A Bet Lost and A Lesson Learned
With the standardized testing being so important and attendance being a large part, I bet my small group of testers (19) that someone would miss one of the three days set aside for testing. Well, I had all present the first two days. The third day there was one that was conspicuously absent. He’s one of our more “boisterous” young lads. When it was determined that he was not in school today, no one saw (or heard) him today, it was almost like and English football game. The mob was forming! The others were ready to inflict various forms of punishment upon the individual who was missing. “I talked to him last night and he was fine!”, “He’s not sick!”, “I know he’s skipping!” were a few of the comments. I was amazed at the fury and how fast it grew! ( A good lesson for me too.)
It was a really nice lesson in jumping to conclusions. It turned out that the guidance office had kept him for testing in their office because he was a few minutes late getting to school. He arrived for the second test and was met with the unhappy bunch. (I knew where he was, and didn't say anything.)
I now must go and live up to my end of the bet since I “lost”…orange juice, milk and doughnuts for all. We’ll use our usual Fitness Friday time as a “Fatness Friday” and enjoy the fruits of their labors. I just hope our PE department is understanding!!
mark
Thursday, March 23, 2006
Wednesday, March 22, 2006
Standardized Testing in PA
Here in PA, we are in the midst of our standardized testing. All districts are out to show AYP, or adequate yearly progress. Our district has developed and implemented quite a plan for getting students to attend these days, which resulted in 6 of 500 absent, two’s whereabouts and reasons were legitimate and were known. That's quite an accomplishment for standardized testing days! The students take tests, eat lunch and go home; no attempt is made to push them any further, which makes their lives easier. It is also hoped that it will encourage students to do their best, since they must only work for about 2.5 hours. Another reason is to show the students how important these tests are. We’ll see sometime within the next 12 months, whether it was successful or not.
The price for not meeting AYP can be quite high! Currently the Philadelphia schools are under government “supervision”. Our federal government has employees in charge of bringing the schools “up to par”. If my information is correct, somewhere around 95 superintendents have been replaced with one fed. School boards are gone. If tests don’t improve this year, more union employees will be replaced. In a district this large and with such a high transient population, it will be difficult to improve all schools enough to stop the increasing federal presence.
After thinking about what has happened, I began to wonder how long it would be before it was mathematically impossible or at least highly improbable to stay out of “school improvement”, which is the kinder gentler form of saying, “do better or we’re taking over”. Fortunately, my school is beating the odds for a district with our size and income levels (from Standard and Poor). Our plaque that states that we made AYP two years in row just arrived. Not a very high percentage are said to accomplish this (I’m currently looking for statistics on this and for school score numbers). As requirements go up, it becomes more difficult. In the murky and foggy distance it begins to become clearer that this could be the union breaker of all union breakers? I might be a bit pessimistic and at times look at things more negatively than I should, but I’m pretty good at recognizing stink coming down the pipe. I’m sensing something now. I’m not about to get into the politics of it all, or even my views of such, but it is something to think about for all educators. This backward design seems like something that will be very beneficial to continue improving.
The price for not meeting AYP can be quite high! Currently the Philadelphia schools are under government “supervision”. Our federal government has employees in charge of bringing the schools “up to par”. If my information is correct, somewhere around 95 superintendents have been replaced with one fed. School boards are gone. If tests don’t improve this year, more union employees will be replaced. In a district this large and with such a high transient population, it will be difficult to improve all schools enough to stop the increasing federal presence.
After thinking about what has happened, I began to wonder how long it would be before it was mathematically impossible or at least highly improbable to stay out of “school improvement”, which is the kinder gentler form of saying, “do better or we’re taking over”. Fortunately, my school is beating the odds for a district with our size and income levels (from Standard and Poor). Our plaque that states that we made AYP two years in row just arrived. Not a very high percentage are said to accomplish this (I’m currently looking for statistics on this and for school score numbers). As requirements go up, it becomes more difficult. In the murky and foggy distance it begins to become clearer that this could be the union breaker of all union breakers? I might be a bit pessimistic and at times look at things more negatively than I should, but I’m pretty good at recognizing stink coming down the pipe. I’m sensing something now. I’m not about to get into the politics of it all, or even my views of such, but it is something to think about for all educators. This backward design seems like something that will be very beneficial to continue improving.
