I am again looking forward to the classroom. I feel like it was long ago when I was there. I miss the interactions between students, watching young people make meaning of the world around them. I miss the opportunities to improve compassion and skill and purpose. I miss working with teachers who, by default, are amazing people with amazing talents to impact the learning of children.
Category Archives: Life in the Classroom
FRIDAY
On Fridays, I pick my sons up from school at 12:45 pm. It is a partial day. What is done with the rest of the day connects back to Thursday's post.
THURSDAY
Thursday is library day for my sons at MLC. I remember the trips I would take with my class to the library. There was a shelf of science books that I checked out; I started with the first book on the shelf and worked my way through the stack. My sons enjoy the library and I am glad of how it is integrated into the classroom curriculum.
WEDNESDAY
Doing more with less. This is often the statement that is handed to you from above…do what you have always been doing, in fact do a little more, and do it all with less. But what if doing more with less was a personal choice for a school?
TUESDAY
The parking lot at MLC amazes me; my sons attend this school. In many ways the parking lot inspires me to believe again in the desire of people to do good for the greater good. The parking lot at MLC is not much larger than a typical gym (two basket ball courts), but somehow, every day, the cars come in, park, and go out without any hassle. What gets me is that there are no painted parking spots.
MONDAY
It was a rainy Monday morning, not too unlike other mornings in the northwest, as I took my sons to school. Today was Monday and so with it came the "All School Gathering". My sons attend Metropolitan Learning Center. This is a K-12 school with about 425 students. MLC is unique and has shown that it can be successful by being unique and placing first what matters most–students. For this week, I will briefly describe one salient point from the day. Hopefully we can take some of these successes and use them in our own schools.
You Can’t Teach THAT!
COME ONE, COME ALL! Share your “you can’t teach that” story. Share what caused a curriculum complaint. Perhaps it was a book, a unit, a topic, or a method of teaching. 
My Neighbor’s Bike Skills
Teachers can teach anyone, anything. Last week I taught my neighbor’s son how to ride a bike. Being a highly trained teacher, I used widely accepted educational practices, current trends in education, and data based analysis. Read about our week through my daily notes . . . .
GRADES: A Necessary Evil?
Fall is a beautiful time…the colorful leaves, the crisp air, and the grueling grading period. Many of you will be sending grades out soon. Have you ever reflected on how you grade? Every year, I find myself closer to the ideal grading situation. There is nothing inherently wrong with grades. However, grades have always been a hot topic in education. What are your thoughts?
Join in the discussion on grades. This post is unique. I have not written a 400 word post, carefully crafted with my opinion. I do have a bias and it is relatively transparent…I suppose the photo for this post is a bit revealing. However, I want to hear what you think; I came to my current philosophy on grades by talking with parents and teachers and adjusting my practices. If we each take from the discussion a new way to impact our teaching, the students will benefit.
The New Teacher, Part 1
If you’re like me, you will never forget that wild year. The first year of teaching. The days when you came home on top of the world. The world that you were changing. You had the kids in the palm of your hand. They loved you, you loved them, and everything was apple trees and sunshine.
Then there were the other days. The days when nothing worked. Not even the pencil sharpener. You ran off the wrong set of copies and the principal stopped by to watch. You marked the wrong kid absent and her mom freaked out. In your room. In front of your class.
Ah yes, the first year of teaching. The ups, the downs, the loneliness, the stress. It’s no wonder that many of our young teachers leave the classroom within their first five years, given the fact that we’re the only profession in which first year practitioners have essentially the same responsibilities as thirty-year veterans. Fortunately, this problem has been recognized and smart people have started to address it. Studies have shown that effective teacher induction programs can dramatically reduce new teacher attrition.
But I want to do something a little different here. Something that I hope will raise the awareness of what brand-new teachers experience as they begin their careers.