Today was overall a good day. I had some amazing conversations with my 7th graders about a story we read, and I finally got a kid who is clearly depressed (for lots of good reasons) to genuinely smile and laugh. I am having a good time with my Legends class learning about the "monomyth" and … Continue reading October 9: Little things, big impact
education
October 5: Whirlwind Year
This morning, a memory jumped up on Facebook: a year ago, I posted publicly that I had accepted a job at Roseville and would be leaving Forest Lake that month. It was the hardest decision I have made in my career. At that time, I believed it was the right choice and this year has … Continue reading October 5: Whirlwind Year
October 3: The World is Heavy
I've felt a heaviness, really, since the Ford-Kavanaugh hearing last Thursday, but today it just became overwhelming. I haven't cried like that in a while. I've cried with frustration, cried with anger, cried with exasperation, but today, I was just sad and feeling hopeless. Being a teacher has always been tough because I work with … Continue reading October 3: The World is Heavy
September 14: a little better
I'm on the verge of falling asleep so I'm going to be brief. Today was better with the class I had been struggling with. I'm sure there will be days where I leave exhausted and frustrated again, but I restarted with them as best I could. I gave a survey to ask a bunch of … Continue reading September 14: a little better
September 12: The Ass and the Class – A Fable
Today was... difficult. Don't get me wrong, most of the day was good, but just super busy. I think I let small things bother me too much and I think I might be trying to do too much. As usual. BUT... today, a kid who has been trying my patience since the beginning of school … Continue reading September 12: The Ass and the Class – A Fable
September 7: First Friday of the Year
It's finally Friday! I can take a minute to breathe, rest, think a little bit, and sleep. Like I said yesterday, this schedule is killing me so far. I had 15 hour days until today, when I took an 11 hour day and left school at 6 to come home and rest. I haven't done … Continue reading September 7: First Friday of the Year
September 6: Will I survive the next 3 months?
Magic 8 Ball says... DOUBTFUL. The last two days have been so busy. I've kept it together, but I'm afraid I'm going to burn out and shut down sooner or later. Background: I'm teaching two classes at the middle school, then running out and driving across to the high school, taking about 20-30 minutes to … Continue reading September 6: Will I survive the next 3 months?
September 3: Labor Day; or, the end of summer
Tomorrow we all go back to school. Both of my kids and I are anxious-excited. I never sleep well the night before school starts, so I don't have high hopes for a relaxing night. The only person who saw it as just another night was Dak, who just kind of went about his evening, playing … Continue reading September 3: Labor Day; or, the end of summer
August 16: Shaking up the Squo
I've been to meetings and I've talked with so many different people about the problems with debate and I think I want to put some things "on paper" so to speak, just to get them out of my head. This will be specific to how to be a good adult at a debate tournament/as a … Continue reading August 16: Shaking up the Squo
July 9: More Than 6 Months!
I started writing this blog on the first day of January this year and I just realized I've made it SIX MONTHS! My rules when I started were write every day for five minutes or more. The day ends when I go to sleep for the night, not at midnight. I've only missed two days, … Continue reading July 9: More Than 6 Months!
Adventures in Distraction 