Monday, March 20, 2006
Technology in My Classroom
Technology in My Classroom
I’m pretty tech oriented, but I have to admit that its use in my classroom is sadly limited. Through a little “wiggling” and finagling, I currently house one of the smart boards and all that goes with it, in my classroom. I arranged my entire room to make this thing fit where all could see it, yet I don’t feel that I’m getting all out of this extraordinary unit that I might. That’s one of the reasons that I’m in this program.
I make use of the internet, taking my students deep into space using Hubble Space Telescope, and various NASA pages, spend time looking at the rovers on Mars and the vehicles probing the depths of the universe. We journey through our solar system with the author of “The New Solar System”, using his “nineplanets” page. We venture into Earth’s interior, figuring out why we have plates, earthquakes etc.
Students are amazed by the images, events and the functions of this board. Most have never seen the views they are witnessing. Many repeatedly ask, “Is that real or made up?”, when dealing with the views of space. Students that are generally non-participants request to write one of their answers to a brainstorming activity on the smart board or use the mouse to point to a constellation, but there has to be more.
At this point, most of my use of technology is for teacher centered lessons. While this is of great use, enabling the introduction of the latest news/events and giving our little school access to hugely expensive equipment from around the world and beyond, it isn’t allowing the students much room to explore or dictate what they’d like to know more about.
Students use the internet to research several topics throughout the year and can get emailed copies of notes, reviews, study guides etc. The topographic map unit uses an internal network based course that leads students through the techniques and “how to” before it is introduced in the class, making this a quicker unit than possible in the past.
On the general daily function end of technology, I use a network based grading and attendance program. I email student progress, print out student grades weekly for inspection by students, interact with parents through the email. I keep my lesson plans digitally and send them electronically to my principals. I develop PowerPoints that illustrate my topics and display some amazing views and have fonts that are much neater than my board writing for definitions and notes. My tests and assignments are digital, frequently changing and have different versions for my learning support class. Most work is “re-invented” or altered for each year. Nothing earth shattering here.
My uses of technology are basic, its potential great and my ability currently limited. I’m hoping that through my chosen course of study, I can develop the structure to fully incorporate technology into this Earth and Space Science experience and that I have the will power to fight the powers that control technology in my school for the permission to utilize what I’m learning. I also intend to continue modifying my teaching practices with my given curriculum to take advantage of new and powerful technologies as I learn of them.
Mark Hopkins
I’m pretty tech oriented, but I have to admit that its use in my classroom is sadly limited. Through a little “wiggling” and finagling, I currently house one of the smart boards and all that goes with it, in my classroom. I arranged my entire room to make this thing fit where all could see it, yet I don’t feel that I’m getting all out of this extraordinary unit that I might. That’s one of the reasons that I’m in this program.
I make use of the internet, taking my students deep into space using Hubble Space Telescope, and various NASA pages, spend time looking at the rovers on Mars and the vehicles probing the depths of the universe. We journey through our solar system with the author of “The New Solar System”, using his “nineplanets” page. We venture into Earth’s interior, figuring out why we have plates, earthquakes etc.
Students are amazed by the images, events and the functions of this board. Most have never seen the views they are witnessing. Many repeatedly ask, “Is that real or made up?”, when dealing with the views of space. Students that are generally non-participants request to write one of their answers to a brainstorming activity on the smart board or use the mouse to point to a constellation, but there has to be more.
At this point, most of my use of technology is for teacher centered lessons. While this is of great use, enabling the introduction of the latest news/events and giving our little school access to hugely expensive equipment from around the world and beyond, it isn’t allowing the students much room to explore or dictate what they’d like to know more about.
Students use the internet to research several topics throughout the year and can get emailed copies of notes, reviews, study guides etc. The topographic map unit uses an internal network based course that leads students through the techniques and “how to” before it is introduced in the class, making this a quicker unit than possible in the past.
On the general daily function end of technology, I use a network based grading and attendance program. I email student progress, print out student grades weekly for inspection by students, interact with parents through the email. I keep my lesson plans digitally and send them electronically to my principals. I develop PowerPoints that illustrate my topics and display some amazing views and have fonts that are much neater than my board writing for definitions and notes. My tests and assignments are digital, frequently changing and have different versions for my learning support class. Most work is “re-invented” or altered for each year. Nothing earth shattering here.
