In the midst of week 4, day 25 of "remote school days", I have finally come to where the tears are falling. I know some of you might think "How is she just now getting to the point of crying?" while others will think "Why would there be tears? We are all living the same … Continue reading Today is The Day I Cried
Sometimes teaching is hard. Who am I kidding? Teaching is always hard. Over the recent Christmas break, I received a very short but to the point email from one of my sixth grade students. "Thank you for being a good teacher ". While this does not seem like much, I found myself re-reading this message … Continue reading Hardest Thing I Have Ever Done
Sometimes in our classrooms, we feel that we have so little to offer. Resources. Energy. Skills. Answers. Our students now come to us with more needs than we have ever had to face as classroom teachers. Students without basic needs being met. Students confused by a culture that sends significantly conflicting messages. Students facing tough … Continue reading The Widow’s “Might”
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
" I Teach. What's your super power?" This cute gift from a student lives near the front of my classroom for my daily viewing. It reminds me of the kindness of the student that gave it to me. It reminds me that at least this one student feels that I might actually be a super … Continue reading Running on Super Power Fumes
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
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
Summer has arrived and what does a teacher find herself doing? Thinking about next year! The common joke that "teachers have the summer off" if so very far from the truth. Teachers that are truly engaged in what they do, never really stop teaching. Ok- maybe I stopped thinking about teaching for the first few … Continue reading Summer of Reasoning
One of my favorite times of the year- The Week of The Roller Coasters! This has become close to a national holiday in my classroom. Students from previous years check in on the progress regularly. "Have they started their roller coasters yet?" "Can we see them when they are done?" "I'm sure you have never … Continue reading The Week of the Roller Coasters
I have been struggling all weekend trying to determine if this is a blog entry that I should write. While my intent and goal for my blog has been to share encouragement, include classroom ideas, and challenge you in your daily walk as a teacher, I struggled to determine if this was a topic that … Continue reading When the Worst Comes True
Teaching Beyond the Norm 