I taught English for twenty years and read a wide range of books during that time as well as during college. I also spent time rereading books for class. Even though you think you might know a book, it is (or at least was for me) always important to reread (okay, maybe skim if I had been teaching it for several years). After leaving teaching in 2016, I went on a pop fiction spree and read several books of that nature (Janet Evanovich, Sue Grafton, David Baldacci, etc) for quite a while. Now, though, I hope to return to reading books that have been on…
Category: Teacher
Importance of Relationships – A Simple Note
Teaching is not as much about the subject (dare I say?) as about the relationships built with students. Genuine respect and regard for a student will foster a work ethic on behalf of the student if he/she believes the teacher is genuine. I kept a note from my second year of teaching because of the impact of a young man named AJ*. I see the actual note today in my writer’s notebook, and I am reminded of the importance of building those relationships with our students. AJ was in my 10th grade English class. He was a nice looking young man, dark hair, a little skinny,…
On Keeping a Writer’s Notebook
I started keeping a Writer’s Notebook in 1997 after attending an Advanced Placement Summer Institute in Norman, Oklahoma. The presenter, Cindy O’Donnell Allen, had sections and lessons in her presentation about having students keep a Writer’s Notebook. I had “journaled” or kept a diary since I was a child, but this concept was different. It is not a diary, not a journal/diary. I embraced it because I liked the set-up and purpose. Why Keep a Writer’s Notebook From my notes, I gleaned these ideas about keeping a notebook: What we choose to record reflects a lot about who we are. We use Writer’s Notebooks to…
Life After Teaching – A Revelation
I have been reflecting quite a bit of late about the place I am now in my life. I left my teaching career at the end of the school year in 2016. Now, two years later, I live at a much slower pace helping my husband with his businesses and providing the flexibility he needs in time and traveling. I did have a revelation recently. Something I had been trying to deny. While visiting with a friend, we talked about looking for jobs other than teaching. I commented to her that for at least the last five years teaching, I would look at the end…
May for Teachers
May for teachers is a bitter-sweet time of year. We are anxiously awaiting the end of the school year so that we can get started with summer. We are also saying goodbye to a group of students who have been with us for nine or so months. Students who have grown academically (we dearly hope), physically, and emotionally (again, we dearly hope). In my early years of teaching, I would write a year-end letter that I would give to my students on their last day with me. As technology progressed, my year-end letter became a DVD slide show set to music. The last few years a…