After An Educator's Journey

Out of the classroom & into the universe

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about

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.

Author: amybisson

  • Educating Workers or Leaders?

    Today’s Boston Globe carried a thought-provoking article by Renee Loth, titled “A Needed Lesson in Citizenship”.  The current emphasis on stripped down, regurgitation of facts that is necessitated by preparing students (and now teachers) to deal with high-stakes testing has quite the trickle down effect: science, critical thinking, social studies…. all of these highly needed learning…

  • The challenge of teaching science topics

    So many years ago I don’t even remember the exact year, I participated in a summer institute in Boston. That’s where I learned a lot about engaging kids through thematic science teaching; one of the best things I learned about was 321 Contact. Sadly this show’s run ended in the early 90s. It was at…

  • Power of verbal language

    Lately I’ve noticed a lot of head bobbing in place of actual vocabulary with my students – and not just with second language learners.  It’s got me second guessing whether or not I’ve been as focused on oral language as I should be. My current crop of students are really quite chatty. I don’t think…

  • Field trips are not just a day off

    The writing demands, and by that I mean the required monthly student work, in Grade 3 is driving me. We are asked to produce a student response to reading sample monthly – something that is sorely needed by my students. MCAS, soon-to-be replaced by whatever literacy testing the Core Curriculum invents, asks our students to…

  • Defining “Good” and “Bad” Teaching

    Since when does a nationally recognized newspaper purport expertise on what makes an effective teacher? Since this morning, April 19, 2011 when the Boston Globe published an uncredited editorial entitled: Ed Commissioner’s Plan for Teacher Evaluation Gets It Right. Apparently all that is necessary for teacher evaluations is some evidence of the following: Effective teachers routinely…

  • Uplifting the Soul

    This time of year, the weeks before “real” spring arrives, challenges me.  The winter debris, the salt and sand, litter, the ugliness of a still brown landscape make me anxious for a spring that arrives according to its own timetable. So yesterday, in an attempt to shake out of the depression that has been enveloping…

  • Busted…. and giving it up

    There is nothing like returning from a sick day to the chaos that has gone on in a classroom. Oh I know there are wonderful substitutes out there – and I’ve actually had the pleasure of experiencing one or two of them – but lately, whenever I’ve had to be out, it hasn’t been a…

  • Courses, of course

    I hope to hit Masters + 60 next year — which is the highest achievable salary lane for me.  It is also preparation for retirement. As of today in Massachusetts, my retirement will be calculated on the last 3 years salary averaged together. I “plan” to work 4 after this year, and with no new…

  • Braindropping

    We all have them, those puzzling dreams that we can remember in the morning. Well, I just woke up to a nasty alarm after spending pillow time with a rather puzzling one. My mind can be a scary place. I’m not sure what I was doing, but it seemed to be some kind of math…

  • Let the testing games begin

    I have a new definition for “March Madness” and it has nothing to do with playing a sport. This March, we have the following on our docket: MELA-O (ELL assessment), MEPA (ELL written assessment), District Math Benchmark, MCAS Reading, and report cards. And of course there are always assessments for RTI/TAT tracking and reading progress…