Just a CLASSic

Tonight, I saw a Gerry Brooks video.  Now, if you are in education, you likely know his name.  He is a principal with a drawl who creates hilarious videos about education.  Tonight, this one settled a bit differently with me though.  It was a short video where he simply reenacted an interview with a candidate.  He very professionally asks, "What is your weakness?"  He then answers as the interviewee and says, "Classroom management."  Music comes on with the words "Thank you...Next!" I see why this is funny; I really do. But yet, a part of me inside cringed. Maybe it was because I used to be in that position.  I did go to interviews and say that my biggest weakness was classroom management. Now before you start saying anything, that was not all I said.  I did say that it was an area I was continuing to grow in and was finding ways to further develop myself.  I also went on to talk about Whole Brain teaching and how it had chang...

As you may know, my first year of teaching was rough. So rough that now, two full years later, I am still dealing with the scars.  Every day that I have a rough day in the classroom, I think of some of the harsh words spoken to me my first year about my capabilities as a teacher. This is something I combat constantly.  It's a mind shift.  A choice to not let those words define me as a teacher. First year of teaching is so crucial and so difficult. In case you missed it, I would encourage you to check out " Advice to 1st Year Teachers " that I wrote last year. Someone asked me if I was going to do a blog like this every year and build on the information that I learn. Sure!  Why not! So here it goes.  Round 2. I love seeing the excitement of first year teachers.  You are finally getting into the classroom!  It is a dream come true.  Having been there, I want to share advice from my first year so that you can have a much better first y...

Recently, I finished reading The Mostly True Adventures of Homer P. Figg.   I absolutely loved it, and I would highly recommend it for upper elementary and above .  When I finished it, I sighed partly because I had enjoyed traveling with Homer and partly because the book was over.  Homer P. Figg lives in Maine during the Civil War.  His adventures begin when he discovers that his older brother was sold into the army on a lie that he was twenty instead of seventeen.  Homer determines that he is going to save his brother from having to fight in the war.  As he ventures forth on his should-be-his horse, he admits that he often stretches the truth.  For example, he tells people that his father was killed by a tree a mile tall; yes, it was a tree, but no it was not a mile tall.  These embellishments add the humor and the personality to his otherwise quite serious and sensitive story.  On his adventures, he meets an abolitionist, an...

As a child, I remember several events quite clearly.  Some are good; others aren't.  One memory that comes to mind every year happened when I was in 5th grade.  We were changing classes, and suddenly, the teachers announced that something had happened. They said though that we would find out when we got home. I have a very active imagination.  Off went my brain thinking through every possibility of what had occurred.  I doubt that I really learned much that day.  My main worry was "Did something happen to my family?" When I got home, both of my parents were there.  I hugged them frantically relieved they were okay.  Then I turned to the TV that was on.  I watched in horror as a plane barreled into one of the twin towers and then watched the next clip of the towers collapsing. The relief that I felt for my family being there was quickly replaced with questions, anger, and hurt for those involved.  Why would anyone do that? It br...

Today, I was at Office Max.  I noticed the lady in front of me was buying a whole lot of folders and erasers among other things. After pausing for a second, I asked her if she were a teacher.  She got a little glint in her eye and explained that she was.  In fact, it was her first year of teaching. At that moment, a rush of emotion came over me.  So many things were running through my brain that I wanted to tell her and to give her advice about her first year of teaching. I managed to get out what grade and school and a good luck before her transaction was over.  She left, and my mind was still whirring. So I figured it was time to write this blog post that has been buzzing around in my mind for so long.  Now just a warning, compared with some of my other teacher friends, my first year of teaching was exceptionally harder than theirs was because of my location and my administration.  However, through it all, I did learn some valuable lessons....

I'm going to step away from my usual children's books and review a book written for adults.  It made me to understand myself better and to better help my quieter students. My sister gave me  Quiet  and told me that I should read it.  Why?  Well quite simply because it is a book about the power of being introverted, of being quiet, of being observant.  And well, I have a tendency to be introverted, quiet, and observant. I greatly enjoyed reading this book.  One of the first things that I noticed is that Susan Cain makes a point and supports it thoroughly with research and anecdotes. Each chapter is well-drafted without rambling (a tendency that I have noticed in several non-fiction books...why did the author feel the need to include  that?) . Being a solid introvert, I loved reading about how my brain works in comparison with extroverts.  While extroverts are better multi-taskers, introverts are better at deeper, more meaningful thin...

Ah, it has been a while since I have written.  No, I'm not on break (not yet at least; we have one more full week and a half week), but I just spent a day grading papers so writing this is my reward. I read the Witch of Blackbird Pond several months ago, but the book has stuck with me.  In fact, it has been one of my favorite books that I have read these past few months, and as you probably noticed, it is also a Newberry Award winner and so a classic. Typically, if I just heard the title without picking up the book, I probably would not be eager to read it. However, the 6th graders at my school read this book, and the teacher told me that it is a historic fiction piece about the Salem Witch Trials.  A historical fiction novel?  I love historical fiction! In fact, I love history. I did not realize that though until high school.  In elementary school, when the teacher would announce social studies, I groaned inside.  For me, social studies was a b...