My uses of technology are basic, its potential great and my ability currently limited. I’m hoping that through my chosen course of study, I can develop the structure to fully incorporate technology into this Earth and Space Science experience and that I have the will power to fight the powers that control technology in my school for the permission to utilize what I’m learning. I also intend to continue modifying my teaching practices with my given curriculum to take advantage of new and powerful technologies as I learn of them.
Mark Hopkins
WOW! I never thought...
This is my first experience with blogging. I'm having a problem that I never thought I'd have to worry about...keeping it short! I'm not sure why just yet, but I find myself cutting things out, trying not to get off topic too much and refining as much as I am trying to develop the ideas. This is a first for me! I intend to make a full effort to condense more, ramble less and be more concise!
Curriculum for the masses
Curriculum Blog Entry
Curriculum is essentially, to me, all the ideas, concepts and topics expected to be passed on to students in a given amount of time. Curriculum is the general guide, at this point, established a government agency to ensure that all students are exposed to similar knowledge, no matter where they may be within our state. Curriculum to me is not unbending or set in stone. It is a general outline that an educator has to help them throughout the year. It’s an itinerary that shows you where you need to end up, but not which paths to take.
Curriculum frequently has a very negative connotation, or reputation. This appears to come from the fear that someone is telling teachers what they should be doing. The people who fear this seem to miss the idea of the useful aspect of this guide. Don’t get me wrong, I have my doubts, questions and gripes about some of the things that go on, but overall, my curriculum maps help me to remain focused. ( I start with the space science and tend to remain there longer than I ever intend. SO many late breaking events occur that can capture the imagination and interest of my students, that I can very easily get carried away!) These maps also help me to separate my year into manageable sets of ideas and topics. When you look at the world of space, the topics are endless, from the current theories of the origin of the universe, to the volcanic activity of a moon orbiting Saturn, to the lunar landings, Mars probes, Apophis, Viking 1 and 2 not getting as far as calculated, how the sun works, causes for aurora, space shuttles, the new interest in the moon, the potential for billions of dollars from the material in a single asteroid….it’s exhausting, and that just the space portion for me!( I won’t get into the Earth section of my curriculum right now.)
Without curriculum as a series of guideposts, I would have a much more difficult time balancing my material, while walking the tightrope of time. I can bend my curriculum to meet the needs of my learners and frequently take a few minutes at the end of a period to show students a “just discovered” topic that does not always relate to the day’s lesson, using the internet, a projector and a smartboard. One of these new topics could just be the idea that catches their imagination, brings what students have learned into the real world for them, or leads one of my students to pursue science. In this quest, I feel that curriculum has been quite helpful to me.
Curriculum is essentially, to me, all the ideas, concepts and topics expected to be passed on to students in a given amount of time. Curriculum is the general guide, at this point, established a government agency to ensure that all students are exposed to similar knowledge, no matter where they may be within our state. Curriculum to me is not unbending or set in stone. It is a general outline that an educator has to help them throughout the year. It’s an itinerary that shows you where you need to end up, but not which paths to take.
Curriculum frequently has a very negative connotation, or reputation. This appears to come from the fear that someone is telling teachers what they should be doing. The people who fear this seem to miss the idea of the useful aspect of this guide. Don’t get me wrong, I have my doubts, questions and gripes about some of the things that go on, but overall, my curriculum maps help me to remain focused. ( I start with the space science and tend to remain there longer than I ever intend. SO many late breaking events occur that can capture the imagination and interest of my students, that I can very easily get carried away!) These maps also help me to separate my year into manageable sets of ideas and topics. When you look at the world of space, the topics are endless, from the current theories of the origin of the universe, to the volcanic activity of a moon orbiting Saturn, to the lunar landings, Mars probes, Apophis, Viking 1 and 2 not getting as far as calculated, how the sun works, causes for aurora, space shuttles, the new interest in the moon, the potential for billions of dollars from the material in a single asteroid….it’s exhausting, and that just the space portion for me!( I won’t get into the Earth section of my curriculum right now.)
Without curriculum as a series of guideposts, I would have a much more difficult time balancing my material, while walking the tightrope of time. I can bend my curriculum to meet the needs of my learners and frequently take a few minutes at the end of a period to show students a “just discovered” topic that does not always relate to the day’s lesson, using the internet, a projector and a smartboard. One of these new topics could just be the idea that catches their imagination, brings what students have learned into the real world for them, or leads one of my students to pursue science. In this quest, I feel that curriculum has been quite helpful to me.
