I'm Back, Really!

It has been almost a year since I blogged, and I'm sorry! I guess I wasn't ready for everything. I wasn't ready for the roadblocks; I wasn't ready for the negative politics; and I wasn't ready to feel as low as I did this past year.

How did it happen, and how did it get so "bad?" I don't know. I ran into a lot of issues at school, and I was becoming very pessimistic. It seemed like every time I wanted to implement something new, I was either flat out denied or made to jump through many hoops. Politically, things have not been very public-education friendly in my state of Pennsylvania. We currently have an anti-public education governor, Tom Corbett, whose biggest individual campaign contributor runs a for-profit finance management company that operates Chester Community Charter School. Needless to say, Corbett is pro-charter school and his proposed legislation upsets me terribly. I'm frustrated and sad to see public schools being attacked by people who have no interest in them except for political or financial gain.

Every time I received "bad" news, I became a bit depressed; and it frustrated me. I started a half dozen posts since my last blog post, but I didn't want my blog to be as negative as I felt.

Towards the end of the school year I came across a quote,- "Promote what you love instead of bashing what you hate - (anonymous)". It hit a nerve and I've decided it is going to be my philosophy. I hope it will keep me thinking positively about the work I do because I truly love teaching!   

So . . . on a positive note - some highlights of this past year . . . my geography classes went Geocaching during our unit on latitude and longitude, one of my former students had an article published in our district newsletter about it (http://www.dboone.org/administration/District%20Newsletters/12-13Summer.pdf), more students experimented with technologies they were unfamiliar with before this past year (like LiveBinders, Symbaloo, and Prezi), one of my classes was fortunate to have the opportunity to Skype with a class in Canada and ask them about their everyday life, and I presented during one of our district in-services! It was't all bad, and I have to remember that.

So . . . my pledge this year is to consistently add to this blog, so I can reflect on my experiences and share my story - the good and the bad.

Thanks PLN! Because of you, I am ready . . .

The official start of school is 3 weeks away (and for the first time in many summers), I am ready!! Not 100% prepared ready, because that is not my teaching style. I have a skeleton curriculum to cover, but how I cover it is largely dependent upon my students and how they respond to the curriculum. Instead I am attitude ready, ideas ready, and tools in my back pocket ready. Why is this summer different? Because I have spent much more time this summer than any other summer on PD (Professional Development), yet this is the first summer in 13 years I have not taught summer school, taken a graduate course, or attended a face-to-face conference! How is that possible?!? One word . . . Twitter! THANK YOU PLN . . . because of you, I am ready!! So school year 2011-2012, BRING IT ON!!

Hello Blog World . . . I have finally arrived!

I have heard so much the past three months about the importance of blogging, but never felt the need to do it. However, today is the day I begin! I am not sure why; nor am I quite sure where this will take me . . . but I am going to give it a try. I intend to include reflections of my planning and the teaching that occurs in Room 120 (and outside, in the library, in the computer lab, and anywhere else my “classroom” goes). Hopefully, I can soon get past the planning and the teaching and focus on the most important part of my class . . . the learning!