I packed my yellow NPR bag with 30 granola bars, a package of tissues, band aids, and my roster. Oh, and my husband (in the car, not the NPR bag). Today, he was coming to school with me to chaperone a field trip to the …
15, March. Student “as” teacher; teacher as listener
When we can set up learning experiences for students to be the facilitators of learning, the teacher can be positioned as a listener-observer. In this slice, I share two photographs from our classroom today as we read the lyrics from Joni Mitchell’s “Big Yellow Taxi” …
14, Thursday. Nerves Shakin’ Like the Branches
I try to tell a story with this one. It was very windy today in Chicagoland. On my way from one school to the next, I could barely keep my car on the road, but it wasn’t the car as much as it was my …
13, Wednesday. Ending the Term with a Celebration and Gratitude Video
At the end of every term that I teach (college of junior high), I like to end with a celebration video — a video filled with memories of the term and gratitude statements from the students. I take you through my process here. *The great …
11, Monday. How I “Grade”
In this slice, I show you how I use the school’s grading system to enter standards and features of writing and then give students feedback into the grade system by not entering a grade but by using the comment feature of the SIS grading system. …
9, Saturday. Sometimes all you can do is make lemon squares
In this clip, I talk about teachers’ lives beyond the classroom and how it can be challenging to leave some energy in the tank for family and friends on the weekend. Still, we have to remember the people who support us and make it possible …
8, Friday. Bathrooms & Public Speaking
This is day 8 of the Two Writing Teachers’ Slice of Life Challenge. It is really a writing challenge, but my personal challenge is to capture about 5 minutes of my day as a teacher to illuminate all the tiny, often overlooked decisions teachers make …
7, Thursday. Book Group Day
Today, I take you into our book group discussion day. Students love this day and really look forward to it. We meet every Thursday in the library. Students bring their books and a “literary focus sheet” much like Harvey Daniels’ book group jobs. These are …
5, Tuesday. Story Time for Stress
A heavy cloud filled with buckets of rain waiting to release is hovering above or near students and teachers in the school. As I walk the halls, I dodge the clouds, trying to avoid making a puncture that would drench me, so as I made …