an adept reader of scores, that was pretty minimal. I can recall sitting in several Form and Analysis classes…
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In a past life I was a musician and a music teacher. While I lacked the talent and drive to become a professional musician, music has always been something I’ve enjoyed. In our classroom, when students need to complete a transition from one activity to the other – for example, universal breakfast clean up to…
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Having read Notebook Know-How (Aimee Buckner) this spring; I’ve moved on the another of her books, Notebook Connections. Know-How is to writing as the Connections book is to Reading. What I am discovering though is that they both are interconnected – as they should be. At this time of year, many of us start thinking…
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Last week, we created our last I-Chart; the one for Listen to Reading. So now we have all the components of the Daily Five in place. It’s an exciting yet frightening time .It has not always been smooth sailing. I find I have to keep pinching myself as a reminder that one of the most…
After An Educator's Journey 