I have far more conferences this year since I'm working at two schools, and I have a few proposals and points for consideration: The word "lazy" is now banned. There is probably some reason a 12 year old doesn't get their work done, but calling a kid lazy doesn't help anything and probably just makes … Continue reading November 1: conferences
middle school
October 25: Moment of Whoa
The Ancient Greeks had two words for time: chronos and kairos. Chronos refers to linear, sequential time; it's the root of chronological. Kairos refers to the right time for something, an opportunity. I like this idea. If you would have told me a little over a year ago that I would be teaching 7th graders … Continue reading October 25: Moment of Whoa
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
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?
July 30: THE SCHOOL DREAMS HAVE STARTED
They're HEEEEEEERRRREE! Two nights in a row now I've dreamed the back-to-school horror dreams. They usually don't start until mid-August but I am feeling extra anxious this year, so here we go! The first dream was especially weird. In it, I was back at Forest Lake and we were doing all the back-to-school stuff, and … Continue reading July 30: THE SCHOOL DREAMS HAVE STARTED
May 25: more gun violence in schools
Today a science teacher in an Indiana middle school averted a potential mass shooting situation when a 7th grader came back to class with two handguns. Apparently he nailed the kid in the head with a basketball, then tackled him. The teacher was shot three times, but appears to be in good condition. I haven't … Continue reading May 25: more gun violence in schools
April 24: Perfectionism
I don't think I'm a total perfectionist - I've seen way worse - but there are some things that I can't stand to leave uncorrected or unperfected. One of those things is design - I hate when fonts aren't quite right, or the edges don't quite line up correctly, or the space is uneven, or … Continue reading April 24: Perfectionism
April 17: It’s Tuesday again.
Today was super busy and it didn't help that my ear was plugged pretty much all day so I couldn't hear out of the right side of my head. This was disadvantageous, considering 9th graders want to talk to me all the time and I can barely hear them when they are all talking anyway, … Continue reading April 17: It’s Tuesday again.
March 29: It’s going to be okay
On the way to school today, I listened to "Keep Ya Head Up" by Tupac and it's been in my head all day. Regular readers of this craziness will know that having songs stuck in my head is typical, but today it was the same song all day, I think. Which is different. But it … Continue reading March 29: It’s going to be okay
March 28: Middle School? Really?
Life threw a curveball today: it looks like I'm going to be teaching at the middle school for half the day next year. I've never taught middle school during the school year. The most I've done is: a) coach 8th grade girls soccer; and b) teach 8th grade summer school where I got to make … Continue reading March 28: Middle School? Really?
Adventures in Distraction 