Learn to Teach

Writing is personal and public As long as I can remember, I wrote in journals. I wrote about my days, my life, my school and more often my social drama. I love to read and fiction is perhaps my favorite thing on the planet. I have written tons of drafts of novels of stories I've tried to tell. I've written hundreds of poems about my own experiences. But the phrase "write what you know" has always stuck with me, sometimes prohibiting me. I had convinced myself for a long time that I didn't know much of anything. I convinced myself that my own experiences were not worthwhile or of value. Why write about my own life? Who wants to listen to stories about me? This was phase one of resistance Phase two, perhaps even more devastating was my resistance to creativity. I used to pride myself on my creativity. I am a singer and have done theatre and directing. I used to write songs. I was always in choir and always in a show.  I felt in all of my schoolin

Twas the night before semester 2 And all through the apartment This teacher was stirring and couldn't quiet her mind While I'm excited for a new semester, a new slate I can't help but feel anxious Will I be able to reset for classes that need it? Will I get overwhelmed with grades? Will I provide lessons that are dynamic, engaging, and relevant? It is so easy to instantly self criticize But I hope to use today as a pause I can embrace the time to rest and relax before we jump in tomorrow I can get caught up in how will the rest of the year go But I'm using this moment to remind myself to take it one day at a time Teaching is a career where each day we have the chance to start again We get opportunities to constantly reflect and retool our craft But I need to continue to practice balance I can consume myself with constant self reflection which so often leads to self criticism I will repeat my refrain "one day at a time" Writing will have

Testing time Stressed out students Long hours Silent rooms Quiet hallways Writing, reading, bubbling Coffee, tea, tissues Time check Pencils down Essays in penDouble check your work 10 minutes left The clock ticks on Five minutes left Reread your work Time is up Pencils down One test down Many more to go

Long weekends are filled with plans I'll get so much reading done Maybe I'll practice the art of tidying up and clean my entire apartment? I'm sure I'll write everyday The best laid plans don't always come to fruition I spent most of my weekend lounging and eating with friends Watching hours of Netflix catching up on movies I hadn't yet seen I used to get mad and down on myself for not completing things I often view relaxation as wasteful and inefficient ut now in my second year of teaching, I'm starting to relish the time off Teaching is amazing and challenging and exhausting I feel like I always have one million tasks on an ever-growing to-do list Some days I barely sit down or have enough time to eat So I'm grateful for time to reset I'm not a superhero, or superhuman, or a robot I am a person who loves my students and cares deeply But I still need my rest I need to put away my planner for a few days I can let my backpack

 This past Thursday, I went to Strand Bookstore in NYC to see Laurie Halse Anderson at a book talk to celebrate the 20th anniversary of her celebrated novel, Speak. Speak is such an important book to many, including to me. I remember reading this book in seventh grade and it was the first time I felt a book had a real impact and connected to someone around my age. I fell in love with the book and fell in love with strong, powerful female characters who go through real life experiences. Laurie was a dynamic, engaging, powerful, and honest speaker who captivated the crowd but also felt like she was having a conversation with a friend. She spoke about how much she loves teenagers and how she feels like the school system as it is does not nurture them and reflect them and their experiences in the curriculum. This is something as I high school teach I feel and see and it was another call to myself to challenge my own lessons and question am I listening to my students and am I seeing th

Teaching during January feels like walking through dense fog I am tired from a short December break and filled with anxiety as I rush to finish grades to end our first semester It's easy to get caught up But I'm working this year to find something positive each day My students are often these beacons of light Today, one of my ELL students expressed "Sometimes I wish I was born in America. Sometimes I don't". This was so profound to me as I often forget how different our schools can be Some students have never been asked to write about their opinion I wish I put myself in my student shoes more Some of them don't understand why we use the tools, the acronyms, the graphic organizers This comment really stuck me and reminded me the why matters to all our kids Why are we doing something and why a certain way? It reminds me that language isn't always the only barrier, but sometimes experience with a subject or even specific type of assignment c