My Philosophy?
Education philosophy
Now that’s a tough one for me at least. So many different things, so many different occasions, so many influences and thoughts run through my head. I’ll start with the definition of philosophy I’ll be operating with. Philosophy, according to Merriam Webster, has several definitions, but the one that most closely pertains to my idea is: a basic theory concerning a particular subject or sphere of activity.” I choose this over the “critical study of fundamental beliefs and the grounds for them” choice because at this point, I have not pursued the study of my educational philosophy.
So, looking at my basic theory concerning education moves on to the word theory, which again has multiple meanings, of which, I choose the definition, “general principles of a subject”, which brings up principles and another definition, and another need for refinement. You see how tied up we can become. The English language is great fun to play with isn’t it?
I now move to my outlook on education (see me getting around some definitions?). I follow one basic train of thought: the thought and belief that all students can learn and grow. This learning and growing does tend to vary greatly from student to student for any and many reasons. Those, we’ll possibly look at another time.
Back to my basic belief. This growing and learning does not occur because of one person’s teaching, or activity, or even lack thereof. Learning takes place in a fluid environment with ebbs and flows. It can be moderated, instigated, invigorated or squelched and rebutted by those in charge of assisting students in their quest for knowledge. It is with these options, and several others that I’m sure you can think of, that teachers must operate, using their experiences, education and established guidelines to facilitate a positive learning environment that promotes the desired outcomes, while allowing for some variance, opinions of the learners, and new ideas that may or may not prove to be accurate.
In this fluid environment, teachers are held accountable for “meeting standards” and “annual yearly progress”, both of which are measured by single, mostly multiple choice tests given at the specified time. These are the very same tests that, as educators, we were told are not the best choice to test student comprehension of material presented. That’s a subject in itself, which I’ll leave alone for now.
I do feel that idealism, realism and pragmatism play their parts in my teaching. In day to day teaching, there are frequent life lessons that are taught, whether intentionally worked into a lesson plan, or just from opportunities that arise from some event. Being a science teacher, the realism seems to come into play most frequently, but pragmatism has to be a close second. Some things just don’t seem that relevant in today’s world. Are we teaching some things just because we had to learn it, so now it’s like the fraternity mentality: I went through the hazing, my turn to punish the pledges?
I teach eighth grade Earth and Space Science. In my district, it is the end of this learning track. It is the last these students will be exposed to many of the topics before our state testing in 11th grade, and maybe at the college level. It is the end of the line. With this in mind, my classes stress methods and skills as much as the actual science knowledge. These students are learning much more than just the curriculum that was set up when I walked through the door on my first day. This stress on the abilities is where I also need the most work. These are things that aren’t currently in the official plan, but need to be taught somewhere. When the students get to my class, they have spent to years of science without a text. Their reading of factual material, interpretation of this material and methods of organizing it on paper to be referred to later is very much lacking. I work very hard throughout the year to wean students from spoon-fed notes and ideas, to those which they form for themselves. These are the skills that will outlast and knowledge about Pluto’s new moons recently discovered, or the idea of uniformitarianism developed by Mr. Hutton, although the talk of coprolites tends to stick with students for quite a while.(Coprolites are fossilized dino droppings).
That was a pretty long-winded way of saying that I’m an educational mutt. I pull from any philosophy the tools I need, while using my choice of definitions to mold the philosophy into something that works for me. Right now, I just wish I could remember where I first heard the idea that all students can learn and grow, but do so at different rates and times. That is my guiding principle, and I very much thank the person/people who first planted that seed of knowledge in this head of mine!
Mark Hopkins
Now that’s a tough one for me at least. So many different things, so many different occasions, so many influences and thoughts run through my head. I’ll start with the definition of philosophy I’ll be operating with. Philosophy, according to Merriam Webster, has several definitions, but the one that most closely pertains to my idea is: a basic theory concerning a particular subject or sphere of activity.” I choose this over the “critical study of fundamental beliefs and the grounds for them” choice because at this point, I have not pursued the study of my educational philosophy.
So, looking at my basic theory concerning education moves on to the word theory, which again has multiple meanings, of which, I choose the definition, “general principles of a subject”, which brings up principles and another definition, and another need for refinement. You see how tied up we can become. The English language is great fun to play with isn’t it?
