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.
Category: classroom management
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Just before the holiday break, our new technology – Mobi 360 – arrived. Hopefully the wireless projector that is part of this system will have been installed before Wednesday when we return to school. Hopefully I will be able to make it all work the way it was intended. We tried out the system the…
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I have to touch the third rail: is education today more assimilation into a one-size-fits-all or is it about reaching a baseline of standards for learning? I ask this because lately it seems that there is an underlying expectation that we plan or are given one lesson and asked to apply it to every student…
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The first days of a school year always challenge me. Often, I feel like I’m not, you know, getting anywhere. Last week (northeastern Massachusetts schools often begin before Labor Day unlike many districts inside of Route 123), was no different. As my students came into the classroom I came to the panicked realization that they…
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We are a geek family. There I said it. My husband is a former software engineer now a working photographer. My son is a software engineer. I was an Instructional Technology Specialist (computer teacher) for 5 years. So embracing new technology is kind of fun for me. I like to see if I can break…
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We recently returned from a quick trip to DC. The DC-Maryland-Virginia area has been hit hard by a weather system which resulted in many downed tress and, even during our visit, many in the DC area were without power days after the storm itself had passed. Pepco, Old Dominion, BGE – the area utility companies had…
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Responsive Classroom provided some review PD for our school this past week. Don’t get me wrong, there is a lot to like about the RC approach, and surely I picked up some great clarifications and refreshers. In fact much of the presentation affirmed what I know in my heart to be true about education and…
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About 3 years ago now I spent a winter-spring weeding and reorganizing the library in my classroom. Lots of people have lots of ways to do this — and lots of reasons for what they do. The first thing I did was to throw/recycle or donate books – relentlessly and without much sentiment. I teach…
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Christopher Myers is an author that I’ve grown to admire. One of his stories, “Wings”, is included in the basal readers we’re provided with. For me, this is one of the best pieces of children’s literature ever: the illustrations, the premise, the themes…. sometimes I think this text belongs in the hands of the adults…
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All I really ever wanted to do was teach. It gets harder and harder to love this career every year. We are awash in edicts – do this, don’t EVER do that. Decisions made from afar by people who seem to have no idea what students are like, what they need. I study more, read…
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Lots of teacher types seem interested in applying the Daily Five principles to mathematics. What does that mean? For me, it means that teachers are struggling to find ways to deliver comprehensive instruction to our students and to differentiate so that rigor is applied to all students no matter what their level of accomplishment. The Math…
After An Educator's Journey 