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: teaching
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This afternoon’s email brought a solicitation from the AFT: Why do you teach and what do you and your colleagues need to do the best job for your students? It is the why of something I have been so passionate about for more than 22 years that is difficult to put into words. Why do…
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Some part of the ARRA money allocated to the Lowell Schools is being used to give teachers time to look at assessments and collect data about how our students best learn. Grade level teams and cross-grade level data teams have formed since late summer all with the purpose of methodically looking at our assessment data…
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Yesterday’s poll on Reading Rockets asks the question “Is letter writing (formal and informal) included in your writing curriculum?” While most respondents said yes, 20% said no. Some comments went on to say that letter writing is important, but in our society today, very few people actually write letters any longer. Our Third Grade Writing…
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It never ceases to amaze me. I’ll be reading a story and out of the blue will come a question that knocks me back a step or two. “Why did the Pilgrims come from Hollywood, Mrs. Bisson?” Now you and I know the Pilgrims never set foot in Hollywood — that word that was lost…
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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…
After An Educator's Journey 