Learn to Teach

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...

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 seein...

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...

A soft breeze after the storm A soft blanket A soft sweater A soft pillow to rest your head In a world of hard experiences, choices, emotions Sometimes it's good to be soft To be soft is often to be weak To be soft is to be emotional, out of control But softness can be comfort Softness can be relaxation and care Soft spoken Soft and gentle Soft and warm

Silence may be golden But sometimes silence is dark and cold Silence can be lonely Silence can be calm Silence can help you think Silence can keep you from rest The world around you may be silent But your mind may be screaming Silence can push your own thoughts to the forefront Causing discomfort To silence the mind Is to be mindful Your mind being clear means you are being mindful To be focused on the silence around you means you've met silence in your mind A blank slate A new start Silence

Pocket Something to hold something else To hold something special To hold something you don't want to lose Kangaroos have a pouch pocket to protect their young Pockets can protect things Pockets can hold things you didn't realize you still had Money An old picture A ticket A memory that you'd lost but that comes back when you reach into your pocket Holding onto things is not in fashion anymore Rid your life pf posessions Rid your life of stuff But pockets are small They can hold tiny pieces, small parts of moments you may want to hold onto

Childlike innocence How I long for the days When I didn't understand the darkness in the world I long for days of not caring Not caring about what I wore How I looked I just played and read and had fun I didn't have so many thoughts in my mind So many children, in our country and all over the world do not have joy Many children go through so much difficulty Many children do not have the careless freedom Many children never have this "childlike innocence" so many of us long for To be childlike is not always to be innocent To be childlike is to love firecely To be childlike is to find joy, even in difficult circumstances To be childlike is to play, to have fun, to not take things so serioudly As teachers we must protect our children We must help guide them to find joy, to play, to love Childlike wonder: to find something amazing in something ordinary I pledge to be more childlike To appreciate the good and the wonder in the simple things around ...

It doesn't just happen You have to work You cannot sit around And wait for things to come to you You have to go out You have to fight You have to work Life doesn't just happen You cannot remain still You cannot stay compalcenet You have to try To live To risk To dare You make it happen And if it happens, you know it was because of you Your effort Your bravery Your courage You have the power to make it happen

It's difficult to find joy in the darkness of the world today Families are being torn apart Children are lost and lonely Where can we find hope? They say to look for the ones helping There has been outpouring of support Cheers to those fighting for others Cheers to those supporting others Cheers to the people who smile at strangers Cheers to those who are speaking out Joy is often hard to find We are scared to remain joyful What if it doesn't last? What if it's selfish because others in the world are hurting? Cheer is something that is often in short supply Even in teaching Cheer is often viewed as naive or weak Cheers to educators who show joy about their profession Cheers to educators who provide comfort to struggling colleagues and students Cheers to those who never lose their passion Days are dark But cheers to those who find the light

Favors are hard for me. I do not like to ask help. I like to help others. I like to support friends and family and do favors for them. But for me a favor implies a debt to be rapid. You do me a favor and I do you a favor. If I ask for a favor, I owe you something. Favors are not my friend. A favor is a burden, an inconvenience, a difficulty. Favors are not my favorite.

Grades are entered. Final Exams are finished and I am reaching the end of my first year of teaching. It has been a whirl wind. Looking back to where I was one year ago, graduated from grad school and so anxious for a job. After I got my job, I was so excited and terrified at the same time. Thinking back to my first day with my students, I didn't know how to be or who I'd be as a teacher. I was exhausted with what they call "decision fatigue", not realizing how many things I'd decide within a class period, let alone a full school day. I remember by December feeling drained, questioning everything, wondering if I'd make it out. New teachers get a lot of advice, often unsolicited, two pieces that stuck with me: 1) don't make a career decision during your first year and 2) have a life. There were many days, class periods, even moments where I thought is this really right for me? But I think that is a normal feeling for any teacher, for any person. The second ...

I was so eager to come back from Thanksgiving with energy and a fresh outlook on life, particularly my teaching. I’ve gotten numerous comments from other teachers at my school and in my life about how well I’m handling my first year of teaching. However, as much of an Olivia Pope as I an on the outside, my teaching definitely isn’t “handled”. Yesterday was the most positive day yet. I felt like I was making connections with my students and finally feeling like everything was getting better, even with my most challenging class that I usually dread before and get angry and/or cry about after. However, what a difference a day makes. Nothing particularly bad happened today. Most teachers in my school are STRESSED. We all are getting observed these next few weeks, and we only have one week off for the holiday break. But what really got me today was a moment when many of my students simply did not read directions to a test. I was angry and disappointed. How could they not understand? Then I ...

Challenging myself to participate in Teach Write's Daily Writing Project. Here is my writing today: Growth is a challenge Routines are comforting, yet can become dull I thrive in plans and structure and schedules However, struggles arise when I meet an unforeseen challenge I want to expand my abilities to be flexible I want to expand my mindset of what is a challenge I always want to plan for every possibility and still become frustrated when I can't anticipate something I want to expand my definition of difficult I want to change my habits to become less frustrated by surprises I want to express myself in someway everyday I want to embrace challenges and celebrate the small victories It is so easy to sit in the dark of the present But I want to open up to see the light around me Celebrate the everyday, the light that I don't always notice i want to open up my mind to seeing what's already around me