I now move to my outlook on education (see me getting around some definitions?). I follow one basic train of thought: the thought and belief that all students can learn and grow. This learning and growing does tend to vary greatly from student to student for any and many reasons. Those, we’ll possibly look at another time.
Back to my basic belief. This growing and learning does not occur because of one person’s teaching, or activity, or even lack thereof. Learning takes place in a fluid environment with ebbs and flows. It can be moderated, instigated, invigorated or squelched and rebutted by those in charge of assisting students in their quest for knowledge. It is with these options, and several others that I’m sure you can think of, that teachers must operate, using their experiences, education and established guidelines to facilitate a positive learning environment that promotes the desired outcomes, while allowing for some variance, opinions of the learners, and new ideas that may or may not prove to be accurate.
In this fluid environment, teachers are held accountable for “meeting standards” and “annual yearly progress”, both of which are measured by single, mostly multiple choice tests given at the specified time. These are the very same tests that, as educators, we were told are not the best choice to test student comprehension of material presented. That’s a subject in itself, which I’ll leave alone for now.
I do feel that idealism, realism and pragmatism play their parts in my teaching. In day to day teaching, there are frequent life lessons that are taught, whether intentionally worked into a lesson plan, or just from opportunities that arise from some event. Being a science teacher, the realism seems to come into play most frequently, but pragmatism has to be a close second. Some things just don’t seem that relevant in today’s world. Are we teaching some things just because we had to learn it, so now it’s like the fraternity mentality: I went through the hazing, my turn to punish the pledges?
I teach eighth grade Earth and Space Science. In my district, it is the end of this learning track. It is the last these students will be exposed to many of the topics before our state testing in 11th grade, and maybe at the college level. It is the end of the line. With this in mind, my classes stress methods and skills as much as the actual science knowledge. These students are learning much more than just the curriculum that was set up when I walked through the door on my first day. This stress on the abilities is where I also need the most work. These are things that aren’t currently in the official plan, but need to be taught somewhere. When the students get to my class, they have spent to years of science without a text. Their reading of factual material, interpretation of this material and methods of organizing it on paper to be referred to later is very much lacking. I work very hard throughout the year to wean students from spoon-fed notes and ideas, to those which they form for themselves. These are the skills that will outlast and knowledge about Pluto’s new moons recently discovered, or the idea of uniformitarianism developed by Mr. Hutton, although the talk of coprolites tends to stick with students for quite a while.(Coprolites are fossilized dino droppings).
That was a pretty long-winded way of saying that I’m an educational mutt. I pull from any philosophy the tools I need, while using my choice of definitions to mold the philosophy into something that works for me. Right now, I just wish I could remember where I first heard the idea that all students can learn and grow, but do so at different rates and times. That is my guiding principle, and I very much thank the person/people who first planted that seed of knowledge in this head of mine!
Mark Hopkins
Wednesday, March 15, 2006
Feel free to skim or ignore....
A little background on some of my teaching career.(this came out much longer than originally anticipated. Feel free to skim, or ignore.)
I started fresh out of college in the mental health game. Although I was not certified exactly for this, my education background was said to be on par with preparations for working in a children's home. I worked outpatient with students who had a HUGE variety of problems, depending on the day, class, social events, family crisis, etc. While fulfilling my duties in that capacity, I had the opportunity to observe many teachers, principals, assistant principals, police officers, probation officers, judges, counselors, psychologists and doctors of all sorts. I watched what they did, what worked on a given occasion and built many of my ideas about how I would handle situations on these. I saw that the most important factor in determining the outcome of a situation was the "authority figure". I watched many escalation spirals, some diffused by an bit of humor, negotiation or creative thinking, some sent "through the roof" by inflexibility, ego and a lack of understanding.
I was welcomed by many and refused entry into classrooms by others. Traveling through just about every district within 45 miles of where I'm currently employed allowed me to see that the functioning of a given school was very much a result of the administration's relationship and support of their teachers. A supported group of trusted employees tends to work much better than those who are always concerned with who might be looking over their shoulder, waiting for any little error so punishment can be imposed. I could go on for a LONG time on this subject.
I found the place I wanted to work by looking at this administration issue. I found that one district above all others was extremely supportive, rational and encouraging to its educators, so when an opening came up I jumped at it. It was part time working in an alternative education program. I was pulled in due to my relationship developed through my previously mentioned job, which I had to keep. Working two jobs(frequently working roughly 70 hrs/week) with this end of the student population was rough at first, but with the help of those around me, became overall pleasant. OK there were the times when we had to use the police department, or probation officers for assistance, a few loosened lug nuts, some flattened tires, some wonderful barrages of profanity(students not staff :)) etc, but most of the students responded to a well run program with fair-minded helpful staff who had clear expectations, rewards and consequences.
