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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Hours put in since the last post: 6+ Yesterday I met with our Team’s new Special Education Teacher, Melissa. I don’t know about Melissa, but I am definitely feeling the overwhelming panic that encompasses the start of a new year. The weird dreams have already begun. It will be good to get back to school…
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Time 4.5 hours After cleaning and arranging the large items in my classroom, it is time to start prepping for the students’ arrival. I purchased an additional 10 cardboard magazine files to be used as book boxes. That makes a total of 24. I am prepping for 24 because that, in theory, is the maximum…
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Time Spent: 4 hours This morning I loaded up the Jetta with our new shop vac — more power! — and began cleaning up the dust from the floor replacement. Here’s what was all over every surface, nook, and cranny of my classroom (even behind closed cupboards – this stuff goes everywhere). Cleanup meant first…
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It’s a good news/bad news thing….. At the end of the school year, there was a rumor that our ratty carpeting would be replaced by tile. Good news: the carpets are gone! Bad news: the replacement required some serious sanding before the new tiles could be laid. Everything in my classroom is covered with a…
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About a week ago, I finally finished reading Ellin Keene’s new book, To Understand. Originally intending to blog about the book as soon as it was finished was in reality impossible to do. Things that Ellin has to say about teaching, about thinking, about maintaining a balance in education have been turning around and around…
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To Understand is author and teacher, Ellin Oliver Keene‘s new book; and it has been on my list to read for several months. I began reading this book earlier in the school year and adapted Ellin’s idea for Literacy Studio (crafting, composing, individual activities and reflection time) to encompass the teaching day. Defining each of…
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I find that the longer I am a teacher, the more I am blown away by the intelligence and thoughtfulness of colleagues across the US. Here is a blog I recently came upon Two Writing Teachers. Even though the two bloggers teach grade levels higher than my current teaching assignment, the process and their craft…
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This morning, I finished my duties for 2008-2009 by taking a qualifying exam for MELA-O administrators. I have to wonder why I bothered….. the MELA-O qualifying test requires that I determine where a LEP student’s language acquisition lands when compared to Native English speakers of the same grade level. Here’s the catch: I am certified…
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Like many teachers in urban districts, many of my students come from backgrounds that are less than idyllic. This year has been no exception and in many ways, it has been worse. Is it the economic upheaval? Is it the learned selfishness of our society? A social scientist may have answers – all I know…
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In the last week I’ve administered three district-mandated tests to my third grade students. Everyone is collecting data! There have been 2 benchmarks – one each in reading and math — and a newly mandated math unit test. We’ve administered our individualized reading assessments from Fountas/Pinnell. Having completed the MCAS barely 2 weeks earlier, my…
After An Educator's Journey 