Today has proven to be anything but ordinary. Returning back to my classroom after a week off for winter break brings with it the understanding that anything can happen. Because I truly took the week off, I returned needing to quickly photo copy papers, straighten up the classroom (which had been deep cleaned while we … Continue reading Plan, Plan and Change the Plan
Many times throughout my life, I have found myself in Christian pockets that struggle to know how to address topics in life that we consider difficult. Many of us avoid these topics because we do not know how to discuss them. A few will deny some problems truly exist. Some of us avoid certain topics … Continue reading Discussing the Tough Topics
This week while finishing up our unit on Evolution vs. Creation in 7th grade Life Science, I added a lesson I have never before taught. Within in the realm of Creation Science, there are varying beliefs on exactly how the earth was created and how long that creation took. While I am not sharing my … Continue reading Does it Matter What We Believe?
This blog entry is intended to share an amazing resource I have been using in my math classroom this year- 3 Act Math. This is not an idea of my own but one that I have found useful, and I wanted to share it here with you. The format was created by Dan Meyer. Many … Continue reading 3 Act Math
I met Albert near the end of the school year last year. Not knowing much about him, I have spent the last six months trying to get to know him. Albert was not one that would have crossed my path had he not been introduced to me by a dear sweet student. She is a … Continue reading Meet Albert
While many of us are ringing in the new year with aspirations, goals and resolutions, many are also looking back to find 2018 to be either a year we do not want to forget or one to which we are glad to say goodbye. This seems to be a very common human progression in the … Continue reading A Year of Teaching
With the addition of our own personal camera that travels with us each minute of the day via our phone, I would expect that picture taking is now at an all-time high: the spontaneous selfie, the "capture this moment" parent photo, the daily Snapchat streak, or the the "can you believe what I just saw" … Continue reading A Picture is Worth a Thousand Words
A recent student brought me back this adorable little llama from Peru. His family had an opportunity to travel during the school year and spend some relaxing time away as a family. While internally, I wanted to be traveling the world myself, I did appreciate this token that he returned with to let me know … Continue reading Oh, My Llama
Recently, I was given the privilege of teaching a Spiritual Emphasis week Bible lesson to our middle school students. This lesson focused on "loving God with our soul" (Mark 12:30). The amazing part of this verse is the truth that our "soul", as mentioned in this verse, refers to such a deep part of our … Continue reading What if I were this tree?
Being a middle school teacher naturally brings a great many oddities and strange comments to my classroom. Middle schoolers are unique (yet amazingly lovely) creatures. What makes them laugh often makes little sense to me. What they find as a "normal comment" often makes me raise my eyebrows or give one of my well known … Continue reading Why Is There a Dinosaur in The Hallway?
Teaching Beyond the Norm 