by Dawn | Apr 18, 2014 | education reform, Teaching
We spend days, no weeks, looking forward to school vacation. Students nearly refuse to work in the days leading up to it. “Miss, can I go watch a movie in Mrs. X’s class?” I look at him. He must be insane. “Um, no, we’re doing our big...
by Dawn | Apr 11, 2014 | self-improvement, simplicity
“We traveled to school in the snow. We only had one pair of shoes between us. And we liked it!” Senior citizens have a way of remembering. As a historian, I’ve learned to filter this. It’s something I teach my students when we examine primary...
by Dawn | Jan 31, 2014 | education reform, Teaching
I woke from a nightmare. I was taking standardized tests. I bombed. I’m glad it was a dream.It’s standardized test season, a time that strikes more fear in the hearts of schools than a life-sized poster of the Bieber mug shot. Everyone’s defined by...
by Dawn | Jan 5, 2014 | organization, Teaching
It’s the post-vacation bulge. My backpack is bursting. It’s the last day of school vacation. The snowstorm pushed it off last Thursday, so it’s come twice. It’s the day the bell tolls, the alarm clocks get set, and teens everywhere shake off...
by Dawn | Nov 26, 2013 | self-improvement
“What is it that gets you out of bed in the morning and exercising?” “How do you write every day?” “Why do you teach even though the climate is so bad for teachers?” These are three questions that crossed my feed this week. On the...
