Etch 'n Sketch Reflections

Summer is in full swing, and for me that means a combination of projects around the house, vacation time (a trip to Disney World!), time down at the ballpark, and planning for next year. And it's crazy to think that one third of summer has already passed! My teaching partner and I had the opportunity to meet last week to begin planning for next year. Both of us will be new to sixth grade, so it will be a big learning opportunity for the both of us (but a bit more for me since she is coming from seventh grade).  We discussed scheduling/co-teaching opportunities. The principal would really like us to think outside of a traditional classroom setting and look for areas where we can team teach. We determined that we will both teach a section of math at the same time and use a half-hour piece of the math block for a team teaching PBL time. I will then teach the science blocks and she will teach the integrated language arts/social studies blocks. We also discussed areas that we could con...

This was the start of my summer...a beautiful weekend down in Lake Geneva with a friend from college. I should be more honest, the days were beautiful, but the nights were rainy. Nevertheless, it was some much-needed R&R. And, hopefully, R&R will be what the rest of the summer brings: some golf, time at parks watching Olivia playing softball and soccer, and a vacation to Disney World! But this summer will also bring some new experiences, specifically with the learning and preparation that I will need for my new 6th grade position. My focus will be in math and science, and I'm really excited to starting this adventure in these areas. Not that I have anything against the other subject areas--it's just that math and science have always been areas I've enjoyed more. I'm beginning my learning on middle school with a little online learning, checking out middle school blogs and twitter resources. Next week, however, I'm going to have the opportunity to sit do...

Today wrapped up another school year--my 14th year, in fact, with 12 of those being in my current 3rd grade position. Except I can't really call it my current position anymore, as next year I will be moving up to 6th grade at the new middle school. It is a position I am excited about; a change, a fresh start, a new challenge. Don't get me wrong, every year is truly like that when it comes to teaching. Every year brings a new make up of kids, changes to our curriculum, and challenges galore. But for me, right now, this just felt right, so I took the leap. I'm going to miss my school (this is my picture leaving today). I'm going to miss my colleagues and the connections I've made during all these years. I'm going to miss 3rd graders, who are, by nature, still very sweet and kind, but also unpredictable. You never really know what one of them might say or do from one moment to the next. But even though I will not get to see all of these people on a regular basis...