This was a tremendous learning experience! I had over 7 years of experience with some of the "worst" students within a 45 mile radius before I had my own classroom! The transition to "regular" ed. was pretty smooth, but I missed something and have ever since: The feeling of truly making a difference to a small group of young minds. It's much harder to develop the relationships I used to have, when dealing with so many students. Yes there are instances where I feel it still happens, but when our AE program shut its doors, I missed it very much.
Even with the tough parts of AE still in my mind, I have been asked to help set up a new program and teach at least part time in the evenings. I'm looking forward to using technology to help distinguish this AE program from some of the dumping grounds I'd seen in other districts while furthering the technology use in my "regular" ed. room. Both programs are in need of curricular and coordination. Hopefully, this class will be a good starting point for both. I'm in for a long haul of curriculum work, and would like to be successful the first time!
I will not go on further, but the stories are many, the lessons are still with me and the experiences are what make me the teacher I am.
Take a minute to look at your past, how you got where you are, where you are going and the people who've affected you and your teaching style. Sometimes it's quite amazing!
Good luck!!
I started fresh out of college in the mental health game. Although I was not certified exactly for this, my education background was said to be on par with preparations for working in a children's home. I worked outpatient with students who had a HUGE variety of problems, depending on the day, class, social events, family crisis, etc. While fulfilling my duties in that capacity, I had the opportunity to observe many teachers, principals, assistant principals, police officers, probation officers, judges, counselors, psychologists and doctors of all sorts. I watched what they did, what worked on a given occasion and built many of my ideas about how I would handle situations on these. I saw that the most important factor in determining the outcome of a situation was the "authority figure". I watched many escalation spirals, some diffused by an bit of humor, negotiation or creative thinking, some sent "through the roof" by inflexibility, ego and a lack of understanding.
I was welcomed by many and refused entry into classrooms by others. Traveling through just about every district within 45 miles of where I'm currently employed allowed me to see that the functioning of a given school was very much a result of the administration's relationship and support of their teachers. A supported group of trusted employees tends to work much better than those who are always concerned with who might be looking over their shoulder, waiting for any little error so punishment can be imposed. I could go on for a LONG time on this subject.
I found the place I wanted to work by looking at this administration issue. I found that one district above all others was extremely supportive, rational and encouraging to its educators, so when an opening came up I jumped at it. It was part time working in an alternative education program. I was pulled in due to my relationship developed through my previously mentioned job, which I had to keep. Working two jobs(frequently working roughly 70 hrs/week) with this end of the student population was rough at first, but with the help of those around me, became overall pleasant. OK there were the times when we had to use the police department, or probation officers for assistance, a few loosened lug nuts, some flattened tires, some wonderful barrages of profanity(students not staff :)) etc, but most of the students responded to a well run program with fair-minded helpful staff who had clear expectations, rewards and consequences.
This was a tremendous learning experience! I had over 7 years of experience with some of the "worst" students within a 45 mile radius before I had my own classroom! The transition to "regular" ed. was pretty smooth, but I missed something and have ever since: The feeling of truly making a difference to a small group of young minds. It's much harder to develop the relationships I used to have, when dealing with so many students. Yes there are instances where I feel it still happens, but when our AE program shut its doors, I missed it very much.
Even with the tough parts of AE still in my mind, I have been asked to help set up a new program and teach at least part time in the evenings. I'm looking forward to using technology to help distinguish this AE program from some of the dumping grounds I'd seen in other districts while furthering the technology use in my "regular" ed. room. Both programs are in need of curricular and coordination. Hopefully, this class will be a good starting point for both. I'm in for a long haul of curriculum work, and would like to be successful the first time!
I will not go on further, but the stories are many, the lessons are still with me and the experiences are what make me the teacher I am.
Take a minute to look at your past, how you got where you are, where you are going and the people who've affected you and your teaching style. Sometimes it's quite amazing!
Good luck!!
Thursday, March 09, 2006
Feeling better
Things seem to be going better, thanks to some much needed help from the experienced bloggers! THANKS!
Tuesday, March 07, 2006
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