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.
Author: amybisson
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It’s going to be a bumpy night.” I love this quote from “All About Eve”; and coming straight from Bette Davis’ mouth – well you can imagine the delivery. The more thinking is done about the implementation of the new mathematics curriculum frameworks – the Common Core – the more it becomes apparent that this…
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Our District has a committee is working on unpacking the Common Core for Pre-K to 8 this summer. I volunteered – begged really – to do this and, lucky for me, I am part of the committee. Even with all of the expertise on this committee, there are struggles as we dig through seemingly simple…
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The writing is on the wall… the DESE is in the process of recommending that the teacher evaluation system overhaul include data about teacher effectiveness using the state’s MCAS test. I really am annoyed that no one is listening to teachers who are saying “Wait a minute…”. Not because we don’t want to be evaluated;…
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Twenty-four hours after the end of the 2010-11 school year finds me still trying to analyze why this year was so difficult. Why was it that so many students in the past group were such a challenge? Did my teaching change? Is my tolerance level low? Have I lost “it”? The more I think about…
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which translates to “no worries”…. how often is that a part of an adult’s thought process? This week marks the last week of the academic year for us. It’s part of the fabric of the school year cycle – that time when I reflect on what worked and what didn’t. When I start to see…
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This has been one of the most challenging groups of children I have taught. Considering that this is my 23rd year as an elementary teacher, that’s quite a challenge. Teaching in an urban district with children whose daily life is clearly outside of my own childhood experience, oftentimes means much more than academics are encompassed…
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We will have a lot of changes this coming Fall. Some are more global: a new administrator, a new superintendent, new Core Curriculum. On a more local level, my grade level has made a decision to locate the Inclusion classrooms side-by-side, so next year I will be a SPED Inclusion room again. And there some…
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Boy do I ever need to redesign my classroom space. What I have is workable, but there’s much more to be done. What would my dream space look like? Here are some things I’m mulling over for next school year: 1. Removing the big old TV on the gigantic (and wobbly) stand. Yes, I do…
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For many, or maybe for most people, Memorial Day means picnics and the start of the summer season. Yesterday, with the first summer-like weekend since, well since last summer, we went in to Boston to walk around and soak up some sun. As we usually do when we don’t have a specific agenda, we drove…
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This June, with just 3 years — or maybe 4 if the stock market takes a nose dive — left of my teaching career, I’ve started the process of streamlining. It seems like a good idea. I certainly don’t have an delusions that all that stuff I’ve been saving “just in case” is going to…
After An Educator